Secret transactions with God in prayer have life-changing consequences. Within worship and prayer, sorrow can be turned to joy, worry to peace. Alison Thistlethwaite’s paintings aim to capture some of this process in paint. Her paintings are not just depictions, or recollections, of encounters with God through the Spirit. They are themselves painted in encounter with God, much like the prayers of any one of us, but in physical form.Alison comes from both an art and music background. Her art training specialised in colour, and her music training (for voice and music therapy) had a strong emphasis on improvisation. Sung worship is also very important to her. With abstract paintings these different streams combine. She hopes that these paintings for Lent, Easter and Pentecost will encourage personal encounters with Christ.Ali Thistlethwaite lives in Gloucestershire and this is her second exhibition at the cathedral. We spoke with Ali to find out more about her as an artist, what the exhibition means to her, and what she hopes people will discover as they explore it.How did you get into your art?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I have always been surrounded by artistic people. I began painting when I was very young, watching my grandfather illustrating children’s storybooks. Later on, I really enjoyed art at school and decided I’d like to go to art school, and I went to St. Albans to do a foundation course.</span>We had a teacher there who taught absolutely brilliantly about colour and that really inspired me with the relationships of one colour to another. I did that course just for a year before going to work in London, doing all sorts of different jobs. Whilst there I was given singing lessons by someone who was one of the top people, and I enjoyed it so much that I ended up doing a music degree at what was called Cambridge Tech in those days. When I got there, the course was brilliant, and we had a teacher doing art history there as part of our course, which was a surprise. As time went by I realised I was missing art, although I still loved music. It’s all been a combination of art and music.After a while I decided I’d do music therapy, and went to the Guildhall School of Music to get trained. Part of the training was in improvisation, which I really took to. Imagination and spontaneity became a big part of me. I had various jobs in music therapy, but then after three years I was exhausted and longing to do art again.Art began to re-establish itself at a rather special event. Whilst in London I went to the doctor for some reason and I asked him whether you can get miserable if you’re in the wrong job, and he handed me a verse of scripture from Philippians, which said:Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.It’s such a lovely verse. I went back to my digs and I picked a flower from my landlady’s garden and painted it. As I did, I had a powerful experience of God’s presence and peace with me. Fairly soon I resigned from my job and went to back to Cambridge, and painted, and painted, and painted. With a part time music therapy job I was able to do lots of watercolour, painting flowers, and landscapes in the hills around where I was living.I soon met David, now my husband, and it was so great to meet another artistic person in church, and that’s how it all began.Has being immersed in art and music helped you as a person?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">It has helped. Initially because of music. When I became a Christian in 1976 it changed my life massively. Of course, suddenly there were all these Christian worship songs that I hadn’t sung, as I’d come from a fairly anti-Christian background. These helped enormously in the way I am as a person. Probably the three things that really helped were the Bible, praise songs and then making paintings –which are worship paintings in a way, as I often sing while I’m painting. I certainly start off with a song when in the art studio anyway! All three things strongly connect with me and are special. Also I find the physical work of painting, the need to make pictorial choices, and the opportunity to rectify things that I'm not happy with, are all very good for me and restoring.</span>You did an exhibition previously with us in late 2012 – what was that about?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">That exhibition was A New Name. The title was taken from the Bible – from Isaiah – where we’re given a new name. I've learnt a lot of my identity from reading Isaiah; I’ve always loved that book so much.</span>The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. You will be a crown of splendour in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate.I had a background that saw a lot of name-calling, and not of the helpful kind. So to be able to paint about getting a new name from God was very releasing. Incidentally, the very hospitable welcome I received from Bradford Cathedral felt like being given a new name.What’s the story behind ‘Encounters with Jesus’?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Every painting I’ve done is something to do with my walk with God. Encounters with Jesus is how I’ve encountered him, either through the Bible or in other ways, and the ways other people encounter him; alongside the stories in the Bible and how the people there have encountered him. It’s kind of personal, but it's also about how God's word speaks to us.</span>The aspect of moving forward has always been something important and so I guess walking with Jesus, and encounters with Jesus, spark my imagination of events and places as I read. I picture myself in some of the Bible stories with Jesus speaking to me.That can all go into a painting, and I start off the process, which then develops in unexpected ways.What is the exhibition made up of?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Most of the paintings are acrylic on canvas (some are oils), and as I have a large studio, some can be quite big. I paint in an 'abstract expressionist' style. This is not because I particularly like Jackson Pollock etc. It's more because this language is really good for conveying the kind of heaven-to- earth spiritual interactions that we cannot easily put into words or images. All the same, I am happy to use words, specifically in the picture labels, which my husband writes from my notes as a 'way in' to the paintings.</span>Did you find creating them a spiritual experience?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">It was. It always has been. It takes me a while to do the paintings. Some of them have actually taken years to paint. It can be a struggle to find 'what the painting is really trying to say'. I often go back to them, then at some point I will suddenly feel a sense of peace and will sense that it’s finished.</span>What do you hope people will get out of seeing your exhibition?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I hope people will be really cheered up if they need to be cheered up! Looking at paintings is such a personal thing but I hope one or two or more of the paintings will speak to them in a way that they can respond to. I’d love to hear that people have felt really encouraged and are inspired to move forward in different ways.</span>What is your process in creating these pieces?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Every morning I read the Bible, so sometimes what is coming from the Bible really impacts me, and there’s something there that resonates inside me. This makes me think ‘that’s what I want to paint about’. The subject of the painting then develops as it grows.</span>At other times I go for an early walk in the countryside. We live on a hill. The sun might be shining and certain colours will be looking stunning, and that can make me want to do a painting with those sort of colours. I will try them out and see if they are what I need. Or there may be dramatic clouds in a sunrise, giving me the desire for a big picture.The paintings usually start with rather thin layers of colour, gradually building up to thicker gestures, until each colour is seen against the one behind.Finally do you have any other projects in the pipeline?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I’ve been working towards this exhibition for quite a long time, all the way through 2019-20. I have kind of persisted with it day to day. The paintings I’m bringing up are mostly new but I am bringing a few earlier ones. I’m also in the middle of organising an exhibition at Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, which will probably be in August.</span>Ali Thistlethwaite’s exhibition Encounters with Jesus runs from Wednesday 26th February through to the 12th June at Bradford Cathedral. There will be the chance to hear from Ali and meet her at the Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday 26th February at 7pm.
Serenity: Poetry, Song and Music is an open mic event and an opportunity for anyone who would like to perform poetry, music, song, movement or anything else in the magnificent space of Bradford Cathedral. We spoke to one of the organisers, Mussarat Rahman, about the Artspace event, how it came about, and how you can both be part of the audience and take part!How did the idea for Serenity: Poetry, Song and Music come about?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I am quite a spiritual person and people don’t often get to see that side of me. I’m an actual trained healer, trained in various healing modalities. I use many therapeutic techniques and styles within my community work and most of my projects are deigned to have healing and therapeutic benefits. I’ve been exploring different modalities and religions for a while now; I am very open to the mysticism of spirit. I’ve translated my experiences into Art, Poetry and finding silence within spaces.</span> I am from a south Asian background and was brought up a Muslim. I believe in the oneness of spirit. I feel like there’s one God, a spiritual consciousness, a universal energy that flows through the universe, but we all call it a different name. People will approach the consciousnessfrom various angles, looking for something.What is the idea behind Serenity?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">The idea was born from the concept of bringing diverse communities together to explore religion and faith but in a beautiful space such as the cathedral.</span>Different communities and different people have different views and some people feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. I thought that by having such an event that we can help dispel these myths. The Cathedral is such a great space and is used for so many community events. Serenity is all about reaching out to people who have a strained relationship with spirituality and how they perceive it and feeling comfortable in religious buildings. It’s aimed at anybody, whether they’re religious or non-religious. Some people don’t have a relationship with God or like spiritual buildings or don’t see the use and value of such spaces. The aim is to bring people together, to explore different venues, and show people what different places are like.And people can take part in the event?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">We’ve already got about twenty poets, musicians and artists booked on! We have let people know the content of the event: it’s about faith and spirituality, exploring the cathedral and about spirituality, whether you are or aren’t. People are interested in exploring different communities and religions, so it’s giving them a chance to experience it no matter what your background is.</span>What would you say to encourage someone to sign up if they’ve never done this sort of open mic event before?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">It’s about exploring faith, and coming to enjoy the beautiful space of the cathedral, with like-minded folk. And if you just want to watch, come along to listen to what people have to say, and check out the vibes!</span>And will you be performing yourself?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">I will. Both myself and Sharena will be performing!</span>Finally, will there be a follow-up to this event?<span style="font-size: 1rem;">We’re looking at doing some more collaborations and events, which won’t be just about poetry but combining other things from the creative arts sector. Keep an eye out for those, as they’re coming up!</span>Serenity: Poetry, Song and Music takes place from 7pm on Wednesday 29th January at Bradford Cathedral. You can book a slot of up to 8-10 minutes by contacting Mussarat Rahman or Sharena Lee Satti. <span style="font-size: 1rem;">Refreshments will be served during an interval break at 8pm.</span>
Ben Comeau is a London-based pianist, composer and organist, active in classical music, jazz and more. He graduated top of his year in music from Cambridge University, UK, where he was organ scholar at Girton College for three years, and he subsequently taught pastiche composition and practical musicianship at the university. He also studied postgraduate jazz piano at Guildhall, London, and in Cologne.Ahead of him coming to Bradford Cathedral to perform at March’s Earth Hour concert we spoke to him fresh from a break in Amsterdam to find out more about his music, what to expect from his concert, and his thoughts on the importance of music in bringing important issues to the attention of the public.Could you give us an introduction to yourself?I used to be a chorister at Truro Cathedral, and grew up surrounded by musicians, and classical music, with Bach as a particular favourite. A focus on music was always a clear path for me. As a teenager I became more interested in other types of music and increasingly jazz, and eventually did an undergraduate academic classical degree at Cambridge University and was the organ scholar at Girton College, which helped me build up lots of connections in the world of Anglican choral music, which is still something I keep in touch with.I still play the organ but alongside that I’ve been doing different types of music and I did a postgraduate degree in jazz piano at Guildhall, which I completed quite recently, and which included an exchange semester in Cologne, which was amazing.I’ve got a really hungry appetite for exploring different styles: I play jazz, I play classical piano and organ, and I’m always fascinated by the differences, and similarities, between different styles. For example, there are all sorts of links between Bach and bebop players such as Charlie Parker – but it’s also crucial to acknowledge the differences, not just in the music itself but also the differing cultural contexts where the music has come from.What attracted you to the style of jazz piano?Initially I really got into Gershwin, who was my way out of just focusing on classical music. I got interested in a lot of the 1930s pianists like Fats Waller and Art Tatum. They really resonated with me. But what I enjoy more generally now is the capacity to improvise: I love when music can be left up to the spur of the moment. I enjoy that spontaneity in performing. I love classical music so much but I do find it frustrating that there is not a lot of scope to be spontaneous during performances. It’s amazingly refreshing to be able to get on stage and just play the first thing that comes into your mind, even if you’d only thought of it five seconds ago!Do you enjoy the excitement of discovering where the music can lead you?Totally yes, and it can go in so many different directions than you might think. Sometimes when I got on stage I’m feeling quite mellow and will play something quiet, but then maybe half-way through the performance my mood will pick up and I’ll suddenly launch into something more upbeat and I didn’t know that was going to happen. It’s also good to be able to bounce off the other musicians as well. Though my concert in Bradford will be solo piano, it’s also incredibly fun to be part of an ensemble, as there might be musicians from very different backgrounds, or who might be feeling very different to you psychologically on the day, but you have to make something work. Something very productive can happen when you’re playing with a musician who has a very different mentality to you, which can be very powerful.As well as classical music you do adaptations of music by Bjork and Pink Floyd; do you enjoy exploring the mix between classical and more modern styles?Definitely. I’m interested in everything; I like so many different kinds of music. But I increasingly feel it’s crucial to be aware of where music originally came from, and the stylistic context. When I was younger, as soon as I heard something I liked, even if it was in a style that I knew nothing about, I would try and immediately recreate it on the piano – though sometimes not very well! These days, I play some more off-the-wall music like Bjork but I try to back it up with more detailed research into the style, and I consider how it relates to the classical music and jazz that I’ve formally studied. But I do like exploring beyond that as well. At the moment I’m playing percussion in a samba band, which is a rigorous discipline, and it’s very different from what I’ve done before. It’s been a very good education!Has percussion been something you’ve played before, or are you learning that as you go?I did some orchestral percussion in a youth orchestra once but not to a big level, but samba drumming is a totally different discipline. It can be very repetitive, but you have to be very accurate and very precise and if you don’t know the style you don’t necessarily know all the details that are going on, and there’s so much detail. It’s challenging, but very fun.What can people expect from your concert with us in March?It’s going be reflect a wide mixture of my influences. I think a lot about the links between classical and jazz music and I’ll be bringing up those links in the concert. I haven’t decided what pieces I’m doing yet but I’ve been working on a lot of my own compositions which really bridge between those styles, and I’ll be playing some of those. I’ll be particularly exploring, through my compositions, the counterpoint that comes a lot from, particularly, Bach, but with more jazz harmonies and rhythms. That’s something I’m interested in, the counterpoint of Bach mixed with the jazz rhythms. I haven’t decided the exact pieces I’m going to play, yet, but I like to take my favourite aspects of classical and jazz and put them together.You talked about composition and mixing styles. You recently adapted a piece by the White Stripes about Donald Trump?That was very fun, and a bit of a joke. Again, it does stem from my love of Bach and his counterpoint.You are playing at our earth hour concert; do you think music has an important place in the big issues of the day whether that’s politics or the environment?I absolutely do. I’ve been thinking about this question an awful lot, and there are no easy answers, but when you play music it connects to parts of people’s brains that go beyond where conversation would hit. It can really make people connect with the emotions behind an issue, rather than just the facts and figures. I’ve been a passionate environmentalist for quite a long time, before it was as popular as it is now, and it’s amazing to see people talking about the climate a lot more than they were a few years ago. I’ve been taking part in a lot of environmental activism in London with a lot of the protests that have been seen on the news in the last year and music has always made a big difference and unifies people when you’re marching.Of course the music in the marches is very different to what I will play in Bradford Cathedral; it’s a lot more based on drumming, that’s very repetitive and rhythmic, and quite hypnotic, particular and exciting. I don’t know how it all works; the psychology of music is such an interesting thing and I don’t know how it gets through to people, but from the results you can see it clearly does.With groups like Extinction Rebellion and the work of Greta Thunberg being more prominent now, as well as the awful fires in Australia, we’re at a turning point now where people are actually sitting up and taking notice about climate change?I think we are. A lot of politicians are lagging behind on this but I’m hopeful that we’re getting to a turning point, and that ordinary people are taking notice. You only have to look at the news from Australia and how dramatically bad that situation is: as catastrophic as that is, the more people see it, the more we realise what we need to do. And unfortunately we’ve only seen the beginning of the extreme weather – a certain amount of dangerous heating is inevitable at this point – but as the effects become more obvious, hopefully it will be enough to persuade politicians to take the action that’s required to avoid truly apocalyptic scenarios.Finally what are your plans for the rest of 2020?I am planning something of a sabbatical, to go travelling and exploring other parts of the world very shortly after the Bradford concert, so I’m not really setting up any big musical projects. I’m more interested in discovering more about the world and myself: I’m hoping to take a trip around the world without flying, and I’m working on the logistics now. I’ll probably be taking the Trans-Siberian railway to East Asia and I will be exploring some of the musical traditions there, and I’m investigating how to get to India via land. I have lots of exciting plans!The Candle-Lit Concert for Earth Hour with Ben Comeau takes place from 8:30pm on Saturday 28th March 2020 with refreshments from 8pm. Tickets can be booked at the cathedral office, online at https://bradfordcathedral.org/music/earth-hour-candlelit-concert or you can turn up on the night.
A visit to the Broadway in Bradford inspired Allan Stansfield (pictured, left) to investigate whether work he did as a fifteen-year-old in Bradford Cathedral was still there. Not only did he find his handiwork still there – work which includes one of the angels in the nave and the consecration crosses etched into the building work during the building’s extension in the 1960s – but he discovered a picture of his younger self in the cathedral’s archives, taken during his time there.Allan, now 71, reminisced about his time working in the cathedral back in 1963. “[Work at the cathedral was done by] Booths the building contractor, who got the stone from the quarry up in Bolton Woods. Booths subcontracted out some of their work, like the painting, and I got involved through working at Caygill signs.“One of the first things we actually did at Bradford Cathedral were the two large candlestick holders, which were gilded, and two smaller ones. After that, work was on-going for a couple of years.“We also did other internal work like the angels and the inscriptions. In those days the cathedral had pews so we had to put two ladders up and a plank across. We had regular work at the cathedral including all the engraving, and it took some time to do. “I wanted to see if the things still existed, and they do. It was incredible to see, and how the 24-carat gold has survived and hasn’t discoloured.”It was a trip to Bradford that prompted Allan to return to the cathedral.“Whilst at The Broadway I said that I needed to go in to see if my work was still there, purely out of curiosity. To my surprise, everything is still there in-tact.”It was whilst looking around Bradford Cathedral that Allan met Maggie Myers, Director of Education and Visitors, who revealed something surprising from the archive.“When I came in, Maggie told me that she had a document of a young boy working on the consecration cross from the York and County Times, and when she came back, lo and behold, there was me!“Seeing myself working on it at fifteen years old really took me back. It was strange to see, to have that print of me still around.”Following his time working for Bagnalls, Allan later went on to work for Butterfield Signs before moving into the exhibition industry, which involved travelling for work in Europe. He later went on to set up a graphics department in Brighouse.“Obviously everything has now gone digital. It all used to be handwritten – signs, windows, everything. We used to do a lot of the windows in Bradford, for solicitors and such like, and it would take a week with every day being a separate process.“Digital printing means there’s sadly not much of our signage work left in Bradford that I did as a young man, so it was strange to be in the cathedral to see all my work still there!”Having re-discovered his work, Allan plans to return to the cathedral next month to show his family. “In the half-term I’m going to bring my grandchildren down to show them the work, especially the angel that I was commissioned to do. It was very interesting work and I’m glad it’s still here to be remembered.”And for Allan Stansfield, it wasn’t just his work that connects him to the cathedral.“Dr Donald Coggan, once Bishop of Bradford and later the Archbishop of York, and then Canterbury, was the person who confirmed me at Bradford Cathedral!”
