24th April A stitch in time


Yesterday I had a little jaunt up to Southwell Minster to see an exhibition called 'Threads through the bible', an astonishing display of 44 huge tapestries / embroidaries that are on show there, which if presented side by side, they would stretch more than 80 metres.

Produced by the textile artist, Jaquie Parkinson, in a project that has taken 10 years to complete, through a breathtaking combination of spectacular designs, brilliant colours and extraordinary stitching (over 25 million of them) the exhibition took the viewer through a journey from the first pages to the last pages of the Bible. 

Beginning with Threads through Creation, Threads through the Cross’ and finally ‘Threads through Revelation’ (which made me realise I really didn't know the story of Rvelation all that well) it was literally both eye opening and jaw dropping, astonishing in its scale and variety.

What was lovely about it, apart from the sheer artistry, was that going at 4pm there was only a handful of other equally gobsmacked people there. And so in the stillness of the minster the sense of reverance as I tried to soak in as much detail about the images as possible was almost tangible. How Jaquie Parkinson even began to imagine constructing these tapestries, never mind the 10 years it has taken her to complete them, I will never know.

But enough ofthe idle chatter, have a look for yourself. And if you get the chance to go and see the touring exhibition then do. You won't be disappointed.



























 


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