Designer: Roger Newton - That Roger!
Location Notes: One of the iconic hotels of Manchester that over the course of 100+ years has hosted many a celebrity and royalty as well. Its Grade II* listed grand red-brick facade protects an opulent interior. It was built by the Midland Railway Company in 1903 to serve the Manchester Central railway station behind and started life with a covered walkway between the two (demolished after WWII). It was famously the meeting place of Mr Rolls and Mr Royce, leading to the formation of Rolls-Royce Ltd in 1906.Shrine Notes: This is the fourth of five shrines to be located at the hotel, occupying a no-longer-in-use phone booth. This shrine reflects charitable crochet for those just beginning life, those about to leave this life and those dependent on humans for life. This shrine contains a still-born presentation/burial robe, more dignified than a blue paper towel; a prayer shawl, for the sick or elderly; a well used pet blanket, claw needle-felted by an appreciative recipient and a list of charities accepting yarn-craft items, both finished work or craft supplies. At the heart of all religions lie the ideas of love and compassion for ‘the other’ rather than self. “Whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for me.”
Designer Notes: My medium is crochet, but all yarn-crafts (knitting crochet, embroidery, etc.) unite people of all ages, races and religions and can be used for religious purposes, to decorate places of worship, for charity or as an aid to prayer and meditation. Christianity arose in the northern hemisphere and the western church adopted the Roman mid-winter festival as a celebration of their founder, Jesus’, birth. The mid-winter celebration and Advent include the idea of the death of the old and the birth of the new, the ending and beginning of life, the sun and the Son.
Feel free to write about your thoughts and experiences with this shrine, or how you've seen people using it, as a comment (see below) or tweet @sanctus1mcr.
I'm spending some time, re-reading and re-visiting this project, looking at every shrine. Roger this is beautiful - your words and your work. Thank you.
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