This fortnight, I tottered along in my glad rags to the Town Hall, in Oxford, for the opening of The Wychwood Tapestry 2007 - the amazing creation of children from schools in Finstock, Stonesfield, Chadlington, Leafield and Wychwood.
Artists Sally Howkins and Tom Ralphs Lamen worked with the children for two days to create the piece. The children worked in groups on large panels to create a black and white drawing of their lives in the Wychwood forest. This was then photographed and printed onto vinyl to create the finished tapestry, which is a rather phenomenal 30 metres long. I particularly liked the section by Stonesfield School, which featured a graveyard and some wonderfully drawn skeletons and bones.
After visiting The Wychwood Tapestry 2007, I would really recommend seeing Craft/Design at the Lolapoloza gallery, which is just around the corner from Oxford Town Hall. The exhibition includes work from a fashion designer and graphic designers. Another exhibition worth mentioning is Small Worlds: The Art of the Invisible at the Museum of the History of Science.
The show lives up to its name and is rather tiny itself, but it is still very worthwhile.
It was inspired by 10,000 microscopic slides in the museum's collection, and is a collaboration between artist Heather Barnett and poet Will Holloway. An interesting range of media has been utilised, as the microscopic specimens adorn wallpaper and curtains and feature in animations, films and audio poems.
There are interactive elements too, such as the numerous magnifying glasses which can be used to view the minutely detailed slides, proving to any younger visitors that the enlarged image on the wall in front of them originates from such humble beginnings as the tiny slide.
The Wychwood Tapestry runs until March 31 at The Town Hall, St Aldates, Oxford. Exhibition open from 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sundays. Admission free.
Small Worlds: The Art of the Invisible runs until April 6 at Museum of the History of Science, Broad Street, Oxford. Exhibition open Tuesday-Friday 12-5pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 2-5pm. Closed Mondays. Admission free.
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