Fearless Symmetry Exhibition - Bristol St John on the Wall
St John on the Wall, Bristol
Geometry, stained glass and the art of the sacred, an exhibition by Anne Thomas and Delia Whitbread
DELIA WHITBREAD is a stained glass artist who moved to Bristol in 2011. Delia learnt Sacred
Geometry on the Visual Islamic and Traditional Art course at the RCA in 1989 since when it has
informed all her design work. Delia taught Architectural Glass for 15 years and has made windows for churches and homes in the UK.
ANNE THOMAS is an artist and teacher based near Aberystwyth, Wales. She creates mandala paintings in watercolour and acrylic, and sculpted ceramic objects, inspired by geometry in nature. Anne teaches workshops and courses exploring Sacred Geometry and the Nature of
Mandalas.
There will be 5 talks in rotation throughout the duration of the exhibition from Wednesday to Sunday, taking place at 2pm for 20 minutes and with 10 minutes at the end for questions. They will be on the following topics -
- St John's salvaged glass - looking at the stained glass fragments that have been found in the crypt of St John's (Saturday 7th and Sunday 15th September)
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Sacred Art - the use of geometry and iconography in religious buildings (Sunday 8th and wednesday 18th September)
- Gender and iconography - ‘icons’ of womanhood past and present (Wednesday 11th and Friday 20th September)
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A Brief History of Stained Glass - from the Middle Ages to Present (Thursday 12th and Thursday 19th September)
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Islamic and Celtic Art – the spreading of pattern work on trade routes (Friday 13th and Saturday 21st September)
Delia will also be able to talk about her own work on other days if visitors request this -
1. Delian Designs – evolution of a personal style. A talk about Delia’s 30 years of work as a glass designer/maker
2. From Commission to installation – the design and making process involved in a stained glass window ‘Reconfiguring the Rose’ – the story of the virtual rose window
3. In the Womb of the Rose – the MA and PhD research associated with the modern screen based window and an explanation of the new Bristol Rose project
Anne Thomas and Delia Whitbread will give a talk together on Sunday 22nd September from 3 - 4pm on the symbolism of sacred geometry, which is used ubiquitously in all sacred art and buildings. They will both talk about the use of geometry in their own work.