Eva Cantin

Scripts and Scrolls 1, Scripts and Scrolls 2, Keeping a Tally

Almost 10 years ago my interest in stitch & textiles was reawakened at an exhibition by a group of textile artists in St Albans. I joined a local branch of the Embroiderer’s Guild as a result and this opened a whole new world to me. Since then I have been developing a range of textile, stitch and mixed media skills and techniques through short courses, workshops, online groups and learning. Throughout this time I have also benefited from the support, advice and friendship of the wonderfully creative women at Guild meetings in Chiswell Green.

I heard about Threads of Time last year, just when I was looking for a project to take on. I had never visited an archive and was interested in doing a history based project so this looked like a good opportunity.

Despite the initially dry and dusty appearance of some of the documents the human stories they revealed was fascinating. But in the end it was seeing and handling some of the parchment scrolls and hand written papers which inspired me – the variety of scripts and decorative calligraphy as well as the condition and appearance of the documents.

The experience of handling documents which were over 500 years old was both moving and stimulating. Some of the scrolls were made up of several lengths of parchment stitched together and had small notes tacked on to the sides, top and bottom. There were also a few tally sticks, some loose and some still attached to the scrolls they refered to.

In developing my work for Threads of Time I have had the opportunity to apply some of the techniques and skills learned over last few years. These include:

digital image manipulation
screen printing on fabric and paper
creating layered surfaces from paper and textiles
handstitching on layered surfaces
computerized embroidery

I try to use as much salvaged and reclaimed material as I can. For this project I feel this adds another layer of history to the pieces and helps to form material links with the past.

Taking part in the project has also sparked my interest in 17th century history and many of the themes revealed. This has given me a different perspective when visiting historical venues an other exhibitions. Also I am contiuing to develop further work using the fabric I printed and themes inspired by the Wittewronge family archive.

Scripts and Scrolls 1

I have drawn on the varied scripts seen in some of the documents to create patterns and layers. I hope it reflects the way themes and issues recur through history and are recorded in all sorts of fragments and documents.

Techniques: screen print, tea dyeing and hand stitching on reclaimed fabrics and fabric laminations

Source Documents

DE/Lw/M227, DE/Lw/M92, DE/LW/T98, DE/Lw/Z6

Scripts and Scrolls 2

The variety of scripts, decorative scrollwork and condition of various documents inspired me to make a series of parchment like surfaces and printed fabrics. In this piece I have arranged and displayed them in different ways. I would like to be able to say it has some hidden meaning or conceptual premise but there is none ….. I simply find it pleasing and enjoyed the process of producing and assembling all the parts.

Techniques: screen print, tea dyeing, digitized and hand stitching on reclaimed fabrics and paper/fabric laminations

Source Documents

DE/Lw/M187, DE/Lw/M220, DE/Lw/M221, DE/Lw/M238, DE/Lw/M238A, DE/Lw/M227, DE/Lw/T98, DE/Lw/Z6, DE/Lw/Z21

Keeping a Tally

The parchment scrolls and tally sticks I saw got me thinking about the different ways in which information has been recorded through history. The methods we use for storing and sharing information rely on the technology available at the time. This influences who has access to the information and who controls it.

In making Keeping a Tally I have tried to reflect some of the encoded ways in which important information has been recorded, stored and passed on.

Source Documents

DE/Lw/M187, M220, M221, M227, M238, M238A