A big hand please

If you are within striking distance of Gloucester Cathedral, then get along soon to see the 'Crucible' exhibition of sculpture.

It is a superb display filling all corners of the cathedral and its grounds, and includes work by some big names - Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley among them.

My visit was a double treat. Not only do I enjoy sculpture more and more these days, but Gloucester Cathedral is one of my favourite buildings.

I have had the privilege to sing in a choir at the cathedral on a couple of occasions and when you stand there, dwarfed by colossal Norman pillars as you sing ancient chants, the age and history of the place come across incredibly strongly.

The Crucible exhibition has wonderful variety - from a massive bronze of a figure standing outside the entrance to delicate abstract work.

There are 76 works of art by 48 sculptors and most of them (the works, not the sculptors!) were made just a mile or so from where I live by the Pangolin Editions foundry in the Stroud valleys.

However, I have chosen one of the more unusual sculptures for my blip. This is The Fast Supper by Abigail Fallis and I picked it because (a) it includes a human being(!) and (b) it shows the glorious fan vaulting in the cloisters.

If you want to see more of the exhibits, I have posted lots to my Flickr pages. There are one or two amazing pieces pictured.