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Tapestry Display in Millbank House

Two tapestries by artist Christine Sawyer are now on display in the lobby of Millbank House. Created in 2001 as part of the decorative scheme for the building, they celebrate British wildlife and are inspired by the artist’s experiences exploring the coast and countryside of the British Isles.

A long rectangular tapestry or textile with floral, botanical, and foliate patterns on in primarily blue, green, orange, and brown. The top of the tapestry is cut to the uneven shapes of leaves that complete the top of the composition, and the bottom is also uneven, following the soil and mushrooms on the ground of the composition. In the centre, a silhouette of a brown rabbit looks to the left. Lines running through the tapestry showing the weave, running top to bottom, are visible. — Thicket, Textile by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA T13; Coast, Textile by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA T14

A long rectangular tapestry or textile with blue and white sea waves and crests, seagulls, shells, a crab, and seaweed, primarily blue and white with reds, browns, and greys. At the bottom, a seagull swoops past a sea wave with fish swimming beneath. Above, in the centre of the tapestry, a crab scuttles to the right as various seaweed forms dominate the middle, and above a scallop shell and various layered lines of cliff sit below two seagulls flying to the right. The top of the textile is cut into two arching waves. Lines running through the tapestry showing the weave, running top to bottom, are visible. — Thicket, Textile by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA T13; Coast, Textile by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA T14

Millbank House Collection

Millbank House is part of the Parliamentary Estate, and the House of Lords use it for daily business. The artworks commissioned for Millbank House are a part of the Parliamentary Art Collection. They bring a distinct theme and approach, brimming with unusual materials and craft techniques, alongside traditional artistic modes, to celebrate the UK’s natural world and environment.

When commissioning works of art for the building, the Lords’ Works of Art Committee (now the Lord Speaker’s Advisory Panel on Works of Art) aimed to support the work of artists from a wide range of areas across the United Kingdom. They also wanted to maintain the Arts and Crafts ethos of the building itself, as instigated by the architect. William Douglas (‘W.D.’) Caröe (1857-1938) created Millbank House as the headquarters of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1906. The Panel also sought to follow Caröe by bringing together art, interior design, and the decorative arts.

Accordingly, the Committee selected ‘the landscape of the United Kingdom’ as the governing theme, with a steer to draw on arts and crafts approaches and styles. All the regions that Parliament represents were to be reflected within the building.

Coast and Countryside

Sawyer designed the tapestries in Millbank House for a meeting room in the building, to fill narrow wall compartments. The works were to create ‘windows’ onto contrasting views of the natural world. By incorporating undulating lines and swirling motifs, Sawyer created a feeling of movement and flow. She intentionally shaped the tops of both pieces to round off the designs and stylistically link them to the architecture of the room.

The current display includes preparatory designs for these tapestries, which reveal the influence of botanical illustrations on the final works:

A long rectangular drawing of floral, botanical, and foliate patterns on in primarily blue, green, orange, and brown. Soil and mushrooms sit on the ground of the composition. The drawing is bordered by two thin orange lines on a white border. In the centre, a silhouette of a brown rabbit looks to the left. — Thicket design for Millbank House tapestry commission, Drawing by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA 5790 ; Seashore design for Millbank House tapestry commission, Drawing by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA 5791

A long rectangular drawing with blue and white sea waves and crests, seagulls, shells, a crab, and seaweed, primarily blue and white with reds, browns, and greys. At the bottom, a seagull swoops past a sea wave with fish swimming beneath. Above, in the centre of the tapestry, a crab scuttles to the right as various seaweed forms dominate the middle, and above a scallop shell and various layered lines of cliff sit below two seagulls flying to the right. The drawing is bordered by two thin orange lines on a white border. — Thicket design for Millbank House tapestry commission, Drawing by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA 5790 ; Seashore design for Millbank House tapestry commission, Drawing by Christine Sawyer © Christine Sawyer, Photo credit: Parliamentary Art Collection WOA 5791

Sawyer carefully chose her materials and dyed her own yarn. She used a process invented by British chemist Roy Russell, which enabled precise and reliable repeating of colours. She chose English ‘worsted’ yarn, which was spun in Halifax. The artist explained how

the high and low twist gives a crisp or soft line respectively. The yarn is quite fine, so up to three strands can be wound around the bobbins, giving enormous scope for colour mixing and shading.

Her weaving technique and sensitive choice of materials allowed Sawyer to connect the contrasting landscapes of coast and countryside. She worked on the two tapestries side by side to create a harmony between them, and the two pieces cleverly complement each other through style and colour scheme.

Their present display location in the entrance foyer showcases their sympathy with the building’s architecture.

Conservation and Display

The textiles underwent conservation before being moved for display in their new location.

Conservators needed to check their condition, clear any dust from their surfaces, and stitch a new support into their backs. The Velcro backing support used provides uniform support to ensure the textile does not distort over time and to prevent any stress-related damage. Though seemingly simple, this conservation work is crucial in ensuring the textile can also be removed and detached from its display position quickly and safely.

Two walls with a large text panel on the left next to a long tapestry of colourful flowers, with a framed colourful artwork in the middle and on the right another long tapestry in colourful swirls. A white man stands on a stall reaching with his right hand towards the ceiling. To his right, a woman with blonde hair holds another text panel to the wall with a purple glove, as another framed picture rests on her knee. The top of a settee is visible and the ceiling shows two fans with a strip light. The paintings are hung on a very pale green wall from thin cords. — *Our art handlers installing the display in Millbank House*

A woman and a man hold a framed painting to the wall at a slight angle. To their left, a long colourful tapestry hangs from the ceiling on the wall and to its left a large text panel hung similarly. To the right, another framed painting rests on the floor against the wall, as two wires with metal fixings dangle from the ceiling. The top of a settee is visible and the ceiling shows two fans with a strip light. The paintings are hung on a very pale green wall from thin cords. — *Our art handlers installing the display in Millbank House*

Fitting such large and impressive textiles to the wall presents its own challenge. Our Lead Technician explained,

There are challenges to working in an environment that is in constant use. We were removing a previous display of artworks and installing this new one, as we try to limit the time the wall is empty. Because Millbank House—like other buildings in Parliament—is an active space, we need to make sure it’s safe for the staff and visitors moving through, as well as for the artworks. Alongside hanging the artworks themselves, we prepared signage that could be easily attached and removed from the walls. We also designed a custom display fitting to hang the tapestries.

About the Artist

Christine Sawyer trained in fine art and taught, before becoming a full-time tapestry weaver in the mid-1980s. Her work often responds to a specific environment or occurrence and is a mixture of observation, memory, and imagination.

Sawyer has exhibited overseas and at locations throughout the United Kingdom, including the William Morris Gallery. In 2018, she was selected for a Theo Moorman Trust Award to develop a new body of tapestry weaving based around her strong interest in environmental concerns and global warming.

May 23, 2023