Bold Nativity for Today – Chelmsford Cathedral

Chelmsford Cathedral is inviting visitors on a powerful journey of reflection with the launch of twelve Advent stations that offer a bold reimagining of the Nativity for today.

Chelmsford Cathedral hosts new advent stations: A bold reimagining of the Nativity for today

Installed throughout Chelmsford Cathedral, this unique exhibition asks visitors to see the Nativity story not as a serene Christmas card scene but as something raw, urgent, and unmistakably human.

The series combines the creative talents of painter Mark Cazalet, calligrapher Pansy Campbell, and poet Richard Leaf – three artists from St Martin’s Church in North West London.  Together they offer a contemporary Nativity that speaks to today’s world.

The twelve distinct stations blend original artwork, poetry and calligraphy with an immersive audio track. Together, they retell the story of God’s arrival in the world, not through distant figures, but as witnessed and experienced by ordinary people.

For example, the exhibition portrays a struggling young family, whose uncertain journey echoes the vulnerabilities many face today, alongside gestures of kindness emerging from the most unlikely places. This is set against contemporary realities such as the figure of Herod reimagined in the likeness of today’s leaders who dominate our media, while the harsh reality of people forced to flee violence and the patient hope of aged folk waiting for miracles reflects the distressing headlines that shape our world.

The Very Revd Dr Jessica Martin, the Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral, said:

‘The Advent Stations invite you to see, from an intimate, personal yet also uncanny space, the workings of God in the life of a young family dealing with the threats of an unpredictable and often violent world. They are defenceless and yet visited by angels, weak and yet blazingly joyful, uncertain and yet enduringly faithful.

‘It’s unflinching in its view of the cruelties that the vulnerable – those without power and influence – face in our world, but it manages at the same time to be full of joy and hope, and even a kind of exuberance in its colour and variety of media. 

‘Seeing it is not just coming to look at an artwork. It is an encounter,‘ she added.

“The Nativity is their story, but it’s also our story,” the artists state in their exhibition notes and invite visitors to see their own lives and experiences mirrored in the biblical narrative.

The ‘12 Advent Stations’ is free to enter and will be on display at Chelmsford Cathedral from 1 December 2025 to 2 February 2026.

About the Artists

Mark Cazalet is an accomplished artist whose work blends medieval figuration and Mughal miniature painting, inspired by studies at L’Ecole-des-Beaux-Arts in Paris and M.S. University Baroda in India. His career spans both gallery exhibitions and ecclesiastical commissions, including the Tree of Life and St Cedd’s window at Chelmsford Cathedral.

Pansy Campbell is a creative calligrapher who uses her art to elevate the ordinary and invite deeper contemplation. In these Advent Stations, she explores the meaning of ‘Ordinary’ within the context of miracles, reminding us that what is often overlooked can be truly special.

Richard Leaf is a writer for radio, theatre, and screen, with a background in acting. His passion for language and “The Word” is reflected in his poetry, crafted in the sonnet form out of admiration for William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser and Don Paterson.