The Brief: Susie Allen, Founding Director of Artwise Curators, as part of the fabrics committee for Portsmouth Cathedral was asked to put forward a solution for the design of the new choir stalls, which would be in keeping with the Cathedral's motif, as part of an ongoing programme of renovation, which began in the early 1990s. Part of this programme also included the redesign of the Cathedral's organ doors.

The Artwise Solution: Commissioning Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby to design new choir stalls, and Patrick Caulfield RA to update the organ doors for the Portsmouth Cathedral. The artists were challenged to respond to the space while maintaining respect for the traditional materials in the English Cathedral. Barber Osgerby replied by designing an oak bench, the traditional material for choir stalls, which they christened The Portsmouth Bench. Just as it is elegant in style, it is structurally sound, light and portable - characteristics not often associated with traditional heavy oak seating. The Portsmouth Bench received the Design Week Award for Best Furniture Design and is now available to the public for purchase. Caulfield's design for the interior doors of the organ communicates the unity of sound and glory. Referencing iconic Christian symbols, the City of Portsmouth and existing features in the Cathedral, the artwork has a multitude of layers for the keen and inquisitive audience who experience it. Together, the works evolve the understanding of the Cathedral by encouraging its contemporary audience to find new ways of interacting with sacred places of faith.