Spinning – Nature, culture and the spiritual in the work of John Newling

A book that looks at the work of John Newling over four decades. The book includes images of rarely seen work and documentation of early practice.

Throughout John Newling’s career he has found intriguing ways to engage with members of the public, selling them insurance against loss of mystery, turning their wishes into a bolus on an ancient tree and given away toys and gardening tools on Lincoln High Street. He has made work on a canal path in Stoke-on-Trent, filled the Chapter House of Canterbury Cathedral with wooden lecterns, and stood on Euston Road asking passers-by what makes them happy.

This book is the first substantial overview of these mysterious, intriguing and often beautiful works. Fully illustrated in colour throughout, it explores the major themes that have underpinned Newling’s extensive output.

Individual sections on Cathedrals, Pilgrimage, Nature, Biocity, Spinning, Wishes, Human loneliness, Love and the desire to go To Infinity and Beyond provide insights into Newling’s on-going project to understand the world around him. Here is a unique chance to discover the connection between nature, human culture and spirituality that lies at the heart of Newling’s work, and to hear his very relevant call for human beings to live closer to nature’s spinning core.