By: Marilyn
Wanderings,

Travels 2: Rievaulx Abbey

This month Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire played host to the Light Installation, Museum of the Moon.
Spectacular, magical, surreal: such words do not do it justice.

I shall let a few of my images speak for it.

From the Visitor Centre a one-way circuit was picked out with lights and candles, making the pathway safe and avoiding bottlenecks. Without pressure to move on, perfect for those wanting to take photos, it worked extremely well. There were certainly many who arrived kitted out with tripods and mono-pods to increase their chances of great shots.

Coloured light illuminated the Abbey, picking out the strength and intricacies of the architecture while leaving enough darkness for the ‘floating moon’ to be clearly visible.
Church candles guttered in the evening breeze, lighting the way.
In a carved opening that may once have held magnificent stained-glass hung a mosaic ball, reflecting tiny orbs of light that danced and flickered around the now dark smaller quadrangle.
Though now a ruin the imposing walls tower above you, at once threatening yet offering security.
Around another corner and into the open space of the Nave you are confronted by the enormity and grandeur of the Abbey ruins. They appear to dwarf the seven metre moon that is suspended within its skeleton walls of the Choir.
Up close and personal – the accurate detailing of the creation is evident.
It was created by Luke Jerram and based on data and imagery from NASA. It is a perfect fusion of Art and Science and is being toured at many famous and iconic sites in the UK and Worldwide.
A final glimpse before returning to the main path you could imagine that it is attempting an escape from the powerhouse of this formidable mediaeval building.
In the large quadrangle classical musicians from a local college were playing. The music floated through the still night air adding to this magically surreal event.

The event was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. If you get the opportunity to go to something similar, grab it.
My thanks go to English Heritage for hosting this amazing event.