Alex Vellis
Alex Vellis is a Greek–British poet, playwright, producer and installation artist based in Canterbury, Kent. Their work combines poetry, performance and installation art and often explores community participation. Vellis is the author of the poetry collection I Saw a Bird Once and has worked with arts organisations including Open School East and Canterbury Cathedral.[1][2]
Early life and education
Vellis is from Canterbury, Kent, and holds an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Kent.[3][4]
Career
Vellis has published poetry collections and chapbooks, including the 2021 collection I Saw a Bird Once (Whisky & Beards Publishing).[2][5]
Vellis's installation The Boards of Theseus was shown at Quip & Curiosity in 2024.[6]
In 2025, Vellis co-created the installation Hear Us at Canterbury Cathedral in collaboration with curator Jacquiline Creswell.[7][8][9]
The installation provoked comment from high-profile public figures. U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance posted on X: “It is weird to me that these people don't see the irony of honoring ‘marginalized communities’ by making a beautiful historical building really ugly.”[10] Elon Musk replied to a post about the work with the single word “shameful.”[11]
Cathedral officials and the installation’s organisers defended the project as a community-centred work that amplifies questions from marginalised groups and deliberately seeks to provoke reflection; the Dean of Canterbury described the pieces as “undoubtedly jarring” but asked people to judge the work in person.[7]
Themes and style
Profiles and reviews describe Vellis’s writing as addressing working-class identity, grief, ritual and the body, and as strongly performance-oriented in rhythm and delivery.[4][12]
Selected works
- I Saw a Bird Once. Whisky & Beards Publishing, 2021.[2][13]
- The Boards of Theseus (installation), Quip & Curiosity, 2024.[6]
- Hear Us (installation, co-creator / poet), Canterbury Cathedral, 17 October 2025 – 18 January 2026.[7]
References
- ↑ "The Poem Is to Poetry as the Record Is to Music". Open School East. 2024. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "I saw a bird once by Alex Vellis". Whisky & Beards (publisher). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ "Kent Catalogue: Record DTC/ART/02/05 (Vellis, Alex)". University of Kent Special Collections & Archives. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Alex Vellis". Ink, Sweat & Tears. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ Vellis, Alex (2 December 2021). "I saw a bird once". Foyles. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Quip & Curiosity: Alex Vellis 'The Boards of Theseus'". Quip & Curiosity. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "HEAR US". Canterbury Cathedral. 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Anger over 'sacrilegious' graffiti art installation at Canterbury Cathedral". The Independent. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ "Canterbury Cathedral Graffiti Art Installation Divides the Art World". ARTnews. 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ JD Vance (10 October 2025). "It is weird to me that these people don't see the irony of honoring "marginalized communities" by making a beautiful historical building really ugly". X. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ "Graffiti makes Canterbury Cathedral resemble underground car park". The Times. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ Barnes, JJ (27 January 2022). "Poet Interview – Alex Vellis – I Saw A Bird Once". The Table Read Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ↑ Vellis, Alex (2021). John McCullough, ed. I Saw a Bird Once. Whisky & Beards Publishing. ISBN 9781916096264. Retrieved 11 October 2025. Search this book on
External links
- Whisky & Beards — I Saw a Bird Once. https://whiskyandbeards.co.uk/product/i-saw-a-bird-once-by-alex-vellis/
- Open School East — artist page. https://openschooleast.org/the-poem-is-to-poetry-as-the-record-is-to-music-2024/
- SpokenWord Paris — guest announcement. https://spokenwordparis.org/2024/04/30/alex-vellis-is-our-special-guest-at-spokenword-paris-may-6th-mondays-theme-to-be-announced/
- Quip & Curiosity — The Boards of Theseus. https://quipandcuriosity.co.uk/archive/alex-vellis-athens-that
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