A MAJOR new art event centred on seven churches is taking place in the Yorkshire Dales over the summer.

Sculpt is a free art event taking place from May 25 to September 28 in seven churches centred round Masham, near Ripon in North Yorkshire.

Seven international and innovative artists are creating individual sculptures for each of the churches, which are in North Stainley, West Tanfield, Well, Snape, Masham, Healey and Mickley.

Exciting, theatrical, family-friendly and sometimes shocking installations will be found in each of the off-the-beaten track churches, while also offering art for everybody in rural communities. The event aims to offer an enriching and educational visit to buildings that form an essential part of the fabric of British culture, but that are often neglected or ignored.

The trail is about 26 miles and, depending on how many times the visitor stops off at cafes and pubs along the route, should take about two hours to complete.

Jon Gabb will be installing a work called Wonder and War in Heaven in Snape Chapel. The name is derived from the decayed ceiling fresco in the chapel, painted by Antonio Verrio in about 1707 (famous for his ceiling in Burghley House). This is now a relic, partly due to damage caused when the chapel was used to store grain and hay.

Jon's work will extrude the spirit of the fresco into the space of the chapel in a dramatic way, with the use of knotted cords, coloured in the same vibrant colours as would have been in the fresco before its decay and representing the colours of heaven. Jon's work will reach out from the past to connect with the contemporary, with triangular forms holding the cords, symbolically held down with bags of grain, representing the connecting of heaven with earth. This major installation will entirely fill the chapel and take a week to install using bamboo scaffolding to hold the cords in place.

Art in the Churches is a new initiative to re-engage with churches through the introduction of cultural events. It is supported by the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, who is taking the position of patron. As well as offering opportunities for education and community involvement, there is also a treasure hunt for children at each venue. Sculpt is dramatic art, not passive, and this is the first event of its kind in the UK.

This art project has been made possible with the support of the Arts Council, the Jerusalem Trust, All Churches Trust, Skipton Hire Centres and the Himalayan Garden.