Our Community Projects
Thanks to support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Exeter Cathedral has introduced an exciting new programme of activities and events for people in and around Exeter. Take a look below to see how we’ve been engaging communities with their local heritage.
Textile Project
July 2024 – present
Textile Artist, Davina, is working with communities in Exeter and beyond to co-create a piece of textile art that will be used in our new Treasures Gallery exhibition space. The final artwork will be inspired by the Cathedral’s textile collections, including vestments, rondels, flags, banners and alter cloths, and themes of birth (new beginnings/growth) marriage (union/love) and death (grief/loss).
Soundscape Project
March 2024 – present
Soundscape Artists Nicole Redfern and Daniel Harvey have been working alongside the local community through workshops and collaborations, and using sounds of the Cathedral to create a soundscape that will be used in our new Treasures Gallery exhibition space. The soundscape will support visitors in engaging with their sensory experience and will include sounds that represent the Cathedral including texts being said and sung, bells rung, and the organ being played. The sounds of Exeter Cathedral are an important element in the of experience of the building throughout its history. The soundscape’s content will also explore more abstract concepts such as disembodied sound in the Cathedral (retreating footsteps, overheard voices), quality of sound in the Cathedral (echo, delay) and the absence of sound in the Cathedral (peace).
Inlaid Tiles Project
March 2024
The Inlaid Tiles Project will work with the local community to co-create a tile design that will border the Chapter House floor, repurposing previously used medieval tiles. So far the project has included ‘tile scrubbing sessions’ to clean the medieval tiles ready for use and carefully cataloguing each tile.
Youth Panel
September 2023
A panel of 16-25 year olds met at Exeter Cathedral to discuss ways we can introduce innovative new ways to tell our story, to people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Participants shared their ideas on how to engage people with our stories and collections in new and exciting ways.
Summer Activities
2023 & 2024
Free summer activities for all the family.
Funded by The National Heritage Fund, Summer Activities involves a range of family friendly activities taking place on Cathedral Green including two free plays ‘Reads Revelation’ and ‘The ever Faithful City’. The purpose of this is to engage the local community with their heritage in a fun and interactive way.
BioBlitz
July 2023
Spotting seasonal species at Exeter Cathedral
The ’BioBlitz’ was a fun activity with an important mission. The aim was to identify as many species around the Cathedral grounds and green spaces as possible over two days; creating the chance to explore and hopefully discover something unknown and unusual. Working with Devon Wildlife Trust and the landscape architect, we will be using our findings to increase the biodiversity around us, contributing to the increase and preservation of our wildlife.
We hosted a range of activities including: Snail Racing with Wild Ideas, a VR Experience with Exeter Science Centre, Origami with Exeter Cathedral, a Moth Trap Reveal with Simon Bates, Wildflower and Lichen walk with Devon Wildlife Trust and a Honey Bee Hive with Exeter Beekeepers.
The Exeter Cathedral BioBlitz was funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and took place in partnership with the Devon Wildlife Trust.
Riddler in Residence
2023 & 2024
This unique role is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Exeter Cathedral’s Riddler in Residence leads creative workshops inspired by the Cathedral, its green spaces, and collections from its library and archives, including the famous 10th century Exeter Book.
The Riddler in Residence project works with a range of local community groups, including families, young people and formal education settings, with the aim of inspiring them to creatively connect with their heritage.
Team Gaia
January-February 2023
Timed to coincide with our hosting of artist Luke Jerram’s Gaia installation, Team Gaia was a collaboration between Exeter Cathedral and immersive theatre company Four of Swords.
The project brought together young people from across our local community, including Exeter’s ISCA Academy School, Exeter Hindu Temple Trust, the local Ukrainian community and the Pelican Project learning disabled artists and creatives.
Together the groups contributed to a series of workshops and explored a range of themes inspired by Gaia, including scientific, religious and mythological perspectives on the origins of planets. They also reflected on our own planet’s environment and discussed ways to protect life on Earth for the future.
Ideas and perspectives expressed in the workshops were then developed into a narrative for an immersive theatre performance, Beyond Gaia, which was co-created between the community groups and Four of Swords, and performed in front of a sell-out audience at Exeter Cathedral.
Combining dazzling visuals, performance, sound and music, the show told the story of an alien council of inhabitants from lost and dead worlds, assembled on Earth to celebrate the planet’s beauty, share their own cautionary tales, and inspire us all to safeguard the future of our world.
