Image: Mary Branson, New Dawn, 2016
Join us to visit New Dawn, a work that expresses its meaning through the river tides and coloured light, at the Houses of Parliament, with the artist Mary Branson.
Mary Branson
This event will give special access to view New Dawn with Mary Branson, the artist. After visiting the artwork attendees will be able to hear Mary give an illustrated talk about her work in a room in Portcullis House.
About New Dawn
On the 7th June, 2016, one hundred and fifty years to the day since the campaign for women’s votes began, New Dawn, an artwork celebrating all the individuals involved, was revealed in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of Parliament. New Dawn is located above the entrance to St Stephen’s Hall, the site of numerous demonstrations, so that viewers of the artwork will literally stand in the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands of women and men who came to Parliament to fight for women’s right to the vote.
Measuring over six metres high, the massive scale of New Dawn is intended to reflect the size of the campaign, and the unique hand-blown glass scrolls that make up its dawning sun reflect the many individuals who were involved in the movement and the special contribution they made to modern democracy.
About Mary Branson
Mary Branson is best known for her large scale conceptual light sculptures and installations, particularly the iconic New Dawn 2016 sculpture in the Houses of Parliament, which celebrates the centenary of the Suffrage movement and is the first permanent piece of contemporary abstract art in the Palace of Westminster.
She has created light and sound works for the London 2012 Olympics, Royal Holloway University and most recently ‘Harvest’ a huge site specific installation at Box Hill Surrey in collaboration with Surrey Hills and the National Trust, highlighting the plight of farmers facing climate change.
At the beginning of 2019 Mary installed Ladders of Light at Salisbury Cathedral, the rungs linking man to heaven and the command from God in creating his church: “All the families of the Earth be Blessed” – a message of equality across all nations.
Read more on marybranson.com.
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About the ‘Water and light’ series
Water and light are infinitely fascinating to the human eye and deeply embedded in art and culture throughout time and across continents. In Biblical narratives, water and light are repeatedly referenced as an elemental force that creates dynamic change; they hold a resonant symbolism within religious ritual; and in the face of climate change and global migration they have lately accreted a new potency as signifiers of stewardship and compassion.
In this new series of talks and events, we’ll be taking a detailed view of the elements of water and light in religious art as well as theological reflections on works of art inspired by the sea and sky.