A bronze ring emblazoned with the phrase ‘In my end is my beginning’ now surrounds the Ancestors’ Fire at Sharpham Meadow Natural Burial Ground, which occupies a spectacular setting overlooking the River Dart valley within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The piece – entitled The Circle - is the result of our 2015 Artist in Residence programme, and is the creation of Totnes artist Robin Lacey. The artwork creates a sacred fireside space at the burial ground and symbolises the eternal circle of the fire, the Sun and the Moon.
Cedar seats have been set into the ground around the fire-ring decorated with sun and moon ornaments, with niches for candles, flowers, offerings and notes to the deceased.
The Circle was unveiled with a ceremony at the natural burial ground on Saturday June 20, 2015, by Rupert and Claire Callender of the Green Funeral Company, who managed the site on behalf of the Sharpham Trust at that time.
Guests at the ceremony included people with family and friends buried or interred at the site, which opened on the same Summer Solstice weekend in 2013.
Actor-playwright Peter Oswald performed a piece at the ceremony and harp music was played by Totnes musician Boe Huntress.
Trust Programme Manager Ben Ballard said: "It was a simple ceremony and a moving event. The artwork is ideal for the site up there – it provides the perfect place for visitors to sit beside the flames, to remember the people buried here and to be a meditative spot for mourners and visitors.
"We're really pleased with Robin's work, which was in response to a brief to connect people with the natural world and life cycles, whilst improving the experience of those visiting Sharpham Meadow," he added. "We're sure visitors to the burial ground will welcome The Circle and its enduring message."
In planning his artwork, Robin spent time at Sharpham Meadow Natural Burial Ground to see how visitors used the site: "I commonly witnessed that mourners were leaving tokens or lit candles to express these things.
"I felt that by incorporating candle niches and a secure receptacle, the Circle would offer the opportunity to light a votive candle and leave written or drawn expressions of their feelings."
At the heart of the Sharpham Trust ethos is our desire to build a more mindful, compassionate and environmentally sustainable world.
We connect people with nature and foster mindfulness and well-being through our programme of retreats, mindfulness courses, outdoor learning and the arts.
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