Fine cell work celebrates history of Glaziers Livery Company with 4,000 man hours embroidered tableau
On the 6th July at Glaziers Hall in London, from 5:30pm – 8:30pm, Fine Cell Work will celebrate the history of the Glaziers Livery Company and the Thames, with a major wall-hanging made by prisoners and ex-offenders. The Lord Mayor of London will be speaking on the importance of the event at 5.30pm.
The wall hanging called Stained Glass in Stitches will hang in Glaziers Hall facing onto the Thames whose history it represents. It measures 6.5 by 1.5 metres and took over 4,000 man-hours to create. It is the result of four-year collaboration between former Master of the Glaziers Livery Company Peter Doe, prison charity Fine Cell Work, and Helen Whittaker whose glasswork resides in Westminster Abbey.
The Lord Mayor of London, Alan Yarrow, said:
“It’s fantastic to be able to unveil the Fine Cell Work wall hanging. Vocational training like this is so important and I salute the excellent work of Helen, of Fine Cell Work and of course of the exceptionally talented prisoners who contributed so diligently to this hanging."
Founding Director of Fine Cell Work, Katy Emck, said:
“Fine Cell Work is very lucky to work with such an outstanding designer as Helen Whittaker and to benefit from the vision and generosity of former Glaziers Master Peter Doe, and his wife Janet Doe. No wall-hanging to date, has so extensively used such modern embroidery techniques on such a scale.”
Helen Whittaker, Stained Glass Designer/ Artist, Barley Studios, York, said:
"Having designed and made many stained glass windows for cathedrals and churches, the translation of my ideas into embroidery has been an illuminating and rewarding process. The final artwork is testament to the enthusiasm and perseverance of the Prisoners and Fine Cell Work."
The hanging was created on a high tech embroidery machine given to Fine Cell Work by the Broderers Livery Company, the livery company whose historic profession is embroidery. Scenes of Tower Bridge, St Pauls and Southwark Cathedral are depicted in a mosaic of hundreds of individual pieces of embroidery appliquéd onto linen.
For more information about the event contact:
Katy Emck
Founding Director, Fine Cell Work
katy@finecellwork.co.uk
T: 07740 861914