Dissolution to Evolution

Abbey House, Glastonbury

In Autumn 2022, Glastonbury Abbey presented works by contemporary artists, musicians and writers alongside a new collections display. The aim was to explore how support systems, social experiments and religious beliefs have changed through time.

The Abbey has helped travellers, pilgrims and local residents with access to food and education and with spiritual and mental wellbeing since the Middle Ages. In Glastonbury , the Dissolution of the Monasteries Act in 1539 resulted in the decimation of its community. By contrast, in the early twentieth century when the Abbey employed Frederick Bligh Bond as Director, this was seen as one of the starting points for the New Age Movement so important to Glastonbury’s identity. Recently, during Covid, its’ 36 acre site provided sanctuary once again.

Dissolution to Evolution reflected on societies’ ongoing attempts to dissolve, resolve and evolve co- operative structures, and featured work and performances from Rory Pilgrim, Olivia Plender and Sally O’Reilly.

Watch the Dissolution to Evolution film below:

At the heart of Pilgrim’s project is a collaboration that uses tools of prophecy, reflection and creativity to explore how we enable support, his film, RAFTS, was on display in the unique Abbey House.

Olivia Plender presented a banner and costumes relating to esoteric early 20th century social and religious movements. Emerging in the 1840s and 1920s respectively, the Modern Spiritualist Movement and the Kibbo Kift Kindred both practised forms of mutual education. The works challenge present day assumptions on historical systems that were designed to empower.

Produced by Sally O’Reilly, A Garden in Which Many Worlds Grow featured three performances made by writers and musicians in response to the Abbey’s medieval herb garden and the historic culinary, medicinal and symbolic uses of herbs. Visitors may have encountered a procession, a sound garden, intimate atmospherics, puppetry, a collage of songs, poems and nursery rhymes. Performers included Karl Bevis, Tim Hill, Jenny Bliss, Alice Maddicott, Michelle Diaz, Julie Meikle and Mel Reeves.

A display of ‘collections’ assembled by the artists, collaborators and the Abbey created connections between peoples stories and the private lives of objects. They ranged from an illustrated 1740 Chapbook on the Joseph of Arimathea to a pewter ampulla decorated with a human heart on loan from Axbridge museum to Olivia Plender’s film on a series of magical amulets.

Artist Talks and Private View also took place during the exhibition. Click the images below to find out more.

Funded by Mendip Community Fund, the Heritage Fund and Konstnärsnämnden/The Swedish Arts Grants Committee.
RAFTS was commissioned by Serpentine Civic for Radio Ballads, in partnership with New Town Culture, a Cultural Impact Award-winning project, part of London Borough of Culture, a Mayor of London initiative. RAFTS was produced in collaboration with Green Shoes Arts, Barking and Dagenham Youth Dance, Project W ell Being (Interfaith Sanctuary, Boise, Idaho) and London Contemporary Orchestra.