Robert Plant Guardian Bird of Relics

Description

The Guardian Birds were made for an exhibition at Glastonbury Abbey in 2017-18. They are double headed eagles who were originally symbolic of protection (before being used as symbols of patriotism by different countries)

My Guardian Birds look after the precious relics that were apparently in abundance in the Abbey during the Medieval ages before the reformation.

The relics I have made are mostly playful analogies, comparing the Catholic tradition of the veneration of relics with modern day trends and culture and of souvenir gifts.

Robert Plant ( lead singer of famous 70’s band Led Zeppelin) visited the Abbey in 2014 and played a concert with his new band the ‘Sensational Space Shifters’. That was the connection with this project!

This guardian bird looks after a song relic. The famous Led Zeppelin hit “Stairway to Heaven”.

(cement structure, stained glass, hand gilded metal leaf glass, shell rounds, glass beads, hand painted eyes, wire, snow globe, gilded marble, silver liquid leaf )

370mm(w) x 450mm (h)