Asphalt Kingdom

Within the boundary lines of Sussex can be found a thin line where permanence and impermanence collide, a meeting point in which both seem to exist at once. Ruinous monoliths of apparent certainty appear ineradicable in the ever changing landscape of our England. ‘Asphalt Kingdom’ ask at their place, their ecological & theological meaning, and where their purpose might lay as this county and country rapidly changes around them.

Amidst these ruins, theology and faith have survived seemingly untouched, brazen in their place within this brine battered sweep of hills, ditches and clay rich flatlands. 560+ Anglican places of worship are still firmly nestled within the 1,461 square miles of the final Anglo-Saxon Kingdom to be christianised (680AD), this of course isn’t to mention the countless Catholic places of workship. That’s roughly a church for every 2.6 square miles of land - and it’s no surprise if we look back; faith was at the centre of our culture after St. Wilfred had raised his blessed hand up to the masses.

Upon visiting these ruins it came with no revelation that within the near vicinity I would find a place of worship - a thought began to emerge. Faith, as far back as it stretches, was everywhere and has left vast topographical impressions on the English landscape - it shaped our Kingdoms, led them to war, it crafted both ideologies and ideals now seamlessly blended into society. These buildings in the small Kingdom of Sussex stand as an emblematic waymarker in our long and diverse history.

joe charrington I. Lay Like The Folds of A Bright Girdle FurledII. Asphalt KingdomIII. Beneath Mercia IIII. Windfall on The Never-ending Sea commisions Hugo Winder-Lind Sam Blakeley Goodbye Horses Prints AboutNews Poems Motion Instagram

joe charrington

I. Lay Like The Folds of A Bright Girdle Furled
II. Asphalt Kingdom
III. Beneath Mercia
IIII. Windfall on The Never-ending Sea

commisions

Hugo Winder-Lind
Sam Blakeley
Goodbye Horses

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