A major new immersive installation exploring the relationship between nature, light and sound has been unveiled at Messums West, where the medieval tithe barn has been transformed into a shifting indoor forest canopy.
Forest Cathedral, created by Berlin-based artist Andrew Amondson, officially opened this week ahead of its public launch on 14th May. The installation marks the beginning of a wider collaboration between Messums Creative, Forest of Imagination, Bath Spa University and Winchester Cathedral, with plans for the work to tour some of England’s most significant Gothic cathedrals from 2027.
Designed specifically for the vast timber structure at Messums West, the installation uses suspended mirrored leaves and branching forms to create a moving landscape of reflected light and shadow. As visitors walk through the barn, air currents gently shift the sculpture overhead, altering the patterns cast across the floor and ancient roof timbers. An accompanying soundscape moves from deep resonant tones inspired by root systems and forest floors to lighter canopy birdsong above.
Dr Penny Hay, Professor of Imagination at Bath Spa University, said: ‘We are thrilled to begin this new collaboration. The partnership will bring together artists, researchers and the community to explore the transformative power of the arts and imagination, and to deepen our relationship with nature through shared creative experiences.’
Amondson said the building itself became central to the work’s development. ‘Walking into the barn at Messums West was like entering an ancient wood, with its tree-like timbers arching over me, I felt I was in a sacred space.
‘The branches are fabricated from 80 per cent recycled aluminium. The reflective foil and dichroic glass elements are salvaged materials repurposed for this installation; a Forest of Re-Imagination in some senses, finding new life for materials that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill.
‘Forest Cathedral is a reflection on the forest as an endless source of inspiration in the stories we tell, where light and sound become the language of the experience, where the canopy moves and you feel it.’
Johnny Messum said the project draws a connection between forests and Gothic cathedral architecture. ‘It is well known that Gothic Cathedral architecture was inspired by and deliberately interpreted the structure of great forests. The forest provided both the structural model and the spiritual atmosphere medieval builders sought to capture in stone.’
The installation opens to the public at Messums West on 14th May at midday. A spokesman says: ‘At 12pm, Johnny Messum and Andrew Amondson will invite you to experience the work for the first time and then talk about responses and the ideas behind the work. You are invited to stay and take time to fully experience the Forest Cathedral Installation lying on the floor or meditating in an experience of sound and light within the oak structure of what is believed to be the largest thatched building in the country, a place that carries the memories of an agrarian England and yet holds thoughts and conversations alive to the concerns of today.’
Forest Cathedral at Messums West is a kinetic sculpture of branching limbs and mirrored leaves gently moving with air currents while a soundscape rises from grounding tones of the forest floor and root systems through rustling mid-range frequencies to the bright presence of canopy birdsong. Image: Courtenay Hitchcock
Later in the programme “Lates” will allow visitors to book the space to meditate, and to spend extended time in the barn under the forest canopy, immersing themselves in the experience. The team are also open to ‘sleep over’ bookings in the barn to allow visitors extended time with the installation.
Messums West is ‘acting as a greenhouse’ for Forest Cathedral, presenting 100 fractal leaf patterns ahead of the full 300 being displayed at Winchester Cathedral in February 2027.
The Forest Cathedral exhibition runs from 14th May to 25th July at Messums West, entry is free. messums.org
