In 2017, an 80-metre long Bayeux-style tapestry was commissioned by Tourism Ireland in partnership with Tourism Northern Ireland as part of a marketing campaign to highlight the links between the TV series Game of Thrones® and filming locations in Ireland.
The tapestry was designed by artists at Jelly London, and hand woven on a specialist jacquard loom by Dash & Miller of Bristol.
Staff at National Museums Northern Ireland project-managed the final stages of the making of the tapestry and created a special gallery setting at the Ulster Museum, Belfast, for the installation and display of the work.
The linen forming the background to the tapestry was sourced from one of the last surviving linen mills in Northern Ireland and the delicate hand embroidery was completed by a team of more than 30 volunteer stitchers at the Ulster Museum and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
The use of linen yarns makes it a stable textile and one that should stand the test of time when exhibited under controlled lighting conditions.
In its first 10 weeks on exhibition in 2017, the tapestry was viewed by more than 30,000 visitors.
The reaction was phenomenal and feedback forms have shown an appreciation of textile skills and an appetite for more on the subject. There has been an increase in the number of enquiries from people wanting access to our extensive textile collections.
In direct response to this, the museum began planning a complementary exhibition, Warp and Weft, looking at the history of linen in Ulster and the links with the fabric in the Game of Thrones® tapestry.
This is an excellent way to engage visitors in the important story of how linen production moved from cottage industry to global domination, underpinning the economic success of Belfast at the start of the 20th century.
Valerie Wilson is curator of costume and textiles at National Museums Northern Ireland
The tapestry was designed by artists at Jelly London, and hand woven on a specialist jacquard loom by Dash & Miller of Bristol.
Staff at National Museums Northern Ireland project-managed the final stages of the making of the tapestry and created a special gallery setting at the Ulster Museum, Belfast, for the installation and display of the work.
The linen forming the background to the tapestry was sourced from one of the last surviving linen mills in Northern Ireland and the delicate hand embroidery was completed by a team of more than 30 volunteer stitchers at the Ulster Museum and the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.
The use of linen yarns makes it a stable textile and one that should stand the test of time when exhibited under controlled lighting conditions.
In its first 10 weeks on exhibition in 2017, the tapestry was viewed by more than 30,000 visitors.
The reaction was phenomenal and feedback forms have shown an appreciation of textile skills and an appetite for more on the subject. There has been an increase in the number of enquiries from people wanting access to our extensive textile collections.
In direct response to this, the museum began planning a complementary exhibition, Warp and Weft, looking at the history of linen in Ulster and the links with the fabric in the Game of Thrones® tapestry.
This is an excellent way to engage visitors in the important story of how linen production moved from cottage industry to global domination, underpinning the economic success of Belfast at the start of the 20th century.
Valerie Wilson is curator of costume and textiles at National Museums Northern Ireland
