TERRY HAMMILL

Title 1 The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross in semaphore

Location 1 Cloisters

Statement The sculpture is made from one hundred and ninety two small crucifixes in seven groupings spelling out The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross - in semaphore. The crucifixes are connected together in a ‘daisy-chain’ to make a long snaking line along the floor of the cloisters. Many composers from Franz Joseph Haydn to James MacMillan have used the Seven Last Words as inspiration for their music. I have used semaphore as a kind of ‘visual music’ and as a system of signals that acts - in this context - as a desperate and human form of communication. I am also conscious that the viewer’s slow walk along the length of the sculpture while attempting to decipher the message will perhaps echo the cloisters original purpose as a place for perambulation and prayer.

Semaphore Code

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross

Semaphore Code

The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross