It’s a long way up and a fight squeeze to the top of the tower at Manchester Cathedral, we can verify that after getting to 200 steps and losing count.
Photographer Robert Watson has spent five years on the roof of Manchester Cathedral and probably knows every nook and cranny as he has been watching Manchester rush by beneath him, and gather unusual, striking panoramas of the development that has been going on.
The results of that development is an exhibition at the Cathedral which opened yesterday 4th March in the Regimental gallery.
His endeavours after he climbed the narrow staircase to the roof every month for five years, armed with his camera, reliable waterproof clothing and a head for heights are here for all to see.
Once on the roof, camera positioned, he realised it was a long way back down and hung around to grab some extra shots while he was up there. Inspiration struck as he reviewed the photographs and he returned monthly for half a decade to capture a series of panoramic shots that set the building’s landmark spires within dramatically changing skies.
It was a year in which Watson not only saw the city in full flow from upon high and gathered a remarkable set of abstract views of Manchester, but as a city centre resident for two decades after his move from his home city of Sheffield, offered him new perspectives that he couldn’t wait to share.
Robert says : “It’s not that comfortable a climb up the old staircase to the roof of the Cathedral, so you don’t want to come down in a hurry. It was a few months into making my regular visits that I thought to stay up there and try a few shots out and then started to pursue the various panoramic images that make up this exhibition. Each image is formed from a manual process; taking 18 shots to create a seamless image in 360 degrees, so not a quick or easy photograph to create and there are 20 in the exhibition. I’m pleased with the results, with the Cathedral spires remaining the one constant in every image as the skies change from a patchwork of cloud, to brooding darkness and into glorious blue. To me that’s Manchester, in a nutshell.”
Watson’s experience and images recount a tale of an evolving modern city, with the shifting weather patterns and glimpses of new buildings on the city skyline imposing themselves on the images. Since opening in 1868, the Victorian tower of the Cathedral has sat at the heart of city life as well as the providing the consistent centre point for each of Watson’s shots.
The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, Dean of Manchester, says: “Manchester Cathedral is delighted to be able to host this exhibition, as a place where the cities of Manchester and Salford were born over a 1000 years ago, this exhibition gives us a great opportunity to look out and to see how we continue to grow and make a major impact in the world”.
Inspired by photographers such as the German image maker, Michael Ruetz, Watson’s interest in fixed-position photography, and experience in time lapse imagery, has led him to establish a new company, Timescape Systems Ltd. The company employs pioneering technology that allows him to operate his cameras and download images from the safety of a remote studio instead of having to compulsorily take to the roofs of medieval churches.
360/365/MCR is FREE for the public to view during normal Manchester Cathedral visiting hours, subject to times of religious services, and limited edition prints of each of the photographs on display will be available to buy.
