Rose - Stained Glass Architectural

Rose - Stained Glass Architectural, originally uploaded by Ross Ashton.

Tonight (Saturday) is the last night to see "Rose" and the Illuminating York festival. They have had massive attendances, upwards of 40,000 for the first three nights. Karen and I are pleased to have been part of their success.

The event runs from 7 to 10 pm tonight.

We would like to thank all the volunteers and agencies that made Rose possible. I will be writing a more complete list when I update my web page; but until then "thank you".

PS. Don't forget to enter the Photography Competition by uploading your photos of the festival to Flickr!

Rose - White Rose

Rose - White Roses, originally uploaded by Ross Ashton.

From New York to Old York

Rose - Rehearsal 1, originally uploaded by Ross Ashton.

Having spent last week in New York, I am now in York, in the UK. The photo is of the White Rose of Yorkshire projected onto York Minster, and the famous Rose Window illuminated from within. Karen and I are here all this week working on the Illuminating York Festival.

"Rose" is a Son et Lumière which explores the idea of the the rose as a metaphor and a symbol.

The centre of the piece is the illumination of the Rose Window in the South Transept of York Minster. Images were created from stained glass and illuminated manuscripts. The soundtrack was specially created by Karen Monid and features recording of poetry read by local volunteers.

The Festival runs from the 27th to the 30th October 2010

Three Faiths - New York Public Library

Three Faiths - New York Public Library, originally uploaded by Ross Ashton.

As part of the Three Faiths exhibition at the New York Public Library I was asked to create a piece based on the magnificent illuminated manuscripts that are on display within and which are drawn from the libraries own collection. The building itself is undergoing renovation so the surface was not ideal.

The Coexist Foundation seeks to promote interfaith harmony and is a major sponsor of the exhibition. This was my first outdoor piece of work in New York, and although I would have preferred to have been projecting directly onto the building, it was great to be asked to do it.

Stained Glass

Last week I visited the York Glaziers Trust researching imagery for 'Rose'. I spent the morning with Nick Teed. I spent a fascinating time as he explained in detail how the windows were made originally and the processes that they go through in restoration. The tools and methods that they use now are the same as they were eight centuries ago. I was able to hold in my hand a portrait of a man from eight centuries ago, a perfect miniature in glass. All the more incredible as these images can never be appreciated like this normally as they are 40m away in the minster windows. Anyone can see them in close up however, as the Glaziers Trust have open days for the public at which they explain their work. Fascinating! Visit the York Glaziers Trust website for more details of visits to their studios.


'Rose' will be a Son et Lumière artwork in which I am collaborating with Karen Monid. It is part of 'Illuminating York' and runs from the 27th to the 30th October 2010.

"Illuminata" Caerphilly Castle

Illuminata is the story of Caerphilly Castle told in sounds and images.
I really enjoyed working with CADW to create this.
We spent a lovely week wandering around this 13th Century building and learning about its history. I also got to work with Mike Cooper who draws for 2000AD. He created some of the bespoke images which we animated. Paul had a great time in the Pound Shop and we all discovered the real Welsh Rarebit.

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