WHALES by Tessa Campbell Fraser
Thursday 23 July - Sunday 6 September 2026 | Open during visitor opening hours
This year, Lichfield Cathedral explores the theme Human Hands: Hands nurture, create, hold and heal, they can also harm and destroy. Through this lens, this exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the power of human creativity and its potential to nurture and protect what is precious.
Experience the oceans like never before with Whales, a striking installation by artist Tessa Campbell Fraser. Three majestic sperm whale sculptures, made from recycled ghost netting, silk chiffon, and latex, appear to glide through the Cathedral’s nave, a powerful reminder of what can be lost if human hands fail to care for our planet.
Tessa Campbell Fraser explains:
“In sculpting the whales as I have, transparently using ghost netting, I want to convey the need for mankind to realise that these magnificent mammals will not exist in our world if we don’t act now to reduce catastrophic global warming and plastic pollution in our oceans. Rising sea temperatures will disrupt the entire ecological balance and alongside, plastic pollution cause these great emblematic creatures to become mere ghosts to us, transparent in the extreme.”
Alongside the installation, the Ocean Photography of the Year exhibition showcases award-winning images from around the globe, capturing the beauty, mystery, and fragility of life beneath the waves. Both exhibitions reflect how human hands can create, protect, and heal, or neglect and harm the natural world.
Come and explore the creativity, care, and responsibility of human hands through art, photography, and the oceans we share.
Entry by donation
