A Postcard from Liverpool - Cathedral Art and Wildflower Meadows

Peace Doves and the Anglican Cathedral

Earlier this week I took a walk to the Cathedral just down the road from me to visit an art exhibition I've been meaning to drop in on all summer.

The Peace Doves at the Anglican Cathedral is a mass participation art installation, created by renowned sculptor and artist Peter Walker featuring around 18,000 paper doves suspended on 15.5 miles of ribbon from the ceiling of the Cathedral.

The effect is truly mesmerizing. As light shines through the filaments of ribbons with stained glass twinkling a myriad of colours behind, a soundscape of inspiring music from composer David Harper underpins the message of peace.

The tiny paper doves merge into a pattern of motion as the ribbons swing gently in the vaulted space. Looking up from directly below the instillation is like staring into a kaleidoscope of fractal blue, white doves flicker azure in the blue light, swinging slowly seemingly in time to the soft music.

As well as the main art installation near to the entrance there is also a display called Peace to Ourselves where you can place a button inside the shape of a giant dove to remember those who have lost their lives. There was also candles to light for those of a religious persuasion, I'm not religious myself but I found this exhibit to be immensely cathartic as I've lost both my grandparents and my best friend in the last ten years.

After taking some time to picture their faces and remember what they meant to me I placed three buttons in the dove and left the cathedral in a contemplative mood.

Sunny Cycles and Wildflower Meadows

The sun was shining with a gentle breeze blowing from the Mersey so I decided to go on a bike ride along the banks of the river to Otterspool and back through the parks. This is one of my favorite bike rides but I hadn't headed down to Otterspool promenade for a while.

Reaching the end of the path, around 5 miles from the city I discovered a wildflower meadow had been planted by the local council.

I used to work in the charitable sector on a conservation project that included an initiative providing volunteering opportunities planting wildflower meadows. So I know how beneficial wildflower meadows can be to insect, and by extension, animal ecosystems in a city environment.

Since the council started planting these meadows in most of Liverpool's many parks I've noticed and abundance of insect life and particularly bees that had a terrible year last year. Bees are one of those insect species that are essential to maintaining ecological balance. They are a pollination powerhouse, and without bees we're literally doomed.

On the way home I stopped by the allotment to water the tomatoes, where the bees were busying themselves collecting pollen. Finally riding through Princess park and stopping to snap one more of Liverpool's new wildflower meadows.

All images in this post are my own, taken in and around Liverpool city center on Tuesday. If you have enjoyed this post, please check out my homepage @raj808 for similar content. Thank you.

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