The completed tapestry

Jane Bowley writes

The completed drawings from all schools were then digitally photographed and selections made to create the tapestry. Unfortunately, it was not possible to use all of the drawings due to the number created and the need to create a visually coherent panorama for the tapestry.

Sally and Tom made some small adjustments to ensure the flow and continuity of the work but always used the art work of the children. The selected drawings were then printed on to a vinyl material and hung with a newly designed hanging system devised by Sally with Pierre Macke from ampm Technical Services.

The tapestry was unveiled at the Forest Fair at Capp’s Lodge on Sunday 2nd September and received great approval from everyone. People were amazed at the detail and energy in the drawings and entertained by the humour of the individual details. Great favourites are the owls in the trees and the bodies under the tombstones in the churchyards. Similarly, the intricacy of the designs and the painstaking detail, for example in the bark of some of the trees and the pebbles on paths, amazed us all.

The tapestry was taken to Stonesfield School on Friday 28 September 2007 for a school open day. It was a great pleasure to see the delight of the children and their parents and to be able to talk to the parents about the impact that the work had on their children. All parents said that their children had come home and talked about what they had done and what they had learnt about their village and the surrounding area. Each school has purchased a smaller specially printed copy of the tapestry for permanent display in their school.

The enthusiasm of the teachers for this project was unanimous and we are very grateful to them for their flexibility and support. They all welcomed the opportunity to work on an intensive piece of work where the children had to sustain their interest and commitment over an extended period of time.

They also commented on the challenge that working at this large scale gave to the children’s creativity giving them some difficult technical challenges to make their piece work in terms of scale and perspective. It was also a challenge to their social skills to work together on the planning, design and completion of their group’s drawings. As can be seen in the photographs of the children at work they were totally absorbed in the subject matter and technical challenges of creating their drawings.

The tapestry is now complete and available for display at suitable venues either in smaller sections or preferably in its entirety. Contacts are being made with gallery owners, county and district council officers and schools in the first instance.

If you would like to book the tapestry for a local event or you can suggest a venue that would be interested in displaying the tapestry please contact me on 01993 814131 or email jane.bowley@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

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