Exhibiting Murmuration at Farfield Mill, Cumbria
After taking Murmuration to Shetland, our next venue has been Farfield Mill, just outside Sedbergh in Cumbria, UK. It’s where Anna is based and has close connections, so an ideal venue for us. She can also keep an eye on it and make sure all those birds behave themselves…! It has also provided an opportunity to hang it in a different way.
Instead of being hung on a wall, the tapestries are hanging from the supporting beams up on the top floor of the Mill. It means that the backs of the tapestries can be seen as well as the front, something that has proved to be of great interest to visitors. The tapestries are suspended, so one of the first tasks was to purchase a hanging system that would work here. Irene had one at home that we thought might work, so we took her advice and ordered a couple of sets. Instead of being attached to a hanging rail, these have a small loop on the end that the hooks can be passed through, so creating a large loop round the beams. We’re glad we bought the two-metre version – by the time the wires have gone around the structural beams where they angle up at the ends, we needed that extra length! We’ve been pleased with how they have stayed put as well.
We’re also glad that we all added some form of stiffening to our tapestries. This was a matter of some discussion in the group, and it became a critical part of how were going to hang them. As the tapestries are shaped, some with quite steeply curved tops, the batten and velcro technique would be tricky to use without the tops curling over. We also knew we would need to transport the tapestries, so any stiffening needed to be flexible enough for the larger tapestries to be rolled up. Most of us used a thick vilene which could be stitched to the tapestries and hanging loops attached fairly easily. Christine came up with an ingenious set of boards, enabling her section to be folded up into a small box for transportation but, with the addition of some flat sticks, could be made solid enough to hang evenly.
At Farfield Mill, we realised how important the stiffening was. In most venues, as in Shetland, the tapestries will have the support of a wall, which helps to keep them flat. Here, however, several of the tapestries are hanging in space. The stiffening means that they can still hang well, provided they have enough support from the hanging wires. Careful adjustment has meant they can be hung evenly, and it’s one of the things that Anna checks is still the case when she calls in. This venue has needed more wires than we used in Shetland, and we have some in reserve for the future!
As for the variations in finishing techniques, from completely covering the backs or not, to rows of soumak at the edges, or a hem, or whatever, that’s going to be the topic of another Substack article. Watch this space…
It’s been fascinating hearing the reaction to the tapestries at Farfield Mill. Katrine and Anna, ably helped by Sue, a fellow tapestry weaver who lives nearby, hung the tapestries on 15th October, ready for the Mill opening to the public again on the following day. The tapestries immediately caught the eye of the studio artists at the Mill, especially those with adjacent studios on the top floor. Sue Bennett, a fellow weaver, if not of tapestries, has her studio right by Murmuration, and has become adept at explaining the story behind the project when Anna’s not around! Also, the Weaving Friends are helpful guides on the days when they are volunteering and demonstrating there.
We held a ‘Meet the Makers’ event on 10th November, with Kati, Nita, Irene and Anna present. We had a good turnout, including some of the Solway Tapestry Weavers travelling all the way from Dumfries to be there. Fellow local weavers and a number of people who were visiting on the day also listened to us telling the story of the project, explaining how it came about, how the design evolved, the ways we have been sharing the story online and elsewhere, asking plenty of questions as we went.
Throughout the exhibition we have had a steady stream of visitors, a lot of interest and wonderful responses to the tapestries. It’s interesting to hear what people say when they see it – the scale of the tapestries, the intense colour palette, the way they all work together, and the sense of flow along the length of the piece. Many visitors are kind enough to write in our comments book, and we are getting some wonderful feedback there!
Comments written while Murmuration is at Farfield have included:
“Absolutely wonderful piece of work. So amazing that this was created by international weavers – fantastic example of successful collaboration.”
“Wow. So good. Difficult to put into words how fantastic it is. Wonderful.”
“Fabulous – the movement is mesmerising.”
“An amazing collaboration to produce such a stunning result. The colours used & feeling of movement is superb.”
“Absolutely stunningly beautiful. So evocative of one of nature’s most spectacular phenomena!”
“Awe inspiring – such an amazing concept and so well realised! We love the different approaches to the challenge. More collaborations! (Please).”
“Fabulous group of tapestries. Very inspiring. Keeping individual styles and bringing it as a whole together. Well done.”
“So beautiful, in every panel and as a whole work of artistry.”
“Breathtaking! How you managed this across the miles is astounding. Loved it.”
The BBC were quite impressed as well! They filmed a recent edition of Countryfile at the Mill, and, while the tapestries can only be seen in the background of a few shots, they did comment on them when they saw them! Anna also featured, very briefly, weaving the tapestry she has been working on there over the last couple of years. Blink and you miss her…! It was shown on 17th November and featured the Yorkshire Dales. The focus at the Mill was the processing and use of the wool from the sheep that are a feature of this area.
Murmuration is at Farfield Mill until Sunday 22nd December. However, if you can’t make it in person, there are a series of interviews on the Bloomberg App. Simply download the app from the Bloomberg Connects website , search for Farfield Mill, click on ‘start guide’, and then go to Current Exhibitions and then Murmuration. If you’re reading this in 2025, have a look under Past Exhibitions! The interviews cover the background to the project and the design process with Anna, Kati and Nita, individual interviews with them about their tapestries, and also one with Joanne Withers, the photographer for the project. The Bloomberg Connects app covers a wide range of venues, mainly across the UK but also elsewhere, so can be a valuable source of information – well worth discovering!
After Farfield, the tapestries move to the Scottish Ornithologist’s Club at Aberlady, just outside Edinburgh, 26th February to 13th April 2025, with a Meet the Makers on Saturday 8th March. The exhibition there will include the Murmuration tapestries, some of the Waterline tapestries, and a series of wall-based sculptures by Sam MacDonald. It will be called ‘Spectacles of Nature’. We’ll report back once we’re there!