The ruin of the Chapel of Saint Karin has never been more beautiful, it has been given new life, albeit a very different one to that it enjoyed when the Franciscan monks were active there. 

Upon entering, my gaze rests upon a stainless steel cube that seems to have landed in the very heart of the ruin, like a UFO. The present meets the past. The cube is slightly lopsided, accentuating the temporary nature of its visit in stark contrast to the impression of eternity given by the building. 

The artist Vincent O’Reilly and his colleagues have called the project “A corridor in time” – a journey that begins far out in the universe and passes through the five elements, down to earth before finally returning to space. With it, they are hoping to help people expand their horizons and become more aware to the fact that the developments we are experiencing are part of the same theory, recycled time and again.

The corridor in time is represented by the ruin’s greying, moss-covered stone pillars, which date from the Middle Ages. In the middle of this, Vincent O’Reilly’s enormous stainless steel cube stands in a pool filled with just under half a metre of water. 

A steady flow of images is projected onto the surface of the cube. With the help of these images, we are taken on a journey in space and nature, where we encounter both people and animals. There is a familiarity to it, a suggestion of mankind’s interplay with Mother Nature and the transitoriness of everything. 

The exhibition is truly an eye-opener, made even more exciting by its location. The way in which the discrete lighting has helped accentuate the Gothic archways of the almost 800-year old building is nothing short of remarkable. The exhibition closed at the end of September. 

For further information please contact Jan Lindgren 
+46 613 36 00 e-mail jan.lindgren@avestasheffield.com