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The Liverpool Tapestry:
People, Places and Passions
machinery to lift the completed panels, as they would be too heavy to
be lifted manually, and a commercial pantechnicon wagon to move the
completed work to and from any exhibition space. Actual assembling
of the panels would also require a specialist space, as Anne-Marie’s
workshop was not big enough to hold the side panels of the triptych.
After much discussion and rejecting of original plans, we all went away
to regroup a couple of weeks later with revised ideas.
At the second meeting, at T.J. Morris’s offices, the decision was made
to assemble the panels as they would historically have been done – as
a proper textile hanging as opposed to a framed piece of textile work.
The advantages to this were several. The pieces would immediately
become more manageable in terms of weight, and could be moved
from exhibition locations within one day, in a reasonably sized vehicle.
The name ‘Liverpool Tapestry’ would also reflect the nature of the
piece more accurately. Hanging the finished pieces would also be
easier, with a conventional hanging mechanism which could either be
suspended from a wall or from a ceiling, with either a physical free-
standing Perspex screen to prevent touching, or just a barrier to stop
people touching what is a tactile piece, as the grease from human hands
can attract dust and particles that over the years will cause the fabric to
deteriorate.
The format being settled on, it was then time to prepare detailed charts
of the layout of the pieces – my job – and marry them up with the
photographic references. This took a few days, and in the end as far as
the side panels were concerned proved futile as the proposed hanging
space at the new Museum of Liverpool, where the first exhibition
would be staged, was slightly smaller than we had been informed,
as Anne-Marie discovered just in time. A revamp of the layout was
necessary but achievable, and fortunately achieved before assembly had
actually begun.
The hanging has now been assembled, and appropriately enough, it was
put together at T.J. Morris’s offices, on a specially constructed table big
enough to hold a completed side panel. The assembly, to conservation
standard, is of multiple layers of textiles to fully support and preserve
the embroidery for a minimum of 100 years. This is a piece of work
which will show future generations what was important to the people
of Liverpool in the year it was the European Capital of Culture, and
one way the city celebrated the talents of its residents. As I write this
is on display in The Museum of Liverpool, where it hangs again in the
company of Ben Johnson’s painting, and is proving to be a popular
exhibit and a great talking point for visitors.
With over 170 people being involved over the two and a half years
of workshops, either as stitchers, teachers, helping with refreshments,
organising the supplies or looking after us at the Unitarian Church
workshops, the Tapestry project has succeeded beyond the wildest
dreams of Joe Morris, Elsie Watkins and myself. We would like to
express our deep thanks to everyone who participated, as without
them there wouldn’t have been a project. It has been a privilege and
an honour to be involved.
The workshops resulted in not only a wonderful atmosphere each
time we met, but in new friendships, old one’s renewed, and a
sense of community spirit, enjoyment and participation that would
have been hard to find in any other circumstances. The joy of the
Tapestry Project is that it is truly representative of not only the
sights and places of Liverpool, but of the people – from young
to old, from able-bodied to those in wheelchairs, from lecturers to
those with learning difficulties, from the most experienced stitchers
to the complete novice. Everyone has made a contribution that is
valued and that will serve as a “piece of living history”. It will stand
as a unique snapshot of Liverpool in 2008, and as a testament to
the creativity and commitment of the people who live here. It is so
much greater than the sum of its parts.
Anne-Marie Hughes, Textile
conservator, assembling the Tapestry
at T.J. Morris’s offices