Tapestry and Reproduction: a useful research structure?

I am finally taking time to digest the papers of the 'Tapestry and Reproduction' CAA conference 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.

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 Acts of the Apostles 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 Acts of the Apostles 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.

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?'

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.

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.

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.

RIO Reviews

Keep an eye out for some more reviews on the RIO Magazine website soon. I'll be writing about Modern Languages at the Lighthouse Glasgow, Wendy Ramshaw: Rooms of Dreams at Dovecot and Wendy Ramshaw: The Inventor at The Scottish Gallery Edinburgh.

Wendy Ramshaw: The Inventor

Modern Languages

Wendy Ramshaw: Rooms of Dreams

In the meantime, why not browse some of the most recent RIO reviews.

RIO Magazine

This post is just to let you know that I am now contributing exhibition and publication reviews to RIO Magazine. 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!

I have also updated the Papers/Talks page of the blog.

Bird Yarns

Bird Yarns is a project led by artist Deirdre Nelson as part of the project Sea Change (Tionndadh na Mara in Gaelic). Run by the not-for-profit programme Cape Farewell, 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.

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. 

Image via Bird Yarns

For two days in September the arctic terns landed at Dovecot before heading to The Lighthouse, 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.

This next one looks like superman - flying through the air with a determined look on his face and an especially streamlined beak.

This little man looks like he's wearing a helmet a few sizes too big.

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 here. The kit comes with knitting needles and two shades of Ardalanish yarns. I'll update this post once I've knitted mine!

Alford Heritage Museum featuring 'probably the best collection of mangles in the world'

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 Alford Heritage Centre. 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!

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 Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Valley Railway and Haughton Country Park. The town also has lovely independent cafes and shops, and a fantastic haberdashers.

Dovecot Centenary Exhibition is OPEN

Weaving the Century Exhibition, photo by Antonia Reeve

Weaving the Century Exhibition, photo by Antonia Reeve

 The exhibition is open (details here) AND a September symposium has been announced!

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.

Speakers will include:
Siobhan Davies – Choreographer and Dancer
Deirdre Nelson – Textiles Artist
Ruth Little – Dramaturg and Writer
Cat Rossi – Context Lecturer, Design School, Edinburgh College of Art/University of Edinburgh
Grainne Rice – Dovecot, Project Manager, Weaving the Century and Curator
Julie Brook – Visual Artist
More speakers to be announced shortly

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

Early bird price £70.00

Please call 0131 550 3660 to register your interest tickets will be available to buy online soon.

Tapestry: a word with multiple meanings part 2

Having discussed the use of the term 'tapestry' in reference to Jacquard weavings in part 1, this blog post is concerned with embroidery. Dovecot has had many visitors who have come to the studio with the expectation that the tapestry the 'weavers' are carrying out is in fact sewing - they are often surprised to be met with large looms and weaving. This stems from the popularity of needlepoint kits which are often described as 'tapestry' kits (click here for examples).

The use of word tapestry to refer to needlework does not only occur in the world of hobby-crafts. The two terms have a longer association thanks to the labelling of the Bayeux Tapestry. The etymology of the word tapestry is grounded its translation as 'heavy fabric'. Though of considerable length (almost 70m or 230ft) the fabric on which the story of the Norman conquest of England is actually quite thin and light. Indeed, Santina M Levey has commented on the plain nature of the materials of the Bayeux Tapestry: linen and wool (5000 Years of Textiles, p.200).

The Bayeux Tapestry is embroidery, a technique which the following entries show is very different to woven tapestry:

Embroidery Created with a threaded needle, embroidery is used to embellish a fabric ground. It can be done in a number of ways, using many types of stitches.
(Elena Phipps Looking at Textiles - a guide to technical terms,  Getty Publications, 2011)

Embroidery Method of decorating a ground material by stitching, cutting or withdrawing threads or by applying beads, pieces of fabric etc.
(Grove Art Online, accessed 18/06/12)

Tapestry A weaving technique that differs from other weaving in that the weft threads do not pass all the way across the warp threads from selvedge to selvedge but only as far as colour is needed for the design. Characteristic small slits can be left where the colours change.

('Glossary' in Barty Philips Tapestry, Phaidon, 2000)

The two are clearly very different in structure and manufacture and this is reflected in academic books on textiles. In 5000 Years of Textiles (edited by Jennifer Harris, British Museum Press, 2010) 'Embroidery', 'Weaving' and 'Tapestry' are given separate sections in the introductory chapter 'A Survey of Textile Techniques'. If this is the case, why is tapestry sometimes used to describe embroidery?

Acts of the Apostles tapestries, designed by Raphael, woven in Brussels at the workshops of Pieter van Aelst, c.1500, displayed here in 2012 in their original positions in the Sistine Chapel

Prestonpans Tapestry on display at Dovecot in 2012

A scene from the Prestonpans Tapestry

I think that the description of the Bayeux embroidery as a tapestry stems from the story-telling tradition of woven tapestry cycles. Many of the most famous Medieval and Renaissance tapestries are series of works which tell a story. These include the History of the Trojan War (15th century) which was woven numerous times from the same cartoons and the Acts of the Apostles designed by Raphael for the Sistine Chapel, Rome. Tom Campbell has written of the popularity of such didactic tapestries. When the Duke of Burgundy visited Paris in 1461, he hung his tapestries of the History of Gideon and Alexander the Great on the facade of the Hotel d'Artois where he was staying - Parisians 'queued night and day' to see them (5000 Years of Textiles, p.189).

The effective impact of the Bayeux Tapestry's story, displayed horizontically in chronological order has been adopted by contemporary projects which aim teach aspects of Scotland's history whilst making use of the highly skilled embroiderers who occupy the country. The first of these was the Prestonpans Tapestry. Made from 104 metre wide panels, the work tells the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie's journey from to Scotland, culminating in victory at the Battle of Prestonpans. The website for the project contains a wealth of information covering the design, historical research and even individual biographies of the embroiderers involved.

The success of the Prestonpans Tapestry has led to a second project The Great Tapestry of Scotland. For updates on the project, you can follow them on twitter.

It's all a bit confusing, no? It would be easy for someone to ask 'Why not just wipe the slate clean, and insist that everyone uses the correct technical term?' But to do that, would be to wipe away the history and journey that the word 'tapestry' has been on through the years. These blog posts have also shown that the use of 'tapestry' is subjective and it would be arrogant to try to impress one's own ideas upon other makers and thinkers. The weavers at Flanders Tapestry consider their work 'tapestry' whereas the Dovecot weavers would consider their work 'true' tapestry. This does not mean that it should be used idly or taken advantage of. As I concluded in the part 1 of this post, it is vital that the technical terminology of any medium (jacquard, tapestry, embroidery) is used in conjunction with its description of tapestry. The only solution I have come up with is to differentiate them with the following: Jacquard weaving, woven tapestry and embroidered tapestry.

PS. A Victorian replica of the Bayeux Tapestry can be seen at Reading Museum, which was the focus of this blog post.