December 9th, 2011 - Friday

Location: Shudehill Interchange
Designer: Micah Purnell, Artist - www.micahpurnell.com

Location Notes: The Interchange is one of the more recent additions to the city, providing metrolink, buses, coaches and car parking, all on the edge of the Northern Quarter and next to the Printworks. In 1783, Richard Arkwright opened Manchester’s first cotton mill just metres away on Miller St. Then in Victorian times it was a shoppers hub late into the night (fuelled by the fact that any food still left at midnight was then put on sale) - one night in 1870 was reported as Shudehill hosting up to 20,000 people!

Shrine Notes: Rather than a destination, Shudehill is turning into a place of movement, of transition, people always going somewhere. Pray for safety during travel, both your own and for others. Being located next to the Northern Quarter, also pray for the spirit of creativity and independence to flourish in that area.

Designer Notes: The notion of a shrine comes to me with reverential fear, excitement and expectation as if life itself hangs in the balance. The piece is a reminder of the fragility of life and indeed questions the very existence of the soul, and if it does exist can it be nourished? What is its role? Does it lay dormant? Does it have an eternal destination? Can it die?

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.

December 8th, 2011 - Thursday

Location: Cathedral Gardens & Long Millgate
Designer: Cristina Fodarella, psychology student

Location Notes: Bounded by some of Manchester's oldest buildings and newest, Long Millgate is an ancient road that cuddles Cathedral Gardens. Next door is the old Manchester Grammar School building, Chethams School of Music (past residents and visitors including Dr John Dee and Karl Marx). At the far end is the Cathedral and the old Corn Exchange (now called the Triangle), with Victoria train station at its back. Completing the picture is the modern and distinctive Urbis and the almost complete Chethams extension. In Victorian times, Long Millgate was a Victorian slum. In the 1960s it housed the Manchester Sports Guild, home to the local jazz scene of the time.

Shrine Notes: This shrine literally reflects the water of the fountain. It is a spot that many people use to take a breather, take a moment to decide what they will do in the city or when they will make their way home form the train station. Think about all the history of this one location and the contrasts it highlights. Take a moment to reflect on the mixture of life - that sits old next to new, football next to music, shopping next to faith, all around a counter-culture centre.

Designer Notes: Inspired by Andy Warhol’s art studio ‘The Silver Factory’ that was described as like being in a fascinating silver-lined box. Andy Warhol: “Being born is like being kidnapped and then sold into slavery.”

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.

December 7th, 2011 - Wednesday

Location: Midland Hotel, phone booth 2
Designer: Sarah Lowe, Housewife and Mother

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 second of five shrines to be located at the hotel, occupying a no-longer-in-use phone booth. Hotels and inns have been places of gathering, shelter and hospitality for centuries. This shrine relates to part of the Christmas story, where Mary and Joseph were trying to find somewhere to stay in Bethlehem, but all the hotels were booked up. Pray for those needing shelter and warmth on these cold winter nights.

Designer Notes: As I considered this wonderful hotel location, the words ‘no room for them in the inn’ (Luke 2:7b) came to me. I thought again of the Christmas story when Mary and Joseph were unable to find accommodation and were forced to stay in a stable. It made me think of people today who are unable to find shelter and warmth. I decided to make this shrine from their perspective, outside the hotel, looking in on the festivities. The view is one familiar to all of us in B&B windows at seaside resorts and the Christmas lights behind the net curtain hint of fun and enjoyment within.

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.

December 6th, 2011 - Tuesday

Location: John Rylands Library
Designer: Al Lowe, Paid Leader of Sanctus 1 - www.sanctus1.co.uk

Location Notes: This library is one of Manchester’s treasure troves. Built in superb Victorian Gothic style in 1900 the Grade 1 listed building gained a sympathetic, but very modern, extension in 2007. The dark exterior belies the wonders inside and the Historic Reading Room is a cathedral in its own right, with towering ceiling and acres stained glass. A home to the Gutenberg Bible, illuminated manuscripts, Methodist archives and a fragment of St Johns gospel, the library was designed to house a predominantly theological collection.

Shrine Notes: Words remain a profound way of conveying meaning and understanding to another, with the written word allowing those ideas to be accessible long after the writer has died. Contemplate the number of words ‘held’ in the library and the combined knowledge it brings. Consider firstly how your own understanding of God is enhanced by words and then secondly how that understanding is limited by using words. Think of the times words have helped you by bringing peace and then how they have been used to hurt and wound. Pray that you will be given a fresh understanding of God in this place.

Designer Notes: I was particularly intrigued by the concept of the ‘word became flesh’ and how this linked in with John’s gospel. I wanted to explore that power of ‘the word’ and how it might come alive for us. I have used a print out of John’s gospel to cover the handle and the box, thus transforming them from every day items into something with a greater depth. I am also interested in how for some people certain words have greater significance than others.

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.

December 5th, 2011 - Monday

Location: Kraak Gallery
Designer: Eric Fewster, Engineer

Location Notes: This relatively new gallery spawned in 2009 in a derelict textile cutting room off Stevenson Square, in the eclectic Northern Quarter. Valuing collaboration and open expression, this gallery was true to its nature and became one of the first locations to accept the shrine project into their home. Fusing underground vibes, live music and performance with a wide range of artist-led exhibitions, this venue is going to be a lovely home for one of the shrines.

Shrine Notes: This shrine tries to create a definition of what Christmas seems to be about, by observing the hustle and bustle that we usually see at this time of year and the money reminds us of one of the big focuses of this season. However, like the venue, there’s a twist. You can take the money, but on the condition that you give it away to someone in need - as the coins are taken away, another description of what Christmas is about will start to emerge.

Designer Notes: I designed the shrine in this way in an attempt to describe the usual trappings of Christmas - the mad rush, the excesses and selfishness that can come with it. Yet at the same time I also wanted to counter that with more other-centric reasons for Christmas, which becomes visible as the coins are taken away. Through this act of giving, it may not only prod us to think of those less fortunate than ourselves, but also might remind us why we do it, through remembering the character of the one we call the Christ, Emmanuel, God with us.

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.

On the radio - 96.9FM

Tonight the shrines project will be featured on a local radio station - 96.9 ALL FM. Tune in to the 'Drive Time with Ursula Pabisch' show from 5pm to hear Al Lowe, the minister of Sanctus 1, discuss the project with Ursula.

December 4th, 2011 - Sunday

Location: Whitworth (or Sackville) Gardens
Designer: Matthew Carson, IT Project Manager & amateur artist - www.yvesravenart.org.uk

Location Notes: This garden contains a memorial statue to Alan Turing, a man who had a profound effect not only in this city, but on the world. Father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Alan was also a codebreaker in WWII and cracked the Enigma machine. It is no coincidence that his statue is in this particular garden, next to the Gay Village - Alan was convicted of homosexuality in 1952 and allowed himself to be subjected to injections of female hormones as an alternative to prison. This irrevocably changed his life and his ability to think in the same ways as before, culminating in his suicide in 1954.

Shrine Notes: Read the verse on the shrine: Psalm 119 v 104 'I gain understanding from your precepts, therefore I hate every wrong path'. Look at the circuit boards and see the lines joining the components, branching off in different ways. Think about the choices you’ve made in your life and those still to come...the possibilities awaiting you. Pray to God for help in making the right choices, the choices that will bring benefit and goodness, not only to you, but to those around you.

Designer Notes: As technology rapidly overruns our modern society, Alan Turing’s influence is never far away. I was reminded of this at a recent exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery that included a work informed by Alan’s tests for AI (with no audio-visual clues, could a human ask a question and tell the difference between a computer and a human response). The shrine includes the innards of computer systems and I wanted people to think about the pathways on the printed circuit boards and relate those to the pathways we choose to travel in our lives.

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.

December 3rd, 2011 - Saturday

Location: inside Manchester Cathedral
Designer: Lisa Denyer, contemporary artist - www.lisadenyer.com

Location Notes: The Cathedral is one of Manchester's earliest sites (despite its current Victorian face) and part of the distinctive skyline. There has been a church on that site possibly since 923AD with evidence within of a Mancunian church dating from the 7th century! It also forms a part of the history of Sanctus 1, who have held several services there over the years, most recently as part of the Spirit of Life festival in May 2011, and who are part-funded by the Anglican church.

Shrine Notes: Imagine the history of the Cathedral, the people who have walked across its hallowed ground over many centuries. God has been worshipped both at its altar and through the innate peace of its gardens. Imagine yourself relaxing in warm sunlight, slowly moving over its ground. Thank God for the things, events, places and people that bring you peace.

Designer Notes: When I found out that my shrine location was going to be Manchester Cathedral, I decided that I wanted to include an example of some of my new abstract work. This is because my new paintings are largely influenced by architectural elements, such as light reflecting from windows, negative space and shadows cast by buildings. I have always been fascinated by shapes, silhouettes and simplified motifs. My new paintings depict geometric shapes and patterns, which are made using an approach that is meditative in its repetitive process. As part of my last project, ‘Crystal Abstracts’, I have also been looking at microcosm and macrocosm and the idea of universal designs that span the cosmos. I have been especially inspired by crystal formations.

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.

December 2nd, 2011 - Friday

Location: Midland Hotel, phone booth 1
Designer: Valerie Johnston, creative artist, ice skater & guitarist - valerie.beatcity@gmail.com @valeriebeatcity

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 one of five shrines to be located at the hotel, occupying a no-longer-in-use phone booth. Where people used to connect to one another using the phone, make time to connect with God instead. The hotel represents a time of power in industry, linking to the train station and the engine manufacturer. Pray to God for strength and help in learning, creativity and ingenuity. Imagine the audible pound of industry transforming into the musical beating heart of the city.

Designer Notes: I had a lot of fun designing this shrine. Manchester is the centre of the music industry and I wanted my shrine to reflect Pop Art Music and the tradition of carols at Christmas. All of my Christmases in Manchester have been focused on music. Music brings people together in many ways. Whether it be singing Christmas carols or going downtown to hear the latest dance tracks with a fantastic back beat. Manchester is literally Beat City and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ does not have to be boring. Get out there with the people! Get out of the suburbs and come downtown to the city! Dance! Have fun! Where all the lights are bring! Happy Christmas Manchester!!

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.

December 1st, 2011 - Thursday

Location: Parsonage Gardens
Designer: Damien Hine, theology student - truebeliever1989.blogspot.com

Location Notes: Evidence of Parsonage Gardens exists as far back as 1066. The gardens were used to provide food for the collegiate church in the 14th and 15th centuries. The 18th century brought a new church to the area, which was demolished at the end of the 19th century after city centre residents had moved to the suburbs. Road names in the area reflect this heritage, even Deansgate (which may reference the gate or way to the Dean or to Denys (an early St Mary’s was also dedicated to St Denys and St George)). It is now a hidden gem of the city, providing peace and tranquility.

Shrine Notes: This garden is so peaceful and charming yet only metres from Deansgate, one of the busiest streets in Manchester. Take a moment to be calm and to rest. Think about how we sometimes appear strong and busy to others, but on the inside we can be fragile and craving peace. Pray to God for times of rest this month and for friends and family who need to stop for a while. Think whether there is anything you can do to help both yourself and those you know to slow down for a bit.

Designer Notes: Parsonage Gardens reminds us that calm, space and stillness are possible in the midst of our busy lives and our busy city. The shrine has some symbols of things that I think connect authentic spirituality with the beauty of nature: leaves to represent life, some pictures of rest, some quotes referencing peace and a poem I wrote that is fun. Take a moment to reflect, engage and enjoy...

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.