Wonder and War in Heaven

The installation is a remaking of the original fresco (now decayed) into an artwork again. The work draws out the spirit and drama of Verrio’s original fresco. The use of knotted cords, referencing vibrant colours understood to be contained within the original fresco, represent “the colours of heaven”. These cords are comprised into a canopy that creates a third ceiling in the space (the second ceiling made for Verrio’s fresco). The cords of colour are pulled apart in a web-like composition, incorporating portals from which the decayed fresco can be viewed. Wonder and War in Heaven reaches out to the past, to connect with the contemporary viewer, and provides a link through time to this historic work. The original story, “Wonder and War in Heaven” was taken from Revelations 12.9, telling of the casting out of heaven of the dragon (Satan) and with both colour and form this story also comes to live in the piece.