tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54763273649915695822024-03-13T14:46:49.865+00:00Writing Warp & WeftResearching Modern & Contemporary TapestryFrancesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-50761021965674388522014-02-19T10:54:00.000+00:002014-02-19T10:54:50.259+00:00finThis is likely to be my last blog post here. I originally began blogging to get over the fear of writing on returning to academic life. It gradually grew to become a means of sharing my thoughts and interacting with tapestry enthusiasts around the world.<br />
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I am currently working on thesis corrections after my viva in November - having a viva four days before your wedding is not something I would recommend! The experience was really positive but because some re-writing was required for my introduction and conclusion I will have to resubmit the thesis to the internal examiner before being awarded my PhD. It's a good opportunity to reflect on the challenges of completing a PhD within a three year funded period. My AHRC funding finished in October 2013 so I had to find a job and was keen to submit beforehand. The consensus of my examiners was, had I continued writing into a fourth year, I probably would have passed the viva with minor corrections, having had time to reflect more on the thesis. But that's just life and the practicalities of paying bills tend to take priority. Though a bit disappointed, I actually found the viva experience really interesting and it was a great opportunity to meet two academics from my field of interest and discuss my research in such detail.<br />
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One request from the examiners was to add my blog as an appendix. This had not occurred to me before but we discussed how it would benefit readers to learn about my whole research process, including the use of social media.<br />
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Since October I have been working as Arts Development Officer for North Aberdeenshire - this local authority is home to Alford Heritage Museum, explored in <a href="http://writingwarpandweft.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/alford-heritage-museum-feat-probably.html" target="_blank">this blog post</a>. I have really enjoyed exploring this part of Scotland, and have grown particularly fond of their extraordinary sunsets. I finish my post here soon for an exciting new position in Edinburgh in March.Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-15433253440412363342013-07-16T15:40:00.000+01:002013-07-16T15:40:08.523+01:00'an apt and symbolic mural'<div style="text-align: justify;">
Chapter 6 of my thesis is concerned with the increasing number of large-scale, architectural tapestries at Dovecot in the 1960s. I may have written 12,000 words on the subject, but an old issue of Punch magazine sums it up in one image:</div>
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<i>'This is the wall, Foster. We'd like you to knock up some sort of apt and symbolic mural - you know the sort of thing - The Chairman and Board presiding over the Twin Spirits of Art and Industry as the rise from the Waters of Diligence to reap the rich harvest of Prosperity while the Three Muses, Faith, Hope and Charity flanked by Enterprise and Initiative, bless the Corporation and encourage the shareholders.'</i></div>
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I'm afraid I don't know what year this is from - my proof reader sent it to me after reading chapter 6!</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-41526553911725492632013-07-11T17:05:00.001+01:002013-07-11T17:05:42.858+01:00The Final CountdownThe blog has been pretty neglected recently because of this:<div><br><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tEFLEfHwJ8s/Ud7X1YNnW4I/AAAAAAAABLA/gNXIr1y3aNs/s640/blogger-image--1496623502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tEFLEfHwJ8s/Ud7X1YNnW4I/AAAAAAAABLA/gNXIr1y3aNs/s640/blogger-image--1496623502.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div><div>I am on the final leg of my thesis. The picture above is of my printed draft - terrifying but also hugely satisfying. I plan to submit by the end of August.</div><div><br></div><div>But watch this space... News of forthcoming articles, conference papers and new reflections tapestry coming soon. Thanks for your patience!</div>Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-27788160411872892242013-05-08T11:11:00.001+01:002013-05-08T11:11:17.881+01:00Finding the Unicorn: Tapestries Mythical and Modern<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you are in London before 1 June 2013 I would strongly recommend a visit to <a href="http://www.flemingcollection.co.uk/index.php" target="_blank">The Fleming Collection</a> on Berkeley Street. The gallery is currently holding an exhibition, organised with <a href="https://www.westdean.org.uk/tapestry/tapestryhomepage.aspx" target="_blank">West Dean Tapestry Studio</a> and Historic Scotland, about the <i>Hunt of the Unicorn</i> tapestries that have been reinterpreted and rewoven for Historic Scotland's <a href="http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/" target="_blank">James V Royal Palace</a> at Stirling. The original tapestries hang in The Cloisters, part of the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> in New York.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p_kt-GuD7YQ/UYogkL-_LzI/AAAAAAAABIs/3c6PmMXuAvo/s1600/Tracy+Chevalier+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p_kt-GuD7YQ/UYogkL-_LzI/AAAAAAAABIs/3c6PmMXuAvo/s400/Tracy+Chevalier+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>The Unicorn is Found</i>, 330x340 cm, woven by Caron Penney, Katharine Swailes and Jo Howard</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">© Crown Copyright. Reproduced courtesy of Historic Scotland</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Unicorn is Found</i>, 1495-1505, 370 x 380 cm, <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/70007564?rpp=20&pg=1&ft=the+unicorn+is+found&pos=2" target="_blank">Metropolitan Museum</a></td></tr>
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If you do not expect to visit Stirling Castle any time soon, this is your only chance to see <i>The Unicorn is Found</i>
outside of Stirling. The exhibition also includes contemporary
tapestries (including loans and new works for sale) woven by West Dean.
Further information on the exhibition and works for sale can be found <a href="https://www.westdean.org.uk/Tapestry/News/Finding%20the%20Unicorn%20Exhibition.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-16434528674100010292013-04-08T10:00:00.000+01:002013-04-08T10:00:04.248+01:00Signed Tapestries (part 2): Weavers<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <a href="http://writingwarpandweft.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/signed-tapestries-part-1-artist.html" target="_blank">first part</a> of this double-post looked at the inclusion of artist's signatures in tapestry designs and their subsequent weavings. This post will examine the inclusion of weavers' initials in Dovecot's practice.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PYw3RqEEQ3Q/UV10iOOg76I/AAAAAAAABHg/iRo47BetPWg/s1600/HuntWeaverMark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PYw3RqEEQ3Q/UV10iOOg76I/AAAAAAAABHg/iRo47BetPWg/s400/HuntWeaverMark.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from <i>Lord of the Hunt</i>, 1912-1916 1919-1924, designed by William Skeoch Cumming, woven by John Glassbrook, David Lindsay Anderson, Gordon Berry, George Cribbes, Ronald Cruickshank, Stanley Ebbutt, Richard Gordon, John Louttit and James Wood.</td></tr>
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<i>Lord of the Hunt</i> was the first tapestry to be completed at the studio, woven from 1912 to 1924 and interrupted by the First World War. It was the war that led to the poignant inclusion of the initials of master weavers John Glassbrook and Gordon Berry. Their initials are set behind a bobbin and shears on the lower border of the tapestry; not only do the commemorate the weavers, they mark the extent of weaving that had been achieved when war was declared.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KTB1lBk1z0/UV11tuZk5gI/AAAAAAAABHw/HWDIz7zD43g/s1600/P1030346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="327" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4KTB1lBk1z0/UV11tuZk5gI/AAAAAAAABHw/HWDIz7zD43g/s400/P1030346.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>The Admirable Crichton</i>, 1927-1930, designed by Alfred Priest, woven by David Lindsay Anderson, Ronald Cruickshank, Stanley Ebbutt and John Louttit.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l2fYpZ5-6QA/UV11trqU5xI/AAAAAAAABH0/wDvgND4oodU/s1600/P1030349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l2fYpZ5-6QA/UV11trqU5xI/AAAAAAAABH0/wDvgND4oodU/s400/P1030349.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>The Admirable Crichton</i>, 1927-1930, designed by Alfred Priest, woven by David Lindsay Anderson, Ronald Cruickshank, Stanley Ebbutt and John Louttit.</td></tr>
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Initials continued to be included on the front of tapestries up to 1939. The images above show the Head Weaver David Lindsay Anderson's initials on the lower border of <i>The Admirable Crichton</i>, with the weavers initials above the top border.</div>
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After the Second World War the practice remained the same, but at some point initials were moved to the back of tapestries. This was not a sudden change but happened gradually. The images below show the weavers' initials and Dovecot symbol (a subject for another blog post!) on the selvedge that is turned back on the tapestry.</div>
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As a researcher these initial serve a practical purpose. The archival information about Dovecot's history is patchy at best. Studio weavers are at risk of becoming anonymous if their names are not recorded in surviving archives or included on the physical tapestry. Some Dovecot tapestries do not include any initials!</div>
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In recent years the studio has been at pains to ensure that this does not happen in the future. There remain some projects that do not have an appropriate space for initials, such as <i>quick, slow</i> illustrated in the last post. However, in most cases it is possible, as in these small Peter Blake designed tapestries woven by Naomi Robertson - her initials are on the side of the mounts:</div>
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Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-46918377878199775052013-04-04T12:21:00.002+01:002013-04-04T12:21:43.085+01:00Signed Tapestries (part 1): Artist-Designers<div style="text-align: justify;">
Whilst researching the 1950s at Dovecot, under the Directorship of Harry Jefferson Barnes and John Noble, I came across correspondence relating to the inclusion of an artist-designer's signature in a tapestry. The artist in question was Nadia Benois. On 5 November 1955 Benois wrote to Sax Shaw (Dovecot's Artistic Director) enclosing a copy of her signature. The studio was weaving a tapestry to one of her designs, <i>Night and Day</i>, and she expected her signature to be included on the front.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7RvbV38GZ2A/UV1Y8XKmbYI/AAAAAAAABFo/yCreJhFZYp8/s1600/benois+NMS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7RvbV38GZ2A/UV1Y8XKmbYI/AAAAAAAABFo/yCreJhFZYp8/s400/benois+NMS.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Just a few months earlier, on 7 August, Director John Noble had written the following to Shaw about Benois' tapestry:</div>
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<i>I am entirely in favour of tapestries being marked to show designers and weavers. It is an old tradition and a good one, interesting for posterity. But I am not sure about the wisdom of signing them on the front. I feel that it suggests 'wool pictures' rather than tapestry and that the signature is apt to get in the way of the design to a much greater extent that it does in the painting.</i></div>
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These letters, found in the private archive of the Shaw family, illustrates that there was no 'correct' way of incorporating an artist's signature into a tapestry design - it was constantly up for debate. I thought it would be a good idea, therefore, to survey some examples from Dovecot's history and explore the debate from 1945 to the present day.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rL5XvP_05h8/UV1a1Cy6z-I/AAAAAAAABF4/53PasFSEHDU/s1600/EdwardWadsworth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rL5XvP_05h8/UV1a1Cy6z-I/AAAAAAAABF4/53PasFSEHDU/s400/EdwardWadsworth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from <i>Marine Still Life</i>, 1949, designed by Edward Wadsworth, woven by Richard Gordon, Dovecot Studios. Private Collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPOU967wLEc/UV1a1pzUmeI/AAAAAAAABGE/ecmktXBpvgs/s1600/DSCN3716+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kPOU967wLEc/UV1a1pzUmeI/AAAAAAAABGE/ecmktXBpvgs/s400/DSCN3716+copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of black and white photograph of <i>Three Figures</i>, 1950, weavers and location unknown.</td></tr>
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After the Second World War, the Directors of Dovecot (then called the Edinburgh Tapestry Company), decided to invite famous contemporary artists to submit designs to the studio; the Directors then selected a number of them to be woven. The Directors (all members of the Bute family) were inspired by activities in France but also encouraged by the Council of Industrial Design. It was believed that collaborating with such artists would revitalise tapestry weaving, boost its profile and make the works easier to exhibit and sell. The name of the artist was an essential part of the marketing of the tapestries.</div>
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When Noble and Barnes became Directors in 1954 they decided to move away from using external artists as tapestry designers. Instead, they employed Sax Shaw as an in-house Artistic Director and tapestry designer. It was hoped that this change would save money (from artist fees) and make the tapestries more salable in a world that was increasingly aware of 'design' in the home. However, Shaw continued to include signatures on the tapestries he designed and, of course, in the Benois tapestry discussed above.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HVVPl6uWk8k/UV1cigBY9PI/AAAAAAAABGU/ZbDWIBs_YCI/s1600/SaxShawAntoniaReeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HVVPl6uWk8k/UV1cigBY9PI/AAAAAAAABGU/ZbDWIBs_YCI/s400/SaxShawAntoniaReeve.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>Still Life</i>, 1950s, designed by Sax Shaw, weaver unknown. Private Collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6PvpayN-Xm0/UV1cijRUpsI/AAAAAAAABGY/rsIXyxC8yyw/s1600/photo+from+christies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6PvpayN-Xm0/UV1cijRUpsI/AAAAAAAABGY/rsIXyxC8yyw/s400/photo+from+christies.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>Theseus and the Minotaur</i>, 1956, designed by Sax Shaw, weavers unknown. Private Collection</td></tr>
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The practice of including a tapestry designer's signature has continued to the present day. However it is not a consistent feature of tapestries at Dovecot. From the 1960s onwards signatures have only been included where necessary (e.g. if the artist or patron insists) or if it is able to fit comfortable within the design. Here are a couple of examples:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o4XFT6ZtHtQ/UV1dVzq7-QI/AAAAAAAABGo/Y8f9Hb_S0Z4/s1600/Archie+Brennan+Aberdeen+Tapestry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o4XFT6ZtHtQ/UV1dVzq7-QI/AAAAAAAABGo/Y8f9Hb_S0Z4/s400/Archie+Brennan+Aberdeen+Tapestry.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aberdeen '64</i>, 1964, designed by Archie Brennan, woven by Archie Brennan, Douglas Grierson, Maureen Hodge and Fred Mann. Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Collection.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of <i>Olive Terrace</i>, 2009, designed by Barbara Rae, woven by Douglas Grierson, Naomi Robertson and Jonathan Cleaver. Private Collection.</td></tr>
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There are some obvious examples of tapestries that have no appropriate space for a signature. This is especially the case when the tapestry is not meant as a simple wall hanging:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapestry woven for <i>quick, slow</i>, 2010 by Claire Barclay, woven by David Cochrane. <a href="http://www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk/loadWork.do?id=13434" target="_blank">Arts Council Collection</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapestry Circles and Green, 2011, David Poston, Bangle of welded stainless steel wire, tapestry woven
cottons.Collaborative piece with Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh Jonathan
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So far in this discussion of signatures the weavers have been absent. The second installment of this blog 'Signed Tapestries (part 2): Weavers' will examine Dovecot's inclusion of weavers' initials. Here's a taster of what's to come:</div>
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Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-83196920153144627202013-03-18T12:00:00.000+00:002013-03-18T12:00:20.004+00:00Tips for conference speakingMaybe you've heard them all before, but here are some tips for speaking at conferences, put together whilst I was at the <a href="http://conference.collegeart.org/2013/" target="_blank">CAA 2013 Conference</a>:<br />
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<b>Powerpoint Presentations</b>: label all images and include the names of key figures and places. It is so frustrating otherwise! Also, don't put all your captions at the bottom of the slide as people at the back will struggle to see.</div>
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<b>Volume</b>: when you ask 'Can you hear me ok?' make sure you get a response from people at the back, not just the front row.</div>
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<b>Badges</b>: make sure your badge is visible. Nothing more awkward than starting a conversation with someone you've met before and realising they have no idea who you are.</div>
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<b>Handouts</b>: if you are discussing complex theories or data it might be worth distributing handouts, budget permitting.</div>
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<b>Engage with your audience</b>: get to know your paper really well so that you do not have to read verbatim. Look at the audience, make eye contact, gesture with your hands. If people are spending 7 hours in a conference room you need to make yourself stand out. Of course, if you are speaking in a second language this is a bit more difficult.</div>
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<b>Scan the programme for people you know</b>: it's good to network but if you're in an unfamiliar place it can also be nice to catch up with a colleague or fellow student.</div>
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<b>Prepare</b>: scope out the venue before hand so that you know where you need to be. Take a bottle of water with you - buying bottled drinks in a hotel is expensive. Work out if there is wifi access and how to connect.</div>
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<b>Connect</b>: our session organisers at CAA organised for us speakers to meet for a drink the night before the panel. This was such a good ice-breaker and helped lessen my nerves on the day.</div>
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<b>Don't do everything</b>: pace yourself. Yes you've paid $100 to be there but make sure you take a break for lunch etc otherwise you won't make it to the last day.</div>
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<b>Clothes</b>: if you're speaking, wear something memorable (but not tooooo memorable).</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-33293317289139008232013-03-11T12:00:00.000+00:002013-03-11T12:00:02.492+00:00Wedding Dresses galore at the Fashion Museum<div style="text-align: justify;">
In February I was fortunate enough to take part in a one week CPD course at the <a href="http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/" target="_blank">Fashion Museum</a>, Bath. Rosemary Harden, manager of the gallery, had designed four packing fortnights spread over one year. The idea was to allow museum professionals keen to develop their skills to spend one week in the museum, packing objects. The museum would benefit from some extra pairs of hands and we would gain experience and knowledge in the handling and packing of dress and costume. In teams of two, we were allocated a specific area of the collection. I was paired with the lovely Heather Audin, Curator at the <a href="http://www.quiltersguild.org.uk/index.php?page=71" target="_blank">Quilt Museum and Gallery</a>, York. We headed into our packing room and were faced with this:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council</td></tr>
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Plus boxes and boxes of veils, headbands, tiaras, trousseau, going-away outfits and yet more wedding dresses. It was gorgeous yet daunting. A substantial number of dresses were already packaged in store. Our task was to use the accession numbers to match up veils, dresses etc from the same bride and package them together - something that had not been done before. Then we had to package the remaining items into new boxes.</div>
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As well as offering us a chance to get to know a specific area of the collection, we also learnt about the museum's unique approach to packing. The museum prides itself on the accessibility of their collection. It is there for people to see and research, not to remain locked in store for decades. As a result dresses need to be packaged in way that makes them easily (and quickly) accessible to staff. The photograph below shows how the dresses are laid on a 'stretcher' of tissue that can be easily lifted out of the box.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Fashion Museum, Bath and North East Somerset Council</td></tr>
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To those outside of museums and galleries this experience may not seem like much, but for individuals like me it was fantastic. The work was exhausting and physically hard - in total Heather and I packaged 79 boxes, most of which we had built ourselves. But you cannot beat hands on experience. I went into the course as a novice and can now confidently pack a late-18th Century wedding dress into a box! It is also through courses such as these that professionals from museums around the UK are able to share ideas and knowledge about collections management and practice. What particularly impressed me about the Fashion Museum was how a small team of people with a finite amount of space manage to host an ambitious exhibitions schedule, build a world-class collection (over 80,000 objects and counting) and allow consistent access to that collection for research purposes (whether you be studying 19th Century kimonos or would simply like to see your grandmother's wedding dress from the collection).</div>
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For more information about what is currently showing, click <a href="http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/exhibitions/current_displays.aspx" target="_blank">here</a>. For the fashionistas out there, <a href="http://www.bathinfashion.co.uk/" target="_blank">Bath in Fashion</a> is a festival of events and exhibitions taking place in the city.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-77322654882102775482013-03-05T15:25:00.005+00:002014-02-19T10:32:23.285+00:00Tapestry and Reproduction: a useful research structure?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am finally taking time to digest the papers of the 'Tapestry and Reproduction' <a href="http://conference.collegeart.org/2013/" target="_blank">CAA conference</a> session. First I'll give a round up of the papers, then reflect on the value of 'tapestry and reproduction' as a means of inquiry for 20th and 21st Century tapestry practice.</div>
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Lorraine Karafel from Parsons the New School for Design spoke about 'reproduction and change in Raphael's designs for tapestries'. Lorraine explored the changes and alterations made to the borders of subsequent weavings of Raphael's <i>Acts of the Apostles</i> tapestry designs for the Sistine Chapel. These new borders were often designed by an artist contemporary to the new weaving and could be personalised with the iconography of the patron. Jonathan Kline, of Temple University, also discussed the <i>Acts of the Apostles</i> but focusing on three sets of tapestries all of which deviate significantly from Raphael's original cartoons. Jonathan questioned whether these sets would have been valued for their connection to celebrity artist Raphael, or for their own material, style and subject matter.</div>
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Susan Wagner of Columbia University moved the session forward in time with her paper on Boucher's 18th Century tapestry designs. Susan reinforced the fact that at least two of Boucher's oil paintings were made specifically for reproduction in tapestry. She asked: 'In what ways can we consider these works as being at once paintings and tapestries?'</div>
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Virginia Gardner Troy's paper examined the critical reception of the tapestries commissioned by Marie Cuttoli in the 1930s to 1960s. This subject provided the perfect paper with which to precede my talk as Dovecot would never have made tapestries designed by famous contemporary artists had it not been for Cuttoli's work in France.</div>
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As is often the case in conference sessions, the most exciting element was question time. I felt that the questions at the end of this panel were particularly astute and brought up many more issues than had been answered by the papers. Particularly, was the notion of 'tapestry as a means for reproducing painting' a valuable method of research and investigation? My response would be that it is limited. Though it is of great use for the Renaissance period up to the nineteenth century, There are many more centuries for which I do not consider it relevant. It is unlikely that Coptic tapestries were woven from paintings. It implies a hierarchy in which a painting holds the higher ground - but was this the case in the Medieval period? For example, were the painted cartoons of the Lady and the Unicorn held in higher esteem than the paintings? I suspect not. It is also problematic as we enter the twentieth century. Dovecot's collaborative activities with artists as designers has in many ways sustained a connection between painting and tapestry as many of these artists are indeed painters. However the relationship between each painting and tapestry is far more complex and nuanced than a simple reproduction. In the case of independent artist-weavers, I suspect for many the idea of reproducing a painting of tapestry does not play any part in their practice. There are of course some for whom painting and tapestry go hand in hand, but there are also others who do not paint at all. This is not a criticism of the CAA panel. The purpose of the session was to explore this very issue and the papers selected were all really well written and covered a rich and varied selection of topics.</div>
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My conclusion therefore is that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' method for studying tapestry. Each researcher has their own subjective views, and each weaver their own way of working. If I were to put forward what I think is most important, it would be to approach the topic with an open mind and begin, always, with the tapestry itself.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-2283516905100704482013-02-25T23:11:00.001+00:002013-02-25T23:11:46.609+00:00El Anatsui at Brooklyn Museum<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I emailed a friend to ask for any tapestry-related exhibition suggests to see when I was in New York, her first choice was <i><a href="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/el_anatsui/" target="_blank">Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui</a> </i>at <a href="http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Museum</a>. When I first looked the artist up online I wasn't really sure why she would suggest someone who make's large installations using found materials such as bottle caps and can lids - in other words, rubbish. But having visited the exhibition I now completely understand.</div>
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Born in Ghana, Anatsui now lives and works in Nigeria. The work in the exhibition is outstanding, beautiful, moving, mesmerising... you see where I'm going. The installations are so akin to textiles that you often don't realise their true materials until you look closely. The surfaces of the wall hangings undulate as if moving against the walls. Other installations rise up from the floor like waves. For those of you that won't make it to Brooklyn, here are some of my favourites:</div>
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Coming soon: the <i>Tapestry and Reproduction</i> session at the CAA conference.<br />
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Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-55026072911484371792013-02-01T10:21:00.000+00:002013-02-01T10:21:13.796+00:00RIO Reviews<div style="text-align: justify;">
Keep an eye out for some more reviews on the <a href="http://www.riomagazine.co.uk/" target="_blank">RIO Magazine</a> website soon. I'll be writing about <a href="http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/visit/exhibition/modern-languages" target="_blank">Modern Languages</a> at the Lighthouse Glasgow, <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/21/wendy-ramshaw-rooms-of-dreams" target="_blank">Wendy Ramshaw: Rooms of Dreams</a> at Dovecot and <a href="http://www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/exhibitions/page/the_inventor" target="_blank">Wendy Ramshaw: The Inventor</a> at The Scottish Gallery Edinburgh.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wDLVfogcVlw/UQKaZTjRRQI/AAAAAAAAA9k/R7MrwVzD45A/s1600/phpThumb_1generated_thumbnailjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wDLVfogcVlw/UQKaZTjRRQI/AAAAAAAAA9k/R7MrwVzD45A/s400/phpThumb_1generated_thumbnailjpg.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/exhibitions/page/the_inventor" target="_blank">Wendy Ramshaw: The Inventor</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lJi_piY5fbQ/UQKaZQwf9LI/AAAAAAAAA9o/GJeJCZtrHdk/s1600/Modern-Languages-MainDN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lJi_piY5fbQ/UQKaZQwf9LI/AAAAAAAAA9o/GJeJCZtrHdk/s400/Modern-Languages-MainDN.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/visit/exhibition/modern-languages" target="_blank">Modern Languages</a></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fpi6VBAn4cU/UQKaZmrE1NI/AAAAAAAAA9s/XOp9k7RwOro/s1600/50ec0c7c169c9-Pavan,+2002,+Photo+courtesy+of+George+Gammer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fpi6VBAn4cU/UQKaZmrE1NI/AAAAAAAAA9s/XOp9k7RwOro/s400/50ec0c7c169c9-Pavan,+2002,+Photo+courtesy+of+George+Gammer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/21/wendy-ramshaw-rooms-of-dreams" target="_blank">Wendy Ramshaw: Rooms of Dreams</a></td></tr>
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In the meantime, why not browse some of the most recent <a href="http://riomagazine.co.uk/category/review/" target="_blank">RIO reviews</a>.Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-30204712695009518892013-01-25T14:39:00.000+00:002013-01-25T14:39:15.998+00:00Conference News...<div style="text-align: justify;">
Being an academic can be hard sometimes - but not when it involves a trip to New York!</div>
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In a few weeks I will speaking at the <a href="http://conference.collegeart.org/2013/" target="_blank">College Art Association 101st Annual Conference</a> (13-16 February). I will be giving a paper as part of a session entitled <b>Tapestry and Reproduction</b>. Here are the details:</div>
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<b>"Tapestry and Reproduction"</b></div>
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Panel Co-chaired by K. L. H. Wells, University of Southern California; and Barbara Caen, The Frick Collection</div>
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College Art Association (CAA) 101st Annual Conference</div>
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<u>Friday, February 15, 2013, 2:30-5pm</u></div>
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Sutton Parlor North, 2nd Floor</div>
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Hilton Hotel, Midtown New York<br />
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<u>Featuring</u>:</div>
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"Border Zones: Reproduction and Change in Raphael’s Designs for Tapestries"</div>
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<b>Lorraine Karafel,</b> Parsons The New School for Design</div>
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"Raphael/Not Raphael: The Curious Case of Loreto’s Acts of the
Apostles Tapestries, and the Similar Sets in Zaragoza and Bryn Athyn"</div>
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<b>Jonathan Kline, </b>Temple University</div>
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“'Painting, with Silk and Gold'”: Boucher’s Intermediality"</div>
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<b>Susan Wager,</b> Columbia University</div>
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"Critical Reception of the Marie Cuttoli Tapestries, 1930s–1960s"</div>
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<b>Virginia Gardner Troy, </b>Berry College</div>
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"Reproduction/Interpretation/Transformation: Postwar Tapestry Making at Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh"</div>
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<b>Francesca Baseby,</b> University of Edinburgh</div>
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I feel so fortunate to be part of such an exciting looking panel and cannot wait to hear my fellow speakers. Online registration for the conference is now closed but details of how to buy tickets on the day can be found <a href="http://conference.collegeart.org/2013/registration/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Most readers of this blog are unlikely to be in New York just waiting for something to do on 15 February so I'll be sure to do a follow-up blog post about some of the ideas and issues that arise out of the session.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-71135010929275129022013-01-15T11:00:00.000+00:002013-01-15T11:00:04.756+00:00Tamielle - a social enterpriseFor Christmas, and as an early wedding present, my Mum gave me this:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YLrBDUdCZ7U/UOw-EFZzMGI/AAAAAAAAA7w/aMenkzooTbA/s1600/photo-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YLrBDUdCZ7U/UOw-EFZzMGI/AAAAAAAAA7w/aMenkzooTbA/s400/photo-5.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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It is a beautiful hand-embroidered handkerchief with a print of an Edwardian bride.<br />
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It was made by a company called <a href="http://tamielle.com/" target="_blank">tamielle</a>. Initiated by designer Tamar Kovner who works with developing communities to create ethical and highly desirable handmade products. One such series of products is the Handkerchief Club. Each handkerchief is made in a workshop in a deprived area of Bulgaria near Veliko Tarnovo. The boxes are made by hand by a man names Elijah and within each is a small note inscribed with the name of the embroiderer. Tamar does not simply send out her designs, but has formed a personal collection with the women of the workshop, spending time in their homes getting to know them. It was such a special gift, in more ways than one.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_w8eltAN3Ak/UOxARrbwxcI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/_H_r_QIxQQg/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-08+at+15.39.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_w8eltAN3Ak/UOxARrbwxcI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/_H_r_QIxQQg/s400/Screen+shot+2013-01-08+at+15.39.53.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tamielle.com/">tamielle.com</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3h_HPv0zFmo/UOxARuq6J3I/AAAAAAAAA8U/41TfQUQwTbc/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-01-08+at+15.43.26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3h_HPv0zFmo/UOxARuq6J3I/AAAAAAAAA8U/41TfQUQwTbc/s400/Screen+shot+2013-01-08+at+15.43.26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tamielle.com/">tamielle.com</a></td></tr>
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Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-80321290589577382742013-01-08T15:38:00.000+00:002013-01-08T15:38:19.662+00:00New Year - New Tapestry?<div style="text-align: justify;">
I intended to write something here about the past year in review but when you're working in academia the calendar year has less meaning than the academic one. I feel that, with 2013 just beginning, I ought to have completed some things and be on the brink of beginning others. Instead I find myself in the middle of the trickiest year of my PhD so far: THE FINAL YEAR OF DOOM. I am writing and editing and writing and editing and getting feedback and editing. It seems an endless cycle further complicated by the niggling voice in the back of my head reminding me that when the cycle finishes I will need to find a job.</div>
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So instead of moaning here are some uplifting tapestries for January:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RKI_gdwXnGc/UOw8Yqt1syI/AAAAAAAAA7I/XQVBLeF9iGU/s1600/Tapestry-Diary-09-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RKI_gdwXnGc/UOw8Yqt1syI/AAAAAAAAA7I/XQVBLeF9iGU/s400/Tapestry-Diary-09-10.jpg" width="218" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2009 and 2010 Diaries, Tommye McClure Scanlin, image from <a href="http://americantapestryalliance.org/education/educational-articles/beyond-the-warp-continuing-education/weaving-a-web-of-experiences/" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l6w-SBbyneM/UOw8YC7xL5I/AAAAAAAAA7A/ULfW4vxgTjM/s1600/tapestrydiary-beginning-dec-20121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l6w-SBbyneM/UOw8YC7xL5I/AAAAAAAAA7A/ULfW4vxgTjM/s400/tapestrydiary-beginning-dec-20121.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012 Diary in Progress, Tommye McClure Scanlin, image from <a href="http://americantapestryalliance.org/education/educational-articles/beyond-the-warp-continuing-education/weaving-a-web-of-experiences/" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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I have only just discovered the blog of <a href="http://tapestry13.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tommye McClure Scanlin</a>. Tommye is based in the US and for the past few years have woven a tapestry diary for each calender year. Alongside her usual tapestry weaving projects, she weaves a small section of tapestry every day, reflecting her thoughts or mood. This has struck me as a fascinating idea. To commit to such a project means allowing yourself time, every day, to disconnect from your daily work or chores and tap into what you have been feeling. She is not the only weaver to create tapestry diaries but I enjoy seeing how they have changed in style, colour and form from year to year. The tapestries look so beautiful and tantalising - I only wish I could see one in person.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-23881324012579733382012-12-03T12:30:00.003+00:002012-12-03T12:30:59.651+00:00The Minotaur in Tapestry<div style="text-align: justify;">
The story of Theseus and the Minotaur can be found in Plutarch's <i>The Rise and Fall of Athens</i>. Theseus was the illegitimate son of Aegeus, ruler of Athens. Athens had been defeated by Minos of Crete and every nine years Athens was ordered to pay tribute in the form of seven young men and seven young women (anybody spotting the inspiration for <a href="http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/" target="_blank">The Hunger Games</a>?). On their arrival on Crete, the youths were sent into a labyrinth which was inhabited by the Minotaur a vicious beast half-man half-bull. When Theseus first arrived in Athens (as a young man) tribute was due and he volunteered to go. Though Plutarch wrote that the details of the story differ from author to author, it is said that Theseus defeated and killed the Minotaur and led the other 13 tributes back to Athens safely.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dWzKFkIlXDQ/ULyTMRf76RI/AAAAAAAAA54/ZSw_4Tb_MPU/s1600/picasso+minotaur+pompidou+collection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dWzKFkIlXDQ/ULyTMRf76RI/AAAAAAAAA54/ZSw_4Tb_MPU/s400/picasso+minotaur+pompidou+collection.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Le Minotaure</i> (1928) Pablo Picasso, black chalk and paper on canvas, National Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Centre, Paris. Donated by Marie Cuttoli 1963.</td></tr>
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The minotaur first features in a twentieth century tapestry in 1935. Marie Cuttoli owned a picture by Picasso of <i>Le Minotaure</i> and commissioned a tapestry of it from an Aubusson workshop. Picasso's image does not reflect a specific point in the story of the minotaur. The artist visited the subject of the minotaur repeatedly in his prints and drawings; this particular image is thought to be the first and is concerned with the grotesque combination of bull and man. It is an uneasy image, as if the legs of the man are struggling to escape from the head of the bull. It is an unlikely image for tapestry: it has a plain background and the central figure is executed as a line drawing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARKzECeLhKQ/ULyTh2kDr8I/AAAAAAAAA6E/el2-AaVkxtk/s1600/TheseeMinotaureMarcSaintSaens-4d12c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARKzECeLhKQ/ULyTh2kDr8I/AAAAAAAAA6E/el2-AaVkxtk/s400/TheseeMinotaureMarcSaintSaens-4d12c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Theseus and the Minotaur</i> (1943-44) designed by Marc Saint-Saens, woven Aubusson, 284 x 478 cm, National Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Centre, Paris</td></tr>
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The subject of the Minotaur appears again almost a decade later in a tapestry designed by Marc Saint-Saens. Saint-Saens chose to focus on the moment that the minotaur was killed by Theseus. It is a bloody image as theseus plunges his sword into the bull's neck. His treatment of the subject and its translation into tapestry is in keeping with French tapestries of this period. Saint-Saens and his colleagues (includign Jean Lurcat and Dom Roberts) employed bold bright colours and plentiful detail to create weavings that took advantage of the unique nature of tapestry. This is in contrast to the Picasso piece which is essentially a drawing enlarged and copied into tapestry. Interestingly, the Minotaur is no longer half-man but is all-bull. It is reminiscent of bull fights and we may think this was the tapestry's subject were it not for Theseus' ancient dress. Given the political situation in France at this time, it is not surprising that Saint-Saens chose to focus on the moment of the Minotaur's defeat. Theseus takes on the role of France overcoming the fascist occupation of the Nazis.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWCIa4NKa0I/ULyTLcb_FrI/AAAAAAAAA50/3SpHT6Negf8/s1600/photo+from+christies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vWCIa4NKa0I/ULyTLcb_FrI/AAAAAAAAA50/3SpHT6Negf8/s400/photo+from+christies.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Theseus and the Minotaur</i> (1956) designed by Sax Shaw, weavers unknown, woven at Dovecot Studios.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ka8FdOCF5HQ/ULyTws4syeI/AAAAAAAAA6M/_9Euhu9coYc/s1600/theseus+and+minotaur+detail+1+christies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ka8FdOCF5HQ/ULyTws4syeI/AAAAAAAAA6M/_9Euhu9coYc/s400/theseus+and+minotaur+detail+1+christies.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">detail of <i>Theseus and the Minotaur</i></td></tr>
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A Dovecot tapestry of <i>Theseus and the Minotaur</i> was woven in 1956 and designed by Sax Shaw, then artistic director. Shaw was very influenced and inspired by French tapestry designers and often adopted their imagery. However, he used these images and motifs in very different ways. His version of Theseus is more simplified and less violent that Saint-Saens'. Theseus' arm is raised, about to strike. Movement is suggested by the swirling patterns of solid colour, typical of Shaw's design style. This work makes the most explicit reference to the story as 14 tributes can be seen in the background (though it really ought to be 13).</div>
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Topics like this are one of my favourite parts of research: selecting a particular theme, image or effect and tracing its origins and development in the woven medium. I'm sure there will be many more to come.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-51072960314461472242012-11-07T16:26:00.001+00:002012-11-07T16:26:15.521+00:00Making Connections<div style="text-align: justify;">
There hasn't been much blog activity recently. Not because my research has ceased or the weavers have stopped weaving, but because I am in my third (and final) year - a time when editing and writing overtake active research.</div>
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I have been struggling with this stage - its doesn't involve looking at or feeling tapestries, delving into archives or visiting interesting places. It involves sitting at my desk staring at a screen or hundreds of files day after day. It is at times very solitary and frustrating, but I am also trying to remember how fortunate I am to have the space to think. I remind myself that when I am back at work I will not have such a luxury!</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5HUELgyints/UJqHqb5xIeI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/MpnduhoK9Lk/s1600/canterbury048big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5HUELgyints/UJqHqb5xIeI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/MpnduhoK9Lk/s320/canterbury048big.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wg-F2lPQQnM/UJqHvodmtXI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/0VSiOn4i-vw/s1600/IMG_6920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wg-F2lPQQnM/UJqHvodmtXI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/0VSiOn4i-vw/s320/IMG_6920.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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One real benefit of the editing process is that I am beginning to better understand the connections that can be made across my thesis, cutting through the chronological divisions of its chapters. For example, the issues of church decoration that influenced West's design for the <i><a href="http://writingwarpandweft.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/didactic-tapestry-in-new-york.html" target="_blank">Gould Memorial Tapestry</a> </i>are the same ones that <a href="http://writingwarpandweft.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/joyce-conwy-evans-mystery-no-more.html" target="_blank">Joyce Conwy Evans</a> had to think about in the <i>Canterbury Cathedral Altar Frontal</i>. Both tapestries needed to feature religious iconography, fit in with the surrounding interior design and be visible to a large audience from a distance (both pictured above).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zsHJBLpW9h8/UJqKJcNn8gI/AAAAAAAAA4k/5HKbF0wj8MY/s1600/cycle+of+life+cartoon+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zsHJBLpW9h8/UJqKJcNn8gI/AAAAAAAAA4k/5HKbF0wj8MY/s400/cycle+of+life+cartoon+detail.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Numbered cartoon for <i>Cycle of Life</i> (1957-8) designed by Sax Shaw</td></tr>
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The shadow (or light?) from French tapestry weaving was a constant presence throughout 1945 to 1970 in Dovecot's practice. Immediately after the war French tapestry became popular in Britain thanks to a major exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in 1947. The successful resurgence of contemporary tapestry weaving under the guidance of John Lurcat was one of the influencing factors in Dovecot's decision to collaborative with living artists. Lurcat's influence continued into the 1950s when Sax Shaw was Artistic Director. Shaw adopted the French artist's methods - including the creation of full scale cartoons numbered with the corresponding colours to be used (images above). Tapestry by numbers indeed. By the 1960s, French tapestry was not so much an influence, but a parallel. The Lausanne Biennales, begun in 1962, enabled to Dovecot to promote its tapestries on an international level and develop its communication with international tapestry weavers.</div>
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On another note, I have two new <a href="http://riomagazine.co.uk/category/review/" target="_blank">reviews</a> on RIO Magazine: <i>Scotland Can Make It!</i> (on at the People's Palace, Glasgow) and the annual <i>Scottish Furniture Makers Association Exhibition</i>. A review of <i>Nuno Japanese Textiles</i> currently on at <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/24/nuno-japanese-textiles" target="_blank">Dovecot</a> will be up shortly.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-48210455152493071792012-10-09T15:15:00.004+01:002012-10-09T15:15:59.407+01:00RIO MagazineThis post is just to let you know that I am now contributing exhibition and publication reviews to <a href="http://www.riomagazine.co.uk/" target="_blank">RIO Magazine</a>. Originally published in 2009 as a free bi-monthly magazine, it can now be found online. Founded by Tina Rose, the online magazine is for any with an interest in craft. Happy reading!<br />
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I have also updated the <a href="http://writingwarpandweft.blogspot.co.uk/p/paperstalks.html" target="_blank">Papers/Talks</a> page of the blog.Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-50383772219401800822012-10-08T10:28:00.000+01:002012-10-08T10:28:08.314+01:00Bird Yarns<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.capefarewell.com/seachange/bird-yarns-2/" target="_blank">Bird Yarns</a> is a project led by artist <a href="http://www.deirdre-nelson.com/" target="_blank">Deirdre Nelson</a> as part of the project <a href="http://www.capefarewell.com/seachange/about/" target="_blank">Sea Change</a> (Tionndadh na Mara in Gaelic). Run by the not-for-profit programme <a href="http://www.capefarewell.com/" target="_blank">Cape Farewell</a>, Sea Change is a 4 year project designed as part of the London 2012 Festival and the Year of Creative Scotland. Bringing together scientists and artists, individual and collaborative activities have been, and will continue to, explore the issue of climate change on Scotland's western and northern isles.</div>
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One such artist is Deirdre Nelson. Working with a community of knitters on the Isle of Mull, Deirdre devised an Arctic Tern knitting pattern. The birds were knitted with local Ardalanish yarns and in July 2012 they were displayed on Tobermory Pier. As well as those knitted on Mull, terns were sent from all over the UK and further afield. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image via <a href="http://www.capefarewell.com/seachange/bird-yarns-2/" target="_blank">Bird Yarns</a></td></tr>
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For two days in September the arctic terns landed at Dovecot before heading to <a href="http://www.thelighthouse.co.uk/visit/exhibition/bird-yarns" target="_blank">The Lighthouse</a>, Glasgow for the month of October. There is something very inspiring about seeing these hand-knitted birds all together. Though all made to the same pattern, knitters were required to improvise the beak, eyes and feet themelves, and to use whatever stuffing they liked. This has resulted in a varied mix of styles and reflects the very personal nature of hand knitting. As I spent some time in the room with them, they began to develop their own characteristics. This top one is very pensive, gazing out of the window at Calton Hill.</div>
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This next one looks like superman - flying through the air with a determined look on his face and an especially streamlined beak.<br />
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This little man looks like he's wearing a helmet a few sizes too big.</div>
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In order to allow as much public involvement as possible, a knitting set has been created. These are available to purchase at Dovecot and online <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/AN-TOBAR/323355734857?sk=app_129982580378550" target="_blank">here</a>. The kit comes with knitting needles and two shades of Ardalanish yarns. I'll update this post once I've knitted mine!</div>
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<br />Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-1208899063424218012012-09-17T11:03:00.000+01:002012-09-17T11:07:49.984+01:00Alford Heritage Museum featuring 'probably the best collection of mangles in the world'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On a dreich weekend in June I joined a few friends in Alford, Aberdeenshire. We were supposed to be camping at Woolfest in the Lakes but a lingering illness and torrential rain encouraged us to opt for a watertight cottage instead. Whilst there I discovered the <a href="http://www.spanglefish.com/alfordheritagecentre/index.asp?pageid=156107" target="_blank">Alford Heritage Centre</a>. This is a museum like no other. An eclectic collection of 'stuff' from by gone years, the museum harks back to Victorian days when row after row of interesting objects were crammed alongside each other, vying for your attention. In some ways the centre is desperately in need of funding and refurbishment - goodness knows what conservation issues may be lurking. But I fear that any such intrusion would force the museum to let go of its unique character. There are no barriers, minimal interpretation, no 'enablers' to enable children to understand what they are seeing. Instead it is a visual feast that allows you to explore in your own time and in your own way. Enough talking, here come some pictures!</div>
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The Centre charges a very small entrance fee and is run entirely by volunteers. If you are in Alford for the weekend, you can also check out the <a href="http://www.gtm.org.uk/" target="_blank">Grampian Transport Museum</a>, <a href="http://www.alfordvalleyrailway.org.uk/" target="_blank">Alford Valley Railway</a> and <a href="http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/countryparks/locations/alford.asp" target="_blank">Haughton Country Park</a>. The town also has lovely independent cafes and shops, and a fantastic haberdashers.<br />
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Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-33998878955842004142012-09-10T10:00:00.000+01:002012-09-10T10:00:03.027+01:00Tapestry, Gender, History<div style="text-align: justify;">
There came a moment in my research this week when I realised I was writing about the first tapestry both designed and woven entirely by women at Dovecot. This tapestry was <i>Untitled</i> (1967) designed by <a href="http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/B/2770/artistName/Elizabeth%20Blackadder/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Blackadder</a> and woven by Maureen Hodge. It is in the collection of the <a href="http://www.nationalgalleries.org/visit/introduction-118" target="_blank">Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art</a>. Gender does not form a large part of my thesis, but it is an unavoidable topic. It made me think about where tapestry sits in the arguments surrounding women and textiles.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PWryGnbde70/UEdeuxy_SoI/AAAAAAAAAv0/dQR_YngXPkQ/s1600/DSCN3717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PWryGnbde70/UEdeuxy_SoI/AAAAAAAAAv0/dQR_YngXPkQ/s400/DSCN3717.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maureen Hodge weaving <i>BP Tapestry</i> in 1966.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Maureen was the first female tapestry weaver employed by Dovecot. She was recruited in 1964, immediately after completing the tapestry course at Edinburgh College of Art. She remained until 1973, when she was appointed head of the college's tapestry department. In 1950 Ronald Cruickshank, Head Weaver told the <i>News Chronicle</i> (9 February 1950) newspaper that he did not employ women as they would leave when they married and presumably he thought the years of apprenticeship would be wasted. This attitude did not change until the 1960s, with the emergence of female graduates from the tapestry course at Edinburgh College of Art.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tapestry’s domination by men is at odds with the
feminization of textiles, as expressed by feminist art historians such as Rozsika
Parker.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"></span></span> Embroidery is one particular example of a medium still dominated by women in
the 1960s. Throughout the decade <i>Embroidery
</i>magazine referred to the ‘embroideress’ or the ‘needlewoman’ instead of the
gender neutral ‘embroiderer’. The editors of the magazine and almost all of its writers were women during the
decade.</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EKRaCt5LLqs/UEdg_aHaIHI/AAAAAAAAAv8/DUoSut-nXMU/s1600/tapestry+workshop+at+Merton+Abbey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EKRaCt5LLqs/UEdg_aHaIHI/AAAAAAAAAv8/DUoSut-nXMU/s400/tapestry+workshop+at+Merton+Abbey.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Morris Company Merton Abbey Tapestry Workshop</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">In part, tapestry’s reputation as men’s work comes from its association with
manufacture and factories. In the twenty-first century the western world views
tapestry as a luxury, handmade artifact, but illustrations of earlier tapestry
studios exhibit a less idealist view. The photograph of Morris’ Merton Abbey
workshop<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"></span>
shows a small, cramped studio designed to fit in as many looms and weavers as
possible without losing natural light. In 1950, Dovecot was still considered to
be a factory, as evidenced by correspondence regarding an inspection of the
premises in that year.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"></span></span>
Any employee under the age of eighteen needed a certificate from a local doctor
to prove their fitness for work. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UmW1x2WHXzY/UEdi_RD846I/AAAAAAAAAwE/vJdFY_WT2e0/s1600/027255-FC50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UmW1x2WHXzY/UEdi_RD846I/AAAAAAAAAwE/vJdFY_WT2e0/s400/027255-FC50.jpg" width="262" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yC9VBhnYy4s/UEdkLV139gI/AAAAAAAAAwM/URkRbUANtzg/s1600/9781843835707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yC9VBhnYy4s/UEdkLV139gI/AAAAAAAAAwM/URkRbUANtzg/s400/9781843835707.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">However, the domination of tapestry by men can be traced back to pre-industrial Europe and into the Middle Ages. The Tapestry-Maker's Guild stipulated that only women could weave. One of the plot strands of Tracy Chevalier's novel <i><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/27255/the-lady-and-the-unicorn-tracy-chevalier-9780007172313" target="_blank">The Lady and the Unicorn</a> </i>concerns the rules that stop weaver Georges de la Chapelle's wife, Christine, from helping him weave the tapestries. Despite this, women could be involved in the preparation of tapestries. In Chevalier's book, Georges and Christine's daughter spends every evening sewing together the slits left between the warps in the tapestry. The involvement of needlewomen is evidenced in Medieval sources. In her publication <a href="http://www.boydellandbrewer.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=13387" target="_blank"><i>The Troyes Memoire: The Making of a Medieval Tapestry</i></a> Tina Kane discusses the account books of the Church of Sainte-Madeleine, also in Troyes. The account books include itemised payment to individuals involved in the commissioning of a series of tapestries for the Church - it is not known whether they were ever woven. These individuals include Poinsete, a seamstress, and her assistant. Poinsete was responsible for preparing full scale cloths for the cartoons to be painted on, and linings for the tapestry. (Kane's book is fascinating, both for her academic insight into her sources and for the translation of the Troyes Memoire itself)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This blog post really just scratches the surface of the matter of women and tapestry. The limits of my research mean I have not had time to spend on it - if you have any comments or further thoughts I would love to hear them!</span></span></div>
<br />Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-35549741215760159972012-08-31T16:55:00.000+01:002012-08-31T16:55:00.628+01:00Cockerels<div style="text-align: justify;">
This post has been a long time coming. In the late 1940s into the 1950s there seemed to be a plethora of tapestries of cockerels! (insert your own pun here) The first I noticed was Sax Shaw's <i>Fighting Cocks</i> (1950). It's a pretty gruesome tapestry, with large droplet of blood dripping from the cockerels' wounds and feathers flying. The brutality of the imagery is at odds with the delicate flowers filling the background.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7PgUYa1coI/UEDYXBB425I/AAAAAAAAAu4/V3wwIKzKTFE/s1600/shaw,+fighting+cocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7PgUYa1coI/UEDYXBB425I/AAAAAAAAAu4/V3wwIKzKTFE/s400/shaw,+fighting+cocks.JPG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fighting Cocks</i>, 1950, designed by Sax Shaw, woven by Ronnie McVinnie and Archie Brennan, Bute Collection.</td></tr>
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Another can be found in the weird and wonderful <i>Phases of the Moon</i>, designed by Scottish artist John Maxwell and commissioned for the Scottish arts Council. It is currently in Dovecot's <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/2/weaving-the-century-tapestry-from-dovecot-studios-1912-2012" target="_blank"><i>Weaving the Century</i></a> exhibition if you would like to see the whole thing.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzEDzQoDEM8/UEDY9g2R81I/AAAAAAAAAvA/0Q0EFU4NMP8/s1600/John+Maxwell+Phases+of+the+Moon+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mzEDzQoDEM8/UEDY9g2R81I/AAAAAAAAAvA/0Q0EFU4NMP8/s400/John+Maxwell+Phases+of+the+Moon+detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Phases of the Moon</i> (detail), 1958, designed by John Maxwell, woven by Fred Mann and Harry Wright, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums.</td></tr>
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Where were they all coming from? The answer was France. In their designs for tapestry, both Sax Shaw and John Maxwell were heavily influenced by French tapestries, particularly those designed by Jean Lurcat and Marc Saint-Saens. The cockerel, or rooster, is the national symbol of France. No surprise, then, that it became a feature of French tapestry design. But the relevance of the cockerel had a more personal meaning for Lurcat, who in turn had a great influence over his contemporaries.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asompXDuxWE/UEDbTR3PP7I/AAAAAAAAAvI/W7_1BZEAmek/s1600/detail+from+liberte+by+lurcat+1943+from+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-asompXDuxWE/UEDbTR3PP7I/AAAAAAAAAvI/W7_1BZEAmek/s400/detail+from+liberte+by+lurcat+1943+from+book.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Liberty</i> (detail), 1943, designed by Jean Lurcat, woven at Picaud Atelier, Aubusson.</td></tr>
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In his 1950 publication <i>Designing Tapestry</i>, Lurcat wrote poetically of an encounter he had with a cockerel in 1942:</div>
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On one of those resplendent mornings in the Lot region where I spent my 1942 exile, I saw in the meadow next to my studio, a cock, the most insolently cockish one to be found anywhere... The bird was overwhelmingly proud. The sun enveloped him, polished up his breast, made it shine, in fact made him a sort of Red God... This animal with its brilliantined crest and feathers, lunges like a fencer with each of his strides, and his claws come to ground like the wave of a marshal's baton. What glory! What splendour - an presents itself - a King! Versailles - the great monarch - the Roi Soleil! Hadn't I here the new poetic substance for a tapestry!... All that had to be done after that was to translate it into plastic form.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Jean Lurcat 1950 <i>Designing Tapestry</i> (London, Rockliff) p.51-52)</span></div>
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One chance encounter was to have a significant effect on tapestry for the next two decades.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-45062807120532824232012-08-16T10:27:00.000+01:002012-08-16T10:27:25.213+01:00Why so quiet?<div style="text-align: justify;">
After the excitement of the opening of <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/2/weaving-the-century-tapestry-from-dovecot-studios-1912-2012" target="_blank">Weaving the Century</a> it was back to work for a few weeks until I was off on holiday to Antibes in the Cote d'Azur, hence the lac of blog posts. There are many associations with weaving in the area, including tapestries in the <a href="http://www.musees-nationaux-alpesmaritimes.fr/fleger/" target="_blank">Musee Leger</a>, Biot and, most relevant to me, the purple herons that inspired Graham Sutherland's design for <i>Wading Birds</i> (woven by Dovecot in 1949).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ca0B3QGjiY4/UCy681cHofI/AAAAAAAAAuI/3_RGzOrxHxU/s1600/IMG_8993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ca0B3QGjiY4/UCy681cHofI/AAAAAAAAAuI/3_RGzOrxHxU/s400/IMG_8993.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Musee Picasso, Antibes</td></tr>
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As is the case every summer, Edinburgh is heaving with tourists here to sample the brilliant offerings of the <a href="http://www.edfringe.com/" target="_blank">Fringe</a>, <a href="http://www.eif.co.uk/" target="_blank">Edinburgh International Festival</a> and <a href="http://www.edinburghartfestival.com/" target="_blank">Edinburgh Art Festival</a>. The City Art Centre's exhibition of the work of <a href="http://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/Venues/City-Art-Centre/Exhibitions/Current-Exhibitions/Leslie-Hunter" target="_blank">Leslie Hunter</a> who spent many years in the Cote d'Azur. The exhibition features watercolours of Juan les Pins and Villefranche, both very close to Antibes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5wud9YmQcY/UCy8lf8QZEI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/inpUIANHN_w/s1600/GMA+1907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5wud9YmQcY/UCy8lf8QZEI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/inpUIANHN_w/s400/GMA+1907.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Juan les Pins</i>, George Leslie Hunter, c.1927-1929, <a href="http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/H/3694/artistName/George%20Leslie%20Hunter/recordId/5701#.UCy8WEQmZy4" target="_blank">National Galleries of Scotland</a></td></tr>
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I would also really recommend a visit to the <a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/edinburgh-college-art/postgrad-degreeshow" target="_blank">Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Degree Show</a> (18-26 August) if you have time. I have been tutoring some of the students and their work is outstanding.</div>
Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-36209632628542791912012-07-25T11:54:00.002+01:002012-07-25T11:54:33.592+01:00If I had to choose...<div style="text-align: justify;">
If I had to choose a favourite tapestry in the current Dovecot <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/2/weaving-the-century-tapestry-from-dovecot-studios-1912-2012" target="_blank">exhibition</a> it would have to be <i>Sky Cathedral II</i> (1974) designed by Lousie Nevelson and woven by Gordon Brennan, Fiona Mathison, Neil McDonald and Jean Taylor.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qC9Qr1u0gJ8/UA_NiZ_F2TI/AAAAAAAAAtU/z7lPVUxIP7c/s1600/054-nevelson-sky-cathedral-ii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qC9Qr1u0gJ8/UA_NiZ_F2TI/AAAAAAAAAtU/z7lPVUxIP7c/s400/054-nevelson-sky-cathedral-ii.jpg" width="307" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tapestrycenter.org/?page_id=454" target="_blank">photo</a></td></tr>
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This tapestry took me completely by surprise. Before seeing the exhibition, I would have chosen Claire Barclay's <i>quick, slow</i> (2010) or <i>Overall</i> (1967) designed by Harold Cohen. I had only ever seen images of <i>Sky Cathedral II</i> and though keen on Nevelson's work the pictures of the tapestries she designed weren't really doing it for me. I think the nature of my encounter with it in the gallery had a big impact. Before reaching it in the exhibition, you come across an altarpiece designed by Joyce Conwy Evans. It is dazzling full of rich gold and bronze and bejewelled with embroidery. As you walk past it and round a corner you are suddenly met by the cooler, enveloping Nevelson.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ut7gdK6lG6E/UA_Niwl45fI/AAAAAAAAAtY/Rr54u-UzwTM/s1600/054a-detail-nevelson-sky-cathedral-ii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ut7gdK6lG6E/UA_Niwl45fI/AAAAAAAAAtY/Rr54u-UzwTM/s320/054a-detail-nevelson-sky-cathedral-ii.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://tapestrycenter.org/?page_id=454" target="_blank">photo</a></td></tr>
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Photos rarely do a tapestry justice (the ones above <i>certainly</i> don't). They can't convey the deep vibrating blue yarn contrasted with the technically complex pale areas of weaving. This is a tapestry outstanding not only in its design and conception, but in its execution. The sense of texture, a reference to the three dimensional quality of the maquette on which the design was based, is achieved through a variety of techniques which are captivating in their delicate detail.</div>
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It is captivating.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bL0MMyH1KE/UA_Prj_1DDI/AAAAAAAAAtk/OcuGMnZctRI/s1600/IMG_6281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bL0MMyH1KE/UA_Prj_1DDI/AAAAAAAAAtk/OcuGMnZctRI/s320/IMG_6281.jpg" width="238" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MYcYOOePuzQ/UA_PukDjbvI/AAAAAAAAAts/IKZLUF9D8vU/s1600/IMG_6283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MYcYOOePuzQ/UA_PukDjbvI/AAAAAAAAAts/IKZLUF9D8vU/s320/IMG_6283.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Details from <a href="http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=34071" target="_blank"><i>Sky Cathedral</i></a> (1982), Lousie Nevelson, Smithsonian Collection, Washington DC</span></div>Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-35105807467996643852012-07-23T17:00:00.001+01:002012-07-23T17:00:34.055+01:00Dovecot Centenary Exhibition is OPEN<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T7FB1h7dCsc/UA10rI4PctI/AAAAAAAAAs4/V160E8xqoms/s1600/5003fffd95668-120713dovecot-029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T7FB1h7dCsc/UA10rI4PctI/AAAAAAAAAs4/V160E8xqoms/s400/5003fffd95668-120713dovecot-029.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Weaving the Century</i> Exhibition, photo by <a href="http://www.antoniareeve.co.uk/" target="_blank">Antonia Reeve</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ybXFeBeJjCE/UA1zzzrrFNI/AAAAAAAAAss/G1WeztRQkMw/s1600/603513_466895319996826_2102883338_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ybXFeBeJjCE/UA1zzzrrFNI/AAAAAAAAAss/G1WeztRQkMw/s400/603513_466895319996826_2102883338_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Weaving the Century</i> Exhibition, photo by <a href="http://www.antoniareeve.co.uk/" target="_blank">Antonia Reeve</a></td></tr>
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The exhibition is open (details <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/2/weaving-the-century-tapestry-from-dovecot-studios-1912-2012" target="_blank">here</a>) AND a September <a href="http://dovecotstudios.com/whats-on/event/19/interweaving-future-trends-in-making" target="_blank">symposium</a> has been announced!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QBvQ5TcXJRU/UA1zzR9d0PI/AAAAAAAAAso/7X57UtZQD_M/s1600/50095f04263d6-Interweaving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QBvQ5TcXJRU/UA1zzR9d0PI/AAAAAAAAAso/7X57UtZQD_M/s400/50095f04263d6-Interweaving.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Interweaving – Future Trends in Making, is Dovecot’s
International Symposium for makers, doers and thinkers to come together
to discuss and develop new practice and thinking.</div>
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Speakers will include:<br />
<strong>Siobhan Davies</strong> – Choreographer and Dancer<br />
<strong>Deirdre Nelson</strong> – Textiles Artist<br />
<strong>Ruth Little</strong> – Dramaturg and Writer<br />
<strong>Cat Rossi</strong> – Context Lecturer, Design School, Edinburgh College of Art/University of Edinburgh<br />
<strong>Grainne Rice</strong> – Dovecot, Project Manager, Weaving the Century and Curator<br />
<strong>Julie Brook</strong> – Visual Artist<br />
More speakers to be announced shortly<br />
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Interweaving – Future Trends in Making is hosted at Dovecot as part
of our 2012 centenary celebrations, and is brought together by Dovecot
Studios and V&A at Dundee<br />
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<strong>Early bird price £70.00</strong><br />
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Please call 0131 550 3660 to register your interest tickets will be available to buy online soon.<br />
</div>Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5476327364991569582.post-67127339913952658752012-07-04T13:13:00.000+01:002012-07-04T13:13:22.240+01:00Dovecot's Namesake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-teC4s4FPNpw/T_QwVKHESgI/AAAAAAAAArw/x9nNJ8lhtJA/s1600/dovecotrd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-teC4s4FPNpw/T_QwVKHESgI/AAAAAAAAArw/x9nNJ8lhtJA/s640/dovecotrd.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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This morning I visited Dovecot's namesake on Dovecot Road. The Doo'cot, as it is known by most Scots, is all that remains of Corstorphine Castle, thought to have been built around 1390. When Marquess of Bute built the original tapestry studio, which began operating in 1912, the Dovecot was included within the plot of land. This is why the studio was often referred to as The Dovecot even when its official name was Edinburgh Tapestry Studio.</div>
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It is also the inspiration behind the Dovecot symbol which is woven into every tapestry woven by the weavers. In some tapestries the symbol takes the form of a dove, but it most it is the Doo'cot itself. Though the studio has since been turned into a residence, you can still see the Doo'cot form the street. Hidden inside are 1060 nesting holes for pigeons.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fGQYT8BDwD4/T_Qy3BCz3AI/AAAAAAAAAsM/pOHTJ6GyrWI/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fGQYT8BDwD4/T_Qy3BCz3AI/AAAAAAAAAsM/pOHTJ6GyrWI/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The main purpose of my jaunt to Corstorphine was to visit the <a href="http://www.corstorphinetrust.co.uk/" target="_blank">Corstorphine Trust</a>. The trust is registered Scottish charity and does amazing research and outreach work to stimulate public interest in the Corstorphine, an area with a vibrant and fascinating history. Their website includes details of the opening hours of the Heritage Centre. The Trust has recently been gifted a Dovecot tapestry (which you can see <a href="http://www.corstorphinetrust.co.uk/article.php?xArt=09" target="_blank">here</a>) and kindly invited Elizabeth Cumming and I to have a look. It is beautiful. It was woven around 1953 by Harry Wright as an apprentice piece and is very much influenced by the style of Sax Shaw. The Trust is currently deciding where to display it so that members of the public may view it.</div>
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<br /></div>Francesca Basebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11991203462473318605noreply@blogger.com0