Crucible 2 at Gloucester Cathedral 2014

City life has many benefits – one of the greatest is having a cathedral on your doorstep.  For the last month Gloucester Cathedral has been hosting one of the largest free exhibitions of contemporary sculpture in the UK.  Crucible 2 features 100 pieces, created by 61 artists, placed in and around the medieval building.  The first Crucible exhibition in 2010, heralded as ”the sculpture exhibitions of the decade”, attracted 130,000 visitors and was everything it claimed to be. 
The current Crucible 2 exhibition is simply breathtaking in its scope and for bringing art to life in a tangible way.  Where else are you allowed to touch the sculpture and encouraged to let children interact with it in their own unique way (which generally means, without exception, climbing up onto the back of a tortoise, tiger and hippo).
I discover something new each time I go with the pace and direction set by a meandering toddler and I’ve yet to find all 100 exhibits!

Crucible 2 is open until 30th October and if you’ve not visited yet it is a fabulous way to spend a day. It’s heartening to see coach loads of visitors arrive just to see this wonderful exhibition.  If you need any more persuading click here for a 2 minute feature on BBC Points West to show you what you could be missing.

© Tiger and Hippo images reproduced from Crucible 2 Facebook page:  Siberian Tiger by Rembrandt Bugatti photographed by Steve Russell, courtesy of Gallery Pangolin.  Unless by Kenneth Robertson photographed by Crucible 2 team.