ARCH

We normally see churches as dull and uninspiring places that we are dragged to by our parents when we are young. Grey, bleek and cold the buildings often offer very purpose aside from the odd wedding and christening. However over the last few years we have seen the place of worship being used for more arty activities such as fashion shows. For instance alumni Jatin Patel used St Pancras church to launch his new collection at London Fashion Week and The Old Spitalfied church was the venue for the UEDA and UCA fashion show a few weeks back. One person who has taken the use of churches to a new level is Tim Meacham who is better known as course leader of BA Hons in Creative and Technical Practice.

Art in Churches (ARCH) is a project that revives redundant medieval churches by restoring them and featuring contemporary artwork. Four churches in Hoo were chosen to feature projects by contemporary artists in installation, photography, painting and textiles. 11 Kent based artist such as Amanda Thesiger, Kathryn Faulkner, Mark Cowper, Sara Wicks, Ian Bottle, John Dargan, Kerrie Nimmo, Sue Dray as well as Tim Meacham produced sculptures, photographs and painting.

Historically, churches were always at the forefront of art, encouraging novel art by commissioning leading artists of the day. In providing artists an opportunity to explore the unique environment in Hoo and by bringing new artwork into these extraordinary buildings, ARCH aims to participate in this long tradition. The chosen artistic disciplines are diverse including installation, photography, painting, sculpture and textiles. The exhibits seek to engage with the public and create an ongoing dialogue between contemporary art and the public spaces they occupy.

So good was the venture that it was awarded a trophy for Best Heritage at the recent Medway Culture and Design Awards.