The Cross over the City by Michael Edmonds

This subtle panel, formed of polyester, brass and mosaic, presents the viewer with a pleasing ambiguity that allows for personal interpretation. The regular ruddy rectangles that form the background could be suburban houses, freight lorries, storage boxes, or even xylophone keys, but whatever is suggested, the impact of the Cross superimposed over the whole is a reminder that the presence of Christ is to be sought and discovered in the humdrum ordinariness of life just as much as in recognised holy places. Therefore, although the colours are earthy, there is also a sheen of gold to the piece that is suggestive of a religious icon.

This relief panel by Edmonds is a little reminiscent of Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie, with its vibrant patterning of New York traffic

seen from above. However, while Mondrian’s grid is rendered in simple primary colours, Edmonds chooses a more sophisticated palette, varying around hues of rust and red, with the cross that overlays the whole accentuated in white and black.