Atlantis : Julian Rowe

The second work in this year’s ArtVaults that focuses on the idea of ports. Despite its ecclesiastical appearance, the Undercroft was part of a merchant’s house. When it was built, the principal trade would have been with ports across the Channel. The merchant ship of the time was the cog, a simple vessel built for capacity rather than speed. Thousands of them plied the coasts of medieval Europe. The image of these little ships voyaging to and fro led the artist to WH Auden’s poem Atlantis, describing a journey that can never be completed, a sentiment familiar perhaps both to mariners and artists. The poem became the seminal text for the installation.