‘Port of Southampton Presented as if it were a Woven Tapestry’ responds both to the exhibition’s unconventional shipping container gallery space and its themes of tapestry, woven connections, and traditional methods of making.
A long satellite image of Southampton’s port printed on fabric is cropped in a way that makes the colourful rows of shipping containers resemble the weft of a long woven wall tapestry. This playful deception celebrates Southampton's industrial heritage and identity, while also highlighting the contrast between traditional handmade weaving methods and the modern commercial industry of shipping consumer goods.
This was exhibited as part of Common Thread, the first exhibition of ZING, (Zest Inclusive Group) a new group of visual artists in Southampton with the theme of weaving new connections and sharing practice. The exhibition was inside two shipping containers in Guildhall Square in Southampton.
