Tapestries were usually made through a commission ware an artist would create the design , which would be made later on by craftsmen. They are made on a loom , with a parallel warp thread and then a weft thread which is what gives the tapestry its colour and decoration.
Popular designs for tapestries would
be plants , trees ,historical happenings such as the battle of Hastings. However many were medieval allegories , one famous one is the hunt of the unicorn. These were a series of seven tapestries covering the hunt of the unicorn with it eventually being caught and tied up and dies in the sixth , this can be related to the death of Christ.
We were asked to create our own illustration for a tapestry with our own allegories. Above is the illustration we created. We chose to look at the life and growth of a caterpillar and how it makes its transaction into a butterfly. However we related this transformation to our own lives. When we are born we are very much like a caterpillar , free and careless with no responsibilities. However as we get to our teenage years we suddenly are subjected to rules and responsibilities and feel very constricted almost as if we were in a cocoon ; but as we leave home we are free to make our own path and decisions , like a butterfly as it breaks free from its cocoon.
I liked the idea of using an allegory in my work , to give it a double meaning. However I don't feel I will be using this in the doll project.
