FEATHER STAR MANTLE: A MEMORIAL TO ST CUTHBERT

THAT IS ALSO ‘A KIND OF ROCK STAR’

Sculptor Russ Coleman shares insights into his creation for English Heritage at Lindisfarne Priory

[ I OFTEN TITLE WORKS with a trilogy; they can be taken as a connected title or three separate words, each with a pertinence to the material or subject. In this case Feather Star Mantle has several differing associations.

The base island is carved from Swaledale fossil limestone that is packed full of crinoid fossils from the Jurassic period some 350 million years ago. It can also be read as an island with pertinence to St Cuthbert and inner Farn. The crinoid fossils are where we get Cuddy’s beads from and can be seen in raw form on the uncut sides.

Swaledale fossil stone was used widely from the medieval to the Victorian era, but fell out of fashion during the 20th century. It is from a quarry near Durham run by Britanicus Stone. The modern crinoid has a free-floating counterpart that is known as a feather star; it moves through the water with a mesmerising motion.

The main stone is a basalt erratic from Northumberland. It was once part of the molten mantle of the earth. There is also the mantle of high position and responsibility. The gilded facet on the rear is the remains of a cleft where the rock was broken and I have gilded it to celebrate its scarring, or its journey from the centre of the earth to the surface, its breaking and its long travels from the far north by glacier.

The feather also references the Cuddy duck, part of St Cuthbert’s flock. The Circle of Frosterly marble that frames the Cuthbert cross completes a trilogy of northern stones.

As above so below

When you look at the black basalt boulder with the multicoloured dots and splashes, with slight background variations, you get a sense of looking at stars or a nebula: a sense of staring back through time to the beginnings of the universe.

Was St Cuthbert a star in the modern sense of celebrity? He was venerated in his time and he assumed great authority and fame – and is still a stellar attraction. His Celtic Christian beginnings and close connections to the earth and wildlife seem to make him a figure for modern times and as relevant now as he was 500 years ago.

With many thanks to English Heritage for this prestigious opportunity. q