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Colin
Wilbourne: The Upper Room |
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Carved
from thirteen diseased elm trees, The Upper Room depicts
the scene of Christ’s Last Supper in the upper room
of a house. The trees stand in an oval, twelve of them
bearing a carved relief. If viewed simultaneously from
a seat in the thirteenth tree, the carvings come together
in a remarkable trompe l’oeil effect to represent
an unoccupied room with arched windows, tables, jugs of
water, leftover food and a bag of silver (a reference
to Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Christ for thirty
pieces of silver).
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The Upper Room was commissioned by the Chaplaincy from
Colin Wilbourn, following his year as artist-in-residence
at Durham Cathedral 1987/8. Due to the nature of
the medium, it was commissioned as a site-specific work
with a limited life expectancy. However, over the years
it became immensely popular and grew to be a tourist attraction
on the banks of the River Wear. When eventually it began
to suffer severely from rot, it became necessary for the
work to be taken down out of concern for public safety.
Despite public request for a replacement work and strenuous
fundraising efforts, it has proved impossible to find funding
for a more durable replacement.
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The
sculptor himself carried out the demolition on February
1st, 2001. Speaking on the day Colin said,
"I have mixed feelings because I always knew it would
fall apart some time. I’m quite happy for it to go.
But I am more sad for other people. I have never had a
work which has so enamoured people. It has always surprised
me. I think it is because people sit inside that they
get involved. It was certainly a landmark in my career
and crystallised the philosophy that people should interact
with public art."
The
Chaplaincy to the Arts and Recreation is grateful to Northern
Arts for essential funding and to the Dean and Chapter
of Durham for the elm trees and the practical support
of staff.
For
further information contact Bill
Hall
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