the french shore tapestry

detail of French Shore Tapestry, copyright J C Roy and Christina Roy 2007-2009

A detail from The French Shore Tapestry, Conche , Newfoundland designed by Jean Claude Roy and his wife Christina and embroidered by women who live in the village.

I have been thinking about this post for a while.  I want to talk about the beautiful embroidered tapestry that Ned and I visited when we were in Newfoundland last week, the French Shore Tapestry in Conche.  We met Joan Simmonds, the program director of the interpretive center where the 220 foot long tapestry hangs and found out how the tapestry came about.

In 2002, Jean Claude Roy, a prolific painter of scenes of Newfoundland, was inspired to create an artwork that would show the history of Newfoundland, and he and his wife Christina developed the idea of a tapestry over the next two years.  They presented their idea to the French Shore Historical Society in 2004 and offered to work with them as partners.  The resulting tapestry project began in 2007, a co-production between the society and Christina and Jean Claude Roy, and involved many local men and women from the village of Conche.  The complete history of the tapestry and some of the story and images from it are on the dedicated website,  but nothing is better than making that trek up the northern peninsula of Newfoundland to see (and want to touch, but not touch) this artwork in person.

detail of French Shore Tapestry, copyright JC Roy and Christina Roy, 2007 - 2009  photo Judith e Martin)

In the style of the famous Bayeux tapestry, it tells the story of Newfoundland's northern peninsula's settlement.  The fishing was so wonderful off the shore of Newfoundland, that the French and English came over from Europe in the 1700's to fish for cod.  They stayed for the season, salting the fish in order to take it back home again.   There is so much history in that area of newfoundland - a viking base camp (unesco site), the grenfell mission hospital in St Anthony, as well as the amazing rugged landscape and sparse fishing villages of the area.

But what I really really wanted to mention in this post is the power of the co-operative nature of this huge pieces.  So many hands are connected together.  When I was working on the Manitoulin circle project, it was the connection with other women that was so rewarding, and the resulting beautiful textiles we made together were just the proof.  I am changed forever by that project, yet how can I work that thought into this post?

French Shore Tapestry detail, copyright JC Roy and Christina Roy, 2007-2009  (photo Judith e Martin)

Also, the artistic imagery drawn by Jean Claude Roy, an artist who lives in both France and in Newfoundland floored me.   He used fantastic scale in combination with an imaginative and often humorous graphic novel approach to tell the very beautiful historical tale.

Above is the final panel - a tracing of all the stitchers hands.  I love it.  I also love the website page where they introduce themselves and speak a bit about the experience of stitching together.  Many of these stitchers are continuing to meet and have started work on another immense project, a tapestry that tells about the important (to Newfoundland's fishing and settlement) Treaty of Utrecht.  Wow.

The famous Bayeux tapestry (900 years old) now has its own museum in Normandy, France.  There is also an embroidered copy of it - with a museum in Reading UK.

Someday, I'd like to see the fabulous Keiskamma tapestry, also inspired by the Bayeux tapestry.That South African embroidery hangs in the parliament buildings in Cape Town, the blog  gives a concise story of it's formation and the women who stitched it.

Keiskamma Tapestry (detail)

Also in South Africa, a tapestry about  The Creation of The World hangs in Johannesberg, created by the bethesda foundation embroiderers.  Valerie Hearder  of African Threads is taking a tour to South Africa next spring, view itinerary here and they will be spending time in Cape Town.  One could make the trek!

It is inspiring that through sewing and internet we connect with each other across the world, across high art and craft.  In England there is the is the Quaker Tapestry, stitched by 4,000 people and the Overlord Tapestry worked by the Royal School of Needlework.  Then there is the Palestinian tapestry that I had not heard of until just now.

Last week, the Quilt of Belonging came to Manitoulin Island and that was immensely powerful. A group project that originated in Canada but takes in the entire world, it deserves a separate post.

Images of the french shore tapestry have been approved by the artists and the curator of the interpretation centre.