Many hands make lightwork (2021)
Fantastical Minecraft night time experience inspired by the lives, loves and fates of Rockingham Castle’s female inhabitants throughout history.
Open my eyes
Clara H. Scott (1841-1897) was an American composer and in 1882 became the first woman to publish a volume of original hymns. She died in 1897 after being thrown from her carriage by a spooked horse.
She wrote her most famous hymn, Open My Eyes, That I May See, in 1895, inspired by Psalm 119:18. Through my research in the archives of Rockingham Castle I discovered that this hymn opened each of the seances hosted by Florence Culme-Seymour throughout the 1930s. I rewrote Clara’s original lyrics to give voice to the women whose presence can still be felt in the Castle today.
Open My Eyes, That I May See
Lyrics: Clara H. Scott (1895)
Open my eyes, that I may see
glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my ears, that I may hear
voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
and while the wave notes fall on my ear,
ev’rything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my mind, that I may read
more of Thy love in word and deed;
what shall I fear while yet Thou dost lead?
Only for light from Thee I plead.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my mind, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my mouth, and let me bear,
gladly the warm truth ev’rywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
love with Thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my heart, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my eyes
Lyrics after Clara H. Scott: Sarah Gillett (2021)
Open my eyes that I may see
glimpses of truth thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready my home, my history.
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my ears that I may hear
voices of other channels clear,
and while the wave notes fall on my ear,
ev’rything false will disappear.
Listening now I long for thee,
Mirror of sound, my house shall be.
Open my ears, signal to me,
Spirit divine!
Open my mind that I may find
answers to draw the undefined
pathways and walls where I am confined;
Hand me the paper ready lined.
Quietly now I write to thee,
Blueprints in wax before I flee,
Open my mind, inhabit me,
Spirit divine!
Open my mouth that I may sing
words found amongst the ruin’d ring.
Give me your hand as daylight takes wing –
shadows of ghosts now all night brings.
Whispering now I call to thee,
Return my shell from the debris.
Open my mouth, amplify me,
Spirit divine!
Written as part of a body of work commissioned by Fermynwoods Contemporary Art;
included as the soundtrack for Not only; but also, sung by Amy Lay-Pettifer,
© Sarah Gillett
Works connected with Open my eyes...
Not only; but also (2021)
Inspired by the lives of women at Rockingham Castle and their resonance in history, literature and spirituality, this web-based artwork takes the form of a sleeping ghostly female figure and explores an interior world where memory, dreams and shadows reign.
The Flimsy Copy
Over a year in the making, this exhibition digs into the lives of Rockingham Castle’s female occupants throughout history and their continuing resonance against a patriarchal system.