Celebration of Nature

A Celebration of Nature at Mary’s-in-Holy Trinity

28th March - 7th April 2024

Exhibition statement

This exhibition of multi-sensory virtual and physical artworks celebrates the wonder of nature and its ability to transform and renew. Designed as a feast of the senses by the artists, visitors will be able to enter and be inspired by the Golden Rescue Nest installation - a butterfly world - view luminous 2D and 3D artworks and experience the sights, sounds and scents of the birthplace of stars as they discover Luminary XR.

Object, textile and installation artist Gabriela Drees-Holz (Germany) brings her installation Golden Rescue Nest to Aotearoa, New Zealand, for a joint exhibition with Karen Sewell´s Luminary XR along with Sewell’s paintings, and photography works at Mary's-in-Holy Trinity. Sewell, Holy Trinity Cathedral’s Artist in Residence is an Auckland based artist who works across media including installation, sound, aroma, sculpture, photography and painting.

Luminary XR, a new work by Karen Sewell, is an ephemeral extended reality sculpture inspired by ancient origins, connecting earth, spirit, sky and cosmos. This huge celestial agate sphere can be discovered by the visitors using their mobile phones and extended reality. It’s form originates from ancient chalcedony stone formed and found in Aotearoa New Zealand, an agate which is a type of quartz comprised of microscopic crystals. These precious formations take shape over the course of around 50 million years. Luminary XR is inspired and codified also to the planetary body Uranus which was named after the ancient Greek deity of the heavens, the earliest supreme God. The sphere is a universal symbol of wholeness and renewal, unity, timelessness, the cycles of life the feminine and the divine.

In the latest work of Gabriela Drees-Holz, the Golden Rescue Rest a colorful, happy world of butterflies is “saved”. It is originally a large participatory event and has already been shown twice in Germany. A dense, happy swarm of 2000 crocheted, colourful butterflies float in the rescue nest, which is completely wrapped in golden emergency blankets. On the one hand, the gold of the original rescue blankets points to the high value of the world of butterflies and insects, invites you to celebrate the beauty of nature, but also reminds you of the global environmental emergency. This cheerful, exuberant butterfly splendour not only aims to inspire, it also wants to encourage the visitors to think about butterflies as a symbol of beauty, joy of life and potential for transformation. As in Germany, in Mary’s -in- Holy Trinity the visitors become a living part of the art installation simply by entering the rescue nest and will certainly carry the message of this golden butterfly world further into the world.

Participation is the central basis for G. Drees-Holz's previous butterfly exhibitions on the topic of the environment. About 300 people took part in its creation: notably 75 crocheters from all over the world, even school and kindergarten children and a school choir.

Karen Sewell & Gabriela Drees-Holz

March 2024

Further information:

Gabriela Drees-Holz  Dreho.de

Karen Sewell     karensewell.net