Experience Connection and Identity by Peter Walker, two large-scale interactive artworks using light and sound that invite us to contemplate what it means to be human.

Identity will feature eight illuminated columns suspended within the Painted Hall, evoking DNA structures. Shifting in colour and rhythm, these columns of light, fuse history, science, and imagination to provide a visual meditation on what connects and distinguishes us.

Connection showcases a dramatic and modern reinterpretation of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, signifying hope, reason and belief. In a striking contemporary twist on traditional narratives, Walker’s sculptures replace the traditionally male hands with casts of women’s hands. Just as this classic story is reflected in the part of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling masterpiece, Walker’s interpretation of this tale will be exhibited in the Painted Hall, often cited as ‘Britain’s Sistine Chapel’.

Installed together in the Painted Hall and accompanied by music specially composed by David Harper, Connection and Identity offer a transformative encounter between heritage and contemporary art. This unique collaboration instils a dialogue between past and present and the themes that unite us.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

“In a world where we are so unique, where the existential self is shaped and ever changing, and where individuality is complex; it is the central unifying identity of humanity which joins us together.” – Artist Peter Walker

Peter Walker is a renowned sculptor and artist based in Staffordshire, with over 25 years of experience creating compelling public artworks and installations. Known for his mastery in bronze and contemporary sculpture, his work is inspired by themes of dynamic form, heritage, and the human spirit.

His work has been widely exhibited across the UK and internationally, including commissions for cathedrals, civic spaces, and large-scale public art projects regarded highly for captivating new audiences and transforming unusual places and spaces. Most recent works have been viewed at The Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, The National Memorial Arboretum.