New book from Caron Penney, Director of West Dean Tapestry Studio
Posted 21 February | Crafts, Member News Tags: West Dean College, West Sussex
Photograph: Steve Speller
Caron Penney, Director of West Dean Tapestry Studio has contributed an essay on weaving techniques and the work of the West Dean Tapestry Studio for a new book Tapestry: A Woven Narrative.
Caron Penney says: “I’m delighted to have been involved in the production of such a beautiful book on Tapestry Weaving. The craft of tapestry weaving is often shrouded in mystery and misunderstanding. This book is a true celebration of the medium.”
Tapestry: A Woven Narrative is a review of contemporary tapestry design, discussing the progression from early designs to tapestry production today. The book looks in detail at the current tapestry scene, in which weavers and artists across the globe have begun appropriating the medium to present their work and ideas in a previously unexplored fashion, creating a fascinating juxtaposition between the socio-cultural documentation of many historical works and the more abstract, contemporary and personal themes often dealt with in tapestries today.
The publication includes works from notable modern artists such as Tracey Emin, Annika Ekdahl, Chuck Close, Fred Tomaselli, Marta Rogoyska, Archie Brennan, RB Kitaj and Lynne Curran. In addition, the publication also looks at the output of the Dovecot Studios, West Dean Tapestry Studio, and the Australian Tapestry Workshop, the three most eminent studios of their kind in the world. Tapestry: A Woven Narrative also discusses the practical aspects of tapestry production, taking in both historical methods and those employed by the few specialist tapestry houses flourishing in the world.
With insightful original texts from experts in the field: curator Timothy Wilcox, noted academic Fiona Mathison and eminent weaver and West Dean Studio Director Caron Penney. Beautifully illustrated, Tapestry is a stunning and comprehensive exploration of this historical -but progressive – tradition.
Caron oversaw and wove on the commissions by Tracey Emin to translate five her paintings into Tapestry in 2011. Caron is currently working as part of a team of six weavers of the 12 year project to weave seven tapestries for Stirling Castle.
Tapestry: A Woven Narrative ISBN13: 978 1 907317 24 8
Authors: Timothy Wilcox, Caron Penney and Fiona Mathison
Cost £29.95 Hardback 240 pages 227 b/w and colour ills 28.0 x 23.0 cm
Published by Black Dog Publishing London UK www.blackdogonline.com
About West Dean Tapestry Studio
The Studio was founded in 1976 when it was commissioned to weave a series of tapestries for Henry Moore. It works to commission producing a wide range of artwork for both private and corporate clients. Working with artists and designers the Studio offers an individual approach to the production of bespoke tapestry. Over the years the Studio has worked with many artists including Tracey Emin, John Piper, Philip Sutton, Howard Hodgkin, Bill Jacklin, Adrian Berg. The book features work of some of these artists and those of the Studio’s in-house designer-weavers.
For information on the West Dean Tapestry Studio, contact: Ellen Cheshire +44 (0)1243 818277
Tags: West Dean College, West Sussex
