Archive
Archive
Previous work and information
Centre for World Peace
The Norfolk Centre for World Peace was constructed by William as part of the Small Pilgrim Places Network which is open to ‘seekers’ and people of all faiths who will guard and value its quiet sanctity and pray for the Peace of the World. The peace of the world, in this sense, means not only the harmony, healing and uniting of the world’s peoples, but the whole of creation where global warming, over consumption and pollution threaten the world’s very existence.
Since this centre was created William has moved to a different location. This site is no longer part of the Small Pilgrim Places Network.
The Turner Prize 2000
AD2000
There are 900 fibre optic lights set into the Ash wood.
They show the fine clean beautiful polished side of our lives, while the dark inner burnt Pine wood illustrates the price the planet has to pay so that we may live this way.
AD0BC
Without the Thorns, the Crown would fall apart and without the Crown the Thorns would fall apart. The suspended sculpture illustrates the interdependent balance between opposites: Day/Night, Hard/Soft, Positive/Negative, Male/Female, Active/Passive, Wealth/Poverty
One Thousand Million BC
Life on this planet is evolving every day and has been since One Thousand Million BC
These three beautifully made Time Line sculptures added to the intellectual questions and discussions provoked by the Forest Stations exhibition. The AD0BC sculpture, which hung from the organ gallery above the entrance, incorporates eastern ideas of balance into the traditional Christian image of the Crown of Thorns. Technically all William’s work is of a very high standard and this fact was greatly appreciated in this university town. The inspiration for AD2000 comes from Forest Station No 13 and William develops ideas of personal responsibility for the care of the planet, highlighted by his use of different timbers from all over the world. The flat black sculpture used fibre optic lights in yet another way and as the lights changed one has a feeling of the very early moments of this planet. As with all of William’s work, it is so important to him that he does not lose the attention of the viewer. While the Time Line sculptures appear more abstract than the Forest Stations, the viewer is most certainly fascinated, held and encouraged to enquire and question within and without. The exhibition was a high point of our year at Gt St Mary’s.
Rev. Dr. John Binns commenting on the four month exhibition of
The Time Line and The Forest Stations sculptures, which were displayed at The University Church, Gt St Mary’s, Cambridge, UK, during 2000
Forest On
The concept of Forest On was developed by William in the 1990s. Today we are looking at the terrible effects of climate change and discussing how we can make changes to stop the increase in temperature. Forest On is as relevant now as it was then.
These are the basic Forest On principles:
When we plant an acorn today we know that it will not become usable timber for at least 100 years. At this point the crude oil will have run out fifty years ago. Surely we should be talking about this and actually making that decision for our grandchildren.
Concern for children is a fundamental of the spiritual groups of the world. A clear view towards the principals of Forest On should be deep in the thinking of all these spiritual groups.
Where appropriate we should all encourage those who commission art works to include a Forest On element within these commissions.
The restricted, hamstrung by business, nature of the media and governments means that long term views are an anathema.
At election time it is a very fair question to ask a political party to state clearly their Forest On policy, encouraging thoughts well beyond a three, four or five year time span.
The world population is set to double in the next thirty years. The destruction of the planet is being caused by us.
As well as oil being refined into petrol, diesel, aviation and heating fuel, literally thousands of other every day products to some extent owe their existence ultimately to oil:
Kitchen film for wrapping cheese, meats etc, grease paper, food packaging, miscellaneous bottles, cream and yoghurt pots, margarine, interior of refrigerator, egg boxes, washing up bowls, dustbins, dustbin bags, detergent, non-stick cooking pans, unit tops, floor adhesives/preservatives, disinfectants and dyes. Living Area Gramophone records, ‘vinyl’ wallpaper, radio and TV cabinets, telephones, sculptures, tape cassettes, ‘cut glass’ light fittings, candles, lino, carpet, Venetian blinds, decorative laminates e.g.. synthetic wood veneers, upholstery, curtains, laminates for circuits in radio and TV. Bathroom Cosmetics, soap, bathroom scales, nail varnish and perfumes. Wardrobe ‘Wet look’ fashion wear, shoes, coat hangers, man-made fibres e.g. nylon, polyester. Transport and Communications Handle bar grips, car and bus upholstery, brake lining, tyres, anti-freeze, safety glass and car bodies. Miscellaneous Window stickers, hose pipes, vending machine cups, disposable medical syringes, insecticides, fertilisers, fungicides, dry-cleaning fluids, flower pots, window boxes, typewriters, cash registers, photographic slides and films, cameras, rust preservatives Building Construction Electric cable coverings, guttering, floor and wall tiles, corrugated plastic, underground pipes, ceiling tiles, room insulation, roofing felt, paint, adhesives and bitumen. Leisure Squeaky dolls, satchels and brief cases, pram covers, inflatable toys, baby pants, play balls, model aeroplans, ball point pen barrels, balloon, tents, dinghies, sun tan oil, ink, artificial ski slopes, crayons……
If you want to change the world, change yourself.
Mahatma Ghandi
If you move too fast, you loose the time to listen.
Payakan
What ever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. We did not weave the web of life, we are merely a strand in it. What ever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.
Chief Seattle
The fact that God comes into this world gives the whole of creation eternal significance, and not just human beings. So issues surrounding the planet, ecology, the environment, global warming and pollution are central to the Christian understanding of God and the world. They are not just good causes that appeal to certain kinds of people, they are integral to the Christian Faith. But the truly fascinating point, the fulcrum of the whole debate, is the dialectic between God’s creation and humanity, and it is precisely here that the Forest On Principles provoke and inspire profound thought and discussion.
Very Revd John Methuen, Dean of Ripon
William Fairbank
Multimedia Artist
Website design by Tinted Image Designs 07728 235 776