A striking new light and sound installation is touring North East England this February, telling the remarkable story of Codex Amiatinus, the oldest intact complete Bible in existence.
The Rivers of Ink installation has been created by London-based artists Karen Monid and Ross Ashton of The Projection Studio in collaboration with our researchers.
Through video projection mapping, original sound and a unique approach to storytelling, the artwork traces the long history of writing and book-making, culminating in the creation of the Codex Amiatinus in early eighth-century Northumbria.
The free, public tour will see Rivers of Ink visit venues across North East England, starting at St Laurence's Church in High Pittington on February 11 and concluding at Durham Cathedral on February 21-23.
The artwork will be projected onto a large-scale model of an ancient writing tablet covered with papyrus sheets, weaving together sound, multilingual voices and textures drawn from original historical sources.
Some screenings will be followed by talks from researchers in our Departments of Theology and Religion, History, Archaeology and Medieval Studies.
Rooted in our region
PhD researcher Lauren Randall and Professor Francis Watson of our Department of Theology and Religion have extensively researched Codex Amiatinus.
Their expertise has helped shape the Rivers of Ink artwork as well as resources to engage with school pupils along the tour route.
At the heart of the project is Codex Amiatinus itself.
Produced at the twin monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow in the early 700s, the manuscript is a complete Latin Bible contained within a single, vast volume.
It survives today as the oldest complete Bible in any language.
It required hundreds of animal skins to produce, along with the labour of highly skilled scribes, artists and bookbinders.
Physically, the book is enormous and handling it would have required multiple people.
The original Codex Amiatinus is now held in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence, Italy.
Art brings history to life
The Rivers of Ink artwork presents the manuscript as the culmination of centuries of writing culture.
It begins with early forms of writing including papyrus and fragments of early Christian texts from Egypt, through to manuscripts of medieval Europe.
The title reflects the vast quantities of ink, labour and chains of thought passed from one person to the next, flowing across generations to make such works possible.
