Major summer contemporary art exhibition celebrating joyful noise
Salisbury Cathedral’s summer art exhibition will celebrate ‘joyful noise’ in its many forms. The show will feature painting, sculpture, video, text and sound artworks inside and outside the Cathedral and run from 16 May to 25 October 2026.
The exhibition reimagines the biblical call to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord” as a modern look at how music and sound can unite, inspire and celebrate. It brings together artists who use sound, humour, communication and group expression as forms of joyful noise.
Featured artists will include Denzil Forrester, Christine Sun Kim, Yuri Suzuki, Sokari Douglas Camp and Phyllida Barlow, along with new commissions from Caroline Walker, Tim Etchells and Emeka Ogboh.
As visitors approach the Cathedral they will be greeted by Tim Etchells’ newly-commissioned neon work, ‘Songs’ (2026), lighting up in the North Porch, and Phyllida Barlow’s six-metre-high sculpture ‘untitled: megaphone’ (2014), calling outward and upward towards the Cathedral’s spire from Choristers’ Green, near Mompesson House.
Meanwhile, Emeka Ogbah’s ‘Abide with me’ (2026) is a new outdoor choral sound installation, using specially-recorded voices from the Salisbury Cathedral Choir. It will be projected at regular times each day from the medieval Singing Gallery above the west doors. Historically, choristers used the Singing Gallery to sing through wall openings on Palm Sunday to people gathered outside. It sits behind the sculpted figures on the West Front. The work reimagines the hymn ‘Abide With Me’, speaking of fading light, uncertainty and the need for company in difficult times, and will offer a gentle and familiar welcome to visitors to the Cathedral.
Inside the Cathedral Denzil Forrester’s vibrant painting ‘Congregation’ (2025), pictured above, captures the energy of people coming together, connecting musical crowds with religious gatherings; transforming rhythm into movement and colour and painted in pulsing tones of violent, blue and green, offset by a glowing orange light.
‘UTOOTO’ (2025) by Yuri Suzuki, will be located in the South Transept of the Cathedral. It is a playful sound sculpture, made from pipes and horn-shaped modules, looking equally like a cathedral spire and an organ. The installation features a soundscape of human voices in different languages, which travels through the horns and tubes. Visitors can also speak into the horns and hear voices from other places. The name has two meanings: in Japanese, “uto uto” refers to the feeling of drifting between being awake and asleep, and in Okinawan prayer, “utouto” means reverence.
‘Taking Turns’ (2026) is a new, large-scale oil painting by Caroline Walker. It depicts a scene from a local outdoor nursery, where play is an important way for children to learn. This lively and energetic pice depict the sounds of voices, laughter and movement.
Sun Kim’s ‘Classified Digits’ (2016) is a film that explores communication through the grammar, facial expressions and visual rhythm of American Sign Language, broadening the concept of noise beyond sound, while Sokari Douglas Camp’s ‘Jesus Loves Me’ (2012) celebrates faith as a joyful and shared act, with life-sized steel figures reflecting the energy of West African Christian worship, particularly that in Nigeria and in south east London.
New this year, there will be a special Arts Late event on Friday 31 July, where visitors can explore the exhibition in the evening light, enjoy spotlight tours with the Cathedral’s visual arts curator, and enjoy live music including a performance by artist Tim Etchells with composer Jack Sheen. There will also be an opportunity for visitors to build their own version of Yuri Suzuki’s UTOOTO, have a go at screen printing in the Cloisters or sit and sketch the Cathedral’s magnificent architecture as dusk falls. Tickets for Arts Late are £5 in advance and can be booked via the Cathedral website.
The full programme of events throughout the summer will also include curator tours, artist talks and family activities.
Joyful Noise is the vision of the Cathedral’s visual art curator Mollie Barnes, who said:
“I am thrilled to bring these incredible international artists and artworks to Salisbury Cathedral for Joyful Noise. This is an exhibition exploring joy and community, inside and outside these walls that have witnessed celebration and worship for centuries.”
The exhibition is kindly supported by Gore Browne Investment Management and the Cathedral’s Art Champions, Trevor and Susan Branch.
Joyful Noise runs from 16 May to 25 October 2026. Entry is included in general visitor admission, which is free to local residents in SP1-SP5.