COVENTRY Cathedral grounds will be transformed after dark over three nights next week by evocative light projections and poetry to mark wartime courage in the Blitz.
Where Light Falls tells the story of those who fought to save the medieval Cathedral when it was bombed in the German raid of 14 November 1940, as part of Coventry Peace Festival.
Historic England, working with the Poetry Society and leading creatives Double Take Projections, initiated the spectacular free installation which will take place from Thursday November 14 to Saturday November 16, 5 – 9pm.
In a New Light, a new poem by Coventry-born poet Jane Commane, with contributions by local residents and school pupils, will be narrated each night by the poet as the words light up the walls of the ruins and new cathedral.
The spire of the old cathedral will be the focus of beautiful animations inspired by stained glass while an original music score will create an atmospheric soundscape.
Poet Jane Commane said: “I’m immensely proud that this poem will literally come to life and become part of the city’s fabric over the course of Where Light Falls – and for the chance to give to poem to the city and its people. This really matters to me, because the poem and the story it tells very much belongs to them.
“The ‘Coventry chorus’ at the heart of the poem was written with lines contributed by people of all ages and all walks of life from across the city, as well as lines from historic figures who played a part in the story of the cathedral’s loss and rebuilding, including voices
from the archives. I am looking forward to seeing the poem and the projections illuminate this story of Coventry and its two incredible and inspiring cathedral buildings.”
The poem tells the city’s story of destruction, recovery and resilience from medieval times through to the destruction of the old cathedral during the Blitz, finishing with peace, reconciliation and the building of a modern city.
Jane led workshops with local school children, refugees and migrants with lived through experience of conflict.
They include pupils from Caludon Castle School and members of Coventry Older Voices, Good Chance, Coventry Stanza and performers at the city’s regular Fire and Dust poetry night to explore what the cathedral means to them.
Older writers were also invited to respond to photographs and accounts of the Blitz, and the heroic efforts of many individuals who fought to keep the cathedrals from destruction.
Where Light Falls marks the anniversary of the devastating Luftwaffe bombing on November 14 1940, but also the hope that came with the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s.
The installation follows a companion piece at St Paul’s Cathedral which drew thousands of people to the City of London to remember members of the St Paul’s Watch who risked their lives to protect the building during the Second World War.
See what the main light show on the spire will look like here: https://historicengland.org.uk/get-involved/visit/where-light-falls/coventry-cathedral/
