Virgin and Child (detail) window by Natalie Liege at St Luke's church, Grimethorpe. Photo: Jeremy Philips
Members of the congregation of St Luke's Church, Grimethorpe, star in new windows created using innovative techniques by glass artist Nathalie Liege.
Local mum, Sarah Crawshaw and her son, Lee, appear as Mary and the infant Jesus. The Vicar, Father Peter Needham, Nathalie herself and congregation members Audrey Bailey and Peter Squires also feature in the windows.
The idea for the windows grew out of a project instigated in 2003 by Wakefield-based visual arts organisation, The Art House, one of our regularly funded organisations.
Arts Council England, Yorkshire supported the new work with a £36,000 Grants for the arts award, and The Art House managed the project on behalf of St Luke's.
Nathalie Liege was commissioned to work with the congregation at St Luke's to develop ideas for the refurbishment of the Church – which had been due to be demolished two years earlier, a decision later reversed.
In a series of workshops Nathalie photographed members of the congregation in iconographic poses from which she developed the first of the designs for the new windows.
The windows are not made of traditional stained glass but use a series of ground-breaking new methods, which included Nathalie working in clay, using the photographs as reference, to create the iconic image of the Madonna and Child. The clay image was then used to make a rubber mould which, in turn, was used to make the glass for the windows. Colours were added to the glass while it was in its molten form in the moulds.
Her photographs were also made into transfers which were then melted with layers of glass in between, creating depth and 3-dimensional effect. In the melting process the transfers are fused to the glass and become part of it.
Karen Durham, Resource Development Officer, Arts Council England, Yorkshire, said: 'We are really excited that our lottery funding is supporting artistic activities in Grimethorpe, enriching the lives of the people who live there and giving them a sense of pride in their community. This high quality and innovative new artwork in St Luke's Church represents a new approach to the creation of architectural glass, which will be enjoyed by the community for years to come.'
Liz Whitehouse, Director of The Art House, said: 'This has been a brilliant project from start to finish. This project worked so closely with the congregation that they are actually featured in the artwork. Workshops with two schools, conducted by artist Alison Brierley, also involved children from Grimethorpe and they produced their own ideas for windows, made in clay tiles, and these are also on show in the Church alongside Nathalie's stunning new windows.'
The Art House is a unique national membership organisation for visual artists. Its wide ranging work includes designing and managing ambitious projects including residencies, exhibitions, commissions and research, nationally and internationally, all in accessible settings.
For more information visit The Art House
