Lancelot Andrewes Awards
ART/PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

 

To coincide with the 400th anniversary of the King James translation of the Bible, Southwark Cathedral invited artists to translate themes from the biblical stories of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah into contemporary culture. Lancelot Andrewes, leader of the company of scholars that translated Genesis among other books of the Bible, is buried in Southwark Cathedral.  The Lancelot Andrewes Awards are a challenge to today’s artists and photographers to take up his mantle by translating stories from Genesis into today’s visual media.

The colourful stories of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar can be found in Genesis chapters 11-25. These are challenging narratives containing the lows and highs of human experience with tales of dislocation and wandering, of the destruction of cities and founding of new nations, of human jealousy and deceit, of old age and new life, of divine promise, human hope, perseverance, faith and fulfilment.  Hagar in Hebrew means “the (resident) alien”, so these stories also provoke us to wonder about our treatment of the “resident aliens” in our midst.  Entrants were asked to take from these stories a theme, passage or moment that spoke to them about some aspect of 21st century life and experience and to translate this to a contemporary audience.

Forms of artwork submitted included painting, drawing, printmaking, textile arts and photography.

Lancelot Andrewes Awards

First Prize: Vivienne Rowett, “A Dress for Sarah and a Dress for Hagar”
Second Prize: Ruth Joy, “Hagar, Ishmael and Abraham”, with “Orpah, Naomi and Ruth” from the series “l’hitraot”
Third Prize: Tony Kenyon, “Lot and his Daughters”
Highly commended: Irene Lafferty, “Hagar and the Angel”, Belinda Baxter, “Ishmael and the well of water”, Peter Green, “El Roi”.

Lancelot Andrewes Junior Awards:

First Prize: Joshua Obayori, Year 6, Parish Church (CE) Junior School, Croydon, “The Saving of Hagar”
Second Prize: Emil Lubbat, Year 7, Ham Knight Club, “Children of Abraham”
Third Prize: Pupils from All Saints Benhilton C. Of E. Primary School, Year 6, “Abraham’s Test”
Highly commended: Eve Hurst, Year 5, Cathedral Primary School, “Family”

The winning and shortlisted pieces are on display in the Cathedral's South Transept until Thursday 29 September.