HOLY GROUND, a commission by A+C project 2020, funded by Arts Council England

This land is holy ground

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"Pilgrimage redraws topography as a sacred field , rendering the whole landscape as a sacred field of power" Alison Millbank

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"To romanticise the world is to make us aware of the magic mystery and wonder of the world; it is to educate the senses to see the ordinary as extraordinary, the familiar as strange, the mundane as sacred, the finite as infinite" - Novalis

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Holy Ground is a project commissioned by Art + Christianity working in collaboration with the communities in an around St Andrew’s Church and Shri Nathji Sanatan - Hindu Temple in Leytonstone.  The project will explore ideas of Holy Ground in the broadest sense, seeking to connect with spiritual and embodied ideas of landscape and the universe. The process will look more deeply at ways to connect to the natural world and the notion that all land was once considered sacred. 

We are interested in exploring thoughts around sacrifice and transformation discovering what these stories can offer us in the current ecological crises. 

A particular focus will be given to ideas around pilgrimage, offerings and community as we work towards creating a series of collective actions and practices of attunement as embodied notions of spirituality in and around Epping Forest.

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As part of this we have a call out for fellow pilgrims  so do reach out if this speaks to you!

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Contributions from the wider community are also welcomed and we invite people to send us:

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• Creation stories

• Images of visions of landscapes

• Images of the cosmos

• Illuminated manuscripts

• Books and stories that describe connection to nature across faiths and spiritual practices

These contributions will be collated on our website forming part of the project research whilst creating a community around the themes. There will be also opportunities to be involved in other ways so do get in touch if you are interested.

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As he looked on to the world he had birthed

he thought to himself 

this place needs music 

this place needs art 

and so 

at the place where the 3 rivers meet

with a swan at her feet

she was birthed

through a fountain of marigold flowers

she came wearing white

as a purification 

she came wearing yellow

as a bringer of light 

she became the river of knowledge

offering her flow beneath the surface of things

to emerge every 12 years 

yet again to meet with the two other rivers 

and 120 million beings 

at the great wheel and water vessel 

immense and intimate 

the turning of the great oceans

in the union of earth and sky 

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a collective reflection from Temple session 

Where the 3 waters meet

Photograph taken in response to emerging themes

pilgrimage on local land, Hackney Marshes

The symbolism of salt an offering from a member of St Andrews Church 

Home Shrine an offering from Shri Nathji Sanatan - Hindu Temple

the 12 women and the 12 suns

drawing made in response to emerging themes