Giving Sanctuary

Interdisciplinary artist Melanie Thompson unveils the next iteration of Giving Sanctuary this September—an intimate, thought-provoking installation that asks a timely and powerful question:

What does sanctuary mean in a world where safety is no longer a guarantee?

Set inside a quiet canvas tent in the Attic at Heritage Courtyard Gallery & Studios, the installation invites visitors into a modern-day confessional to reflect on their relationship with safety, shelter, and responsibility.

Launching in parallel with Somerset Art Weeks 2025, Giving Sanctuary responds to a moment where global instability, war, and displacement dominate our newsfeeds, and where notions of home and refuge are under threat.

Visitors are encouraged to contribute something personal—a thought, a feeling, a quiet truth. A discreet Ring camera, positioned within the tent, gently captures these moments. Not as surveillance, but as a gesture of connection.

When the moment is right, a quiet, honest exchange may unfold between visitor and artist.

These unfiltered responses—offered with consent—will become part of a growing archive of written and video reflections, shared via the project’s evolving Instagram account @giving_sanctuary.

Through this work, Thompson creates a space of vulnerability and reckoning; where silence, witness, and empathy are not just invited but held with care.

Giving Sanctuary runs from 20–28 September, coinciding with the second week of Somerset Art Weeks and echoing the festival’s spirit of reflection, community, and creative exploration.