Wales: church holds Lenten arts events

Work by Simon Dorrell

The tiny church of St Michael’s, Discoed, in Powys is marking Lent this year with an art and music event for the charity ‘Freedom from Torture’. The Friends of St Michaels, Discoed, have commissioned fourteen visual artists produced one of the Stations of the Cross, which will be arranged around the walls of the church.

Charles MacCarthy whose work 'Jesus, betrayed by Judas, is arrested' will be exhibited, commented: "By its very nature the exhibition meant stepping outside the usual range of each artist's work and linking the exhibition to the charity Freedom from Torture gives it a contemporary twist and a different emphasis."

Rector, Stephen Hollinghurst, said: "I'm used to Discoed staging very high quality arts events, but this is the first time we've overtly made the connection between the Visual Arts and the Gospel and it's very exciting to see the way the village church, the community, the artists and musicians have all caught the vision for what will, I know, be a challenging and moving series of events."

The church also has music events planned to complement the exhibition which opens with 'Jesu my Joy for Lent', a concert of music by J S Bach, Tallis and Byrd with the Tregwynt Singers directed by Dr David Ponsford on harpsichord and Ruth Watson, oboe. This will take place on Saturday 18 February at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from davidhiam@aol.com 01547 560246. Reservation recommended.

Freedom from Torture is a British registered charity which solely treats torture survivors. Since it was established in 1985, over 50,000 people have been referred to the organisation for help. It provides medical and psychological documentation of torture, a range of therapies and practical advice and support. It trains health professionals and others throughout the UK to work with torture survivors. Most importantly, Freedom from Torture is a place where survivors' experiences are recognised and where they can safely express their grief while working towards recovery.

The exhibition runs from 20 February to 9 April at St Michael’s AnglicanChurch, Discoed, near Presteigne, Powys LD8 2NW

To see the artwork visit: www.discoed.org
For more information on Freedom from Torture see:  www.freedomfromtorture.org