Ringing the Changes

Aim: We're crowdfunding for the installation costs to suspend two 33 metre banners in the crossing of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, in Edinburgh

Who We Are

We are an artist and architect team united by our passion for bringing visual art to public buildings.

Now, we’re asking for your help to display a dramatic new installation in St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh!

Why We Need Your Support

We're crowdfunding for the installation costs to suspend two 33 metre banners in the crossing of Sir George Gilbert Scott’s Neo-Gothic masterpiece, St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, in Edinburgh’s West End, during the 2025 Edinburgh Festival.

Produced by artist Edward Bruce, the banners depict bell ringing sequences known as ‘methods’.

These can be found in books and on the web, and give the ringer a chart of all the bells in each sequence, using numbers to represent each bell. Like all hobbies, bellringing has its jargon, and strange sounding names for the bell ringing methods.

"I chose diagrams for the methods, Grandsire Cinques with a Covering Tenor, Bishop David Delight Major, Little Bob Minor and Stedman Doubles. This one is 'Edinburgh Delight Minor'.

"I wondered what it would look like if I replaced the numbers with a colour, allotting a different one to each. When I did this, I was struck by the beauty and intricacy that was revealed. When I squinted at the page I could see ribbons of colour entwining, untwining and intertwining as in a maypole dance.

You can see the coloured blocks that represent each bell. The bells are rung in sequence according to these patterns.

The sequence starts at the top at the banners and goes from left to right – then to the next row and so on until all the permutations have been gone through and the bells end up in the same order as when they started.

Each bell changes its position and is rung at a different point in each row."

We're offering a signed, original print of Edinburgh Delight Minor as one of the rewards for supporting our campaign! There are 8 available for the full extent (shown above) and a number of affordable smaller original prints showing a detail or 'touch' of Edinburgh Delight Minor.

"The idea of the banners came about, when a woven fabric suggested itself to me, and my next thought was how could I get these patterns woven? – I knew nothing about weaving, but intuition led me to appreciate something that linked the two things together, and to learn more about the subject. I spent the next three years finding a way these patterns could be woven. Eventually, the enormous, multi-coloured banners were eventually woven using a computerised jacquard loom at Herbert Parkinson Ltd. a textile mill in Darwen, Lancashire." 

These are now ready to be displayed at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh as part of their Summer Exhibitions Programme.

We’re currently working with engineers, rope access experts, along with key partners from the cathedral. The Cathedral Ringers and individuals from the cathedral have very generously offered their time and expertise to making the project happen. We are extremely grateful for this support, without which the installation wouldn’t be possible. 

St Mary’s have showed a huge commitment to the project and it’s an honour to have such endorsement. We’re thrilled that the idea has caught St Mary’s imagination and spun off other fabulous activities.

Your support will help cover the costs of the safety testing, installation and demounting using specialist equipment, so we can get the banners up safely and securely. Every contribution brings us closer to making this happen!

How We'll Spend the Money Raised

All contributions will make possible:

• A full safety check of the fixing points and banner configuration by a qualified engineer
• Hire of specialist equipment for installing and demounting the banners in the crossing of the cathedral.

How You Can Help

There are simple ways to help us reach our goal and get the banners up:

Support the campaign

Every donation, no matter the size, brings us closer to getting the banners up. If you’re thinking about supporting, don’t wait: momentum is everything!

What We’re Offering

Every contributor of more than £25 will receive an original, signed print by artist Edward Bruce. 

Spread the Word

Tell your friends, family, and colleagues. We're offering these really beautiful prints as an incentive to support the fundraising, so please share with fellow art, music lovers, bell ringers, weavers and anyone else who might be interested on social media, WhatsApp, or email. The more people hear about us, the better!

With your support, we’ll be able to get these wonderful banners up in the dramatic setting of this magnificent cathedral. Thank you for being part of the team!

A huge thanks in advance for any support you can give.

- Ed Bruce, artist and Nick O’Neill, architect, for Ringing the Changes