Chiswick's Own Bayeux Tapestry

Projects inspired by the Chiswick Timeline Project go on display

At the inauguration of the Chiswick Timeline in January Abundance London launched some participatory artworks which are now completed and and will be ready shortly for everyone to see.

Chiswick Without Borders

Chiswick’s very own Bayeux tapestry, created by Ekta Kaul, an award winning local textile artist and designer (see profile below). Visitors attached pairs of swallows in a celebration of our local neighbourhood and its proud international character. The swallow - a symbolic migratory bird – linked each house to a place where your family comes from, or where you loved ones are, or simply a place which is dear to your heart.

For the last 3 months a team of Chiswick embroiderers have been working away, through the convivial act of stitch, which celebrates our openness and our connections to the rest of the world.

Chiswick in Ceramic

Svetlana Kuznetsova created six of Chiswick’s main landmarks in ceramic – Christchurch, the Russian church, Chiswick Park tube station, St Michael’s, Voysey House, Chiswick House

Meanwhile Kathleen Tuffy and Tanya Saunders oversaw a massive production which involved most of the Chiswick primary schools to create hundreds of tiny houses to represent Chiswick in ceramic. At the Timeline launch visitors customised their own houses and positioned them where they lived - see image below.

These will be on display as part of the Bedford Park Festival at London Auctions, 30-34 Chiswick High Road, from 6-10 June 2018 (free entry during opening hours).

Image - Holly Keane

Ekta Kaul is an award winning textile artist and designer. Ekta’s bespoke embroidered StoryMaps seek to tell stories through maps. Textured silks, fine wools and soft cashmeres are embroidered, hand-dyed and printed in simple graphic compositions using time-honoured methods at the studio.

She initially studied at India’s premier design school the National Institute of Design. Following this, she won the Charles Wallace and British Council scholarships to pursue MA Textiles in the UK. Her work can be seen in leading galleries and stores in the UK and the US including Contemporary Applied Arts, Designers Guild, Museum of Art and Design NYC. She was nominated for the Arts Foundation Fellowship in 2010. Ekta grew up in India, lived in Chiswick (until May when she moved to Isleworth) and now works from her studio at Cockpit Arts, Bloomsbury. www.ektakaul.com

Svetlana Kuznetsova is an architect by education. She was born and grew up in the USSR, a country which no longer exists. Since 2002 she has been running her architectural practice; the latest major project was a luxury chalet in St Moritz, complete with cinema and underground swimming pool. She now lives in Kew, overlooking Chiswick, where two Russian huskies guard her studio. This is the first art project which draws on her architectural background. www.sk-art.london

Kathleen Tuffy is a ceramic artist; she trained with Gioilla Zordan. Her Alice in Wonderland exhibit was shown at Pot Pourri, Chiswick Library and Macmillan Publishers in 2015.

Tanya Saunders runs Saunders Fine Art, a gallery specialising in Modern British and European painting. She studied at Goldsmiths and runs the very popular Make+Paint clubs for children in Chiswick primary schools.

You can get updates from the Chiswick Timeline web site and the Abundance London Twitter page.

June 3, 2018