Despite working as a photographer, helping to run a local arts organisation and developing an ambitious inter-faith art project, David Sparrow had never thought of himself as an artist until he attended the Community Arts Training Scheme in Slough.
'I'd worked on nearly 30 books of classic cars, with good reviews, and there's art in it, a skill in matching cars to their surroundings, but there’s also the knowledge that you’re on your own. In the lonely world of the freelancer, you concentrate on success and there was a thrill in being called an artist for the first time.
As vice chairman of Art at Saint Mary's, an organisation working to develop St Mary's Church in Church Road, Slough, as a cultural centre, David was already working with the Arts Development team, and unlike many participants, began the course with a project already in motion.
The Via Dolorosa, meaning the way of pain, is the name given to the symbolic journey between 15 stations on the path from Jesus' arrest to the crucifixion and resurrection. The concept behind David's project was to take these inherent elements of Christian worship and give them to artists from different faiths and different mediums to interpret, the results would then be taken back into the church and used both as an integral part of Holy Week and Easter celebrations and a piece of art in their own right. Large television monitors relay images and sounds of the works, which ranged from CGI animation to stained glass with two of the stations developed by David himself.
'A lot of people believe that interfaith is going to have tea at a mosque, but there’s dignity in difference, in seeing the face of God in other people no matter what their faith. Some artists struggling to get out of an introverted way of looking are on their own Via Dolorosa but faith is a journey of discovery'
To David, CATS has been about developing confidence and empowering him to connect with people with the same drive and enthusiasm that he possesses.
'I think at the beginning of the course everyone felt vulnerable but there was a real mix of people who were there for so many reasons that stereotypes no longer seemed relevant. The people who presented were serious about not being very serious; they weren't precious about it and it really helped people to open up. I overcame the self-consciousness of talking to artists and learnt to accept that people can relate to vulnerable me, because they are vulnerable too.'
The course helped David to ground the project when 'artistry had led ahead of admin' by developing his project management skills and stressing the importance of contracts: 'The most difficult part was getting artists to sign them because the project was all about trust, friendship and discovery'
CATS also introduced David to artists from different cultural backgrounds who could provide the artistic catalyst for his project.
Whilst on the course David met Zelijana Schonaur, a printmaker from Croatia and practicing Buddhist, who went on to produce one of the stations in the Via Dolorosa. 'The connections made on CATS go beyond networking, it’s not about finding someone with skills you need, it’s about meeting people you just have to work with because of all they have to offer.'
Interview: Louise O'Dwyer Barnard
Photograph: Malcolm Glover