Local artist Patrick Haines has been overwhelmed by the positive response he has received for his work which is currently on display at Bath Abbey as part of the ‘Odyssey’ exhibition.
Patrick works from Spike Island Studio in Bristol, but lives in Bath and lectures at Bath Spa University. He studied Fine Art sculpture alongside model-making before working with Aardman Studios, Spitting Image Studio and BBC Wildlife.
Three of Patrick’s pieces are on show in Bath Abbey alongside household names such as Damien Hirst and David Mach. Examining the relationship between man and nature, Patrick’s work brings the untamed natural world into ordered human environments.
Patrick said: “I have felt more anxious about this show than any other. I suppose it’s because the Abbey is such an inspiring place, full of the most wonderful art, carvings and architecture, so you feel that whatever you are adding to it has to stand up to this remarkable craftsmanship.”
One of Patrick’s pieces “Perennial” which he describes as a “12 foot high hogweed” particularly stands out in the Abbey and not just because of its size and fragility. The artist explains: “If you look closely at the base, you’ll see a goldfinch or a thistle bird which in Christian symbolism is associated with Christ’s Crown of Thorns.
“Another much smaller piece is of a dragonfly in a glass case which is laying its eggs in a prayer book, while the third which can be found in a little niche in a column outside the Birde Chantry, is a little chapel made of a rook’s bones – the steeple being made from the rook’s beak-bone.”
Alan Garrow, Vicar Theologian at Bath Abbey, said: “There is a great atmosphere of engagement in the Abbey. People seem to be really enjoying the creative conversation between the ancient building and the contemporary works of art.”
The ‘Odyssey’ exhibition continues at Bath Abbey until 6th May. Curated by Jemma Hickman, Director of bo.lee projects, it brings together a collection of artworks by contemporary artists Damien Hirst, David Mach, Tessa Farmer, Koji Shiraya and Bath-based, Patrick Haines.
The works, situated in a series of resonant spaces within the Abbey meditate upon the fragility, as well as the infinite possibility, of human existence.
