Lord of the Dance

SIMON LATHAM

Lord of the Dance

The life-size sculpture Lord of the Dance by Simon Latham is located in the Peterborough Cloister with the three colourful book benches.

Three tubular, intertwined parts make up Lord of the Dance. The popular hymn by Sydney Carter and the Hindu god Shiva both share the same title. The artwork can be interpreted as a reference to the Crucified Christ, but it also conjures up images of the DNA double helix, the Brazen Serpent that Moses created, the Staff of Aesculapius, a symbol of the medical industry, and the Brazen Serpent¹.

The sculpture is a gift from artist Simon Latham, who was the Cathedral’s Resident Artist from 1989 to 1990. The original 1990 plaster version was beyond repair, so Simon entirely recreated it for a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Cathedral Visitor and Learning Centre in 2019. A fibreglass cast of that work is currently on exhibit at the Cathedral Cloisters.

The Very Revd Dean of Peterborough Chris Dalliston expressed gratitude to Simon Latham for reproducing Lord of the Dance for the Cathedral. It’s a composition with a long history with the Cathedral, dating back to Simon’s 1990 residence. Its current placement against the Cathedral’s oldest wall creates a stunning contrast of old and new. He thinks that this would enhance tourists’ experiences as they return in the following months².

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