COVENTRY Cathedral and Coventry City of Culture Trust are to present Lichtung – Break / Lichtung – White Drift, by Anne Petters, the first of the Broken Angel series of commissions that will be set in the glass ‘West Screen’ by John Hutton.
The new artwork is the first of three that will temporarily replace the ‘Angel of the Eternal Gospel’ – one of 66 larger than-life glass engraved figures depicted in the Screen – after it was destroyed in an act of vandalism in 2020.
Following its installation on 6 November, it will remain on display until February 2022 when it will be replaced by the next commission.
Petters‘ home city of Dresden was twinned with Coventry following World War II, in reconition of the destruction of both cities.
While her commission was not related to this, the artist has drawn on the this deep emotional connection between the histories of the two cities in the creation of her work.
The West Screen’s original engravings were created over a decade by John Hutton.
Anne said: “I remember standing in front of the cathedral’s West Screen for the first time in 2016, overwhelmed by Hutton’s unique and dynamic way of cutting into glass.
“It is a huge honour and a great joy to be presenting Lichtung – Break / Lichtung – White Drift in this space.”
Dean of Coventry, Very Rev’d John Witcombe said: “When our original Angel came down, the smashing glass made a devastating sound as it resonated around our Cathedral.
“Through Broken Angel, starting with this wonderful work by Anne Petters, we seek a creative response to this act of violence and further our 60 year tradition of working with artists as part of our reconciliation work. It’s our own poetic, spiritual Fourth Plinth.”
