The installation features 1000 metres of multi-hued ribbons cascading from the rafters which fill the space with a riot of colour: like streams of light connecting heaven and earth. The different coloured ribbons contained in the piece are intended to reflect both the summer sunsets which come streaming through the West Window in Chapel and the stained-glass depiction of the Holy Spirit contained in the Chapel’s East Window.
The work was inspired by a former pupil of the school, the poet W H Auden who died fifty years ago this year. Auden famously converted to Christianity in his 30s and many of his later poems reflect on spiritual and theological themes. Gresham’s students wrote words from one of these poems ‘Whitsunday in Kirchstetten’ on each piece of ribbon. Auden had a holiday home in Kirchstetten in Austria and is buried in the parish churchyard.
School Chaplain the Revd Jack Branford said, “The students have done a wonderful job creating this stunning spectacle. It seems to lift people’s spirits and make them smile as they walk into Chapel.”