Why there are new faces popping up at York Minster
They are part of a new installation at York Minster – which is moving in more ways than one.
People We Love is a commission by York Mediale from York-based creative collective KMA.
The installation is five high definition screens that will each show video portraits of a person looking at a picture of someone they love.
And it features York residents!
It aims to be a poignant reminder of the love we all feel and share.
People We Love will be at York Minster from 16 October to 12 November 2021.
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The installation was originally commissioned as part of the 2020 York Mediale festival, but was only open for three days before it had to close due to national lockdown.
But now it’s back – with new subjects for 2021.
People We Love was inspired by ‘The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman’ by Laurence Sterne.
First published in York in 1759, the book contains a blank page for the reader to imagine, draw or write about a person they love.
“We wanted to take that idea and incorporate it into People We Love, making the audience member an active participant in the creative process as they engage with the film,” said artist and creator Kit Monkman.
“There is a private communion between the person filmed and the viewer, and each draws their own meaning from it, the viewer never knowing anything about the story between the person on screen and their photograph.”
Take a look
And it’s also going international…
The installation will open in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the new year – and on 5 November, People We Love in York will feature all Pittsburgh residents.
It’s being called ‘Pittsburgh Day’.
Once the installation is open in Pittsburgh they will also have a ‘York Day’, with York residents featured.
Neil Sanderson, director of the York Minster Fund, said: “We’re delighted to have People We Love return to the Minster after its early closure in 2020 due to the national lockdown.
“The installation will form part of a wider season of remembering at the cathedral which we hope will give visitors time to pause, reflect and think about their own loved ones during what has been an extraordinarily difficult time for so many.”
People We Love is at York Minster until Friday 12 November.