Weaving the Land
Reflections from one of our weavers, Jenny Heard
All images by Joanne Withers
Despite the emphasis on the starlings, the sky, and the sunset in our Murmuration tapestries, some of us had land to weave. It was an interesting diversion and may have been my favorite part. After all, it was the beginning of a huge project and, when I finished that area, I felt like I was on my way. And, it literally grounded the sky. As in the rest of the tapestry collaboration, it was crucial to coordinate the design, colors, and level of the land both in the overall collaboration and between neighbouring pieces.
There are two areas of the Murmuration Collaboration where land was woven; by Nita Bruce and Kati Paakki on the left hand side, and by Jenny Heard, Anna Wetherell and Minna Rothman to the right.
In Nita and Kati’s tapestries, the designs are grounded in the English landscape, and one includes an old abbey. To coordinate their colors, the weavers exchanged information about their weft bundles of weaversbazaar yarn. The lines of their tapestries are also co-ordinated by the placement and height of the tree in one and the abbey in the other.
Anita Bruce’s tapestry (left above) was inspired by a magical moment in her boat on the River Nene. There is a rosy reflection of the sunset on the river as it glides through darkening hills.
Katariina Paaki’s tapestry (right above) includes not just land and water but also the ruins of the Whitby Abbey in Yorkshire. The abbey casts a shadow on the glittering water, and the last rays of sun can be seen through the building.
On the right side of the Murmuration , the overall tapestry design sweeps down to the ground again in the tapestries woven by Jenny Heard, Anna Wetherell and Minna Rothman. In that area, there are reeds, marsh land, and water.
Anna’s piece includes a lovely reflection of the blue sky in the depths of the water; Jenny’s has shallower water on the edge of the march; and Minna’s has eye-catching details of the water’s movement.
These tapestry “neighbours” co-ordinated in several different ways in order to create a common image across their pieces. This included the level of their land, their color choices of weaverbazaar yarn, as well as design elements.
Particularly careful measurement was needed to ensure that the water was at the same level across all three tapestries. A specifically chosen common element amongst these three tapestries was the use of pick and pick to illustrate the golden reeds in the marshland.
After our land sections were completed, it was a pleasure to move on to the colorful sunset and the flocks of starlings, but it was satisfying to have woven the ground below them.
This project is so lovely. Bravo!