The Big Port-Vendres tapestry will be exhibited at the Center of Art in the Dôme in Port-Vendres from Tuesday October 13 to Saturday October 17, 2020 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
A few years ago, the president of the association “La Grande Tapisserie de Port-Vendres”, Jane Forsyth, also vice-president of our association, had the idea of retracing the history of Port-Vendres through a Large Tapestry.
She gathered 16 embroiderers around this idea, from very varied nationalities: French but also English, Scottish, Irish, Russian, Americans, all in love with the region and Port-Vendres.
This monumental work is made up of 21 superb 70×70 cm panels, entirely hand-embroidered. It was carried out on a voluntary basis by members of the association who designed the squares, then copied them on fabric and embroidered the designs, which required hundreds of hours of work.
Among these 21 designs, one of them is dedicated to the visit of Charles Rennie Mackintosh to Port-Vendres in the years 1925-1927.
It is now ready to be handed over to the Town of Port-Vendres, as planned in the initial project, during an inaugural evening on October 16 at 6.30 p.m. (Invitation only).
Jane Forsyth: “There will also be an exhibition of other art-works by members of the association, demonstrating what a talented group of people they are. These items are for sale.
We do hope you will join us and maybe by looking at our panels understand a little more of the wonderful history of Port-Vendres.
I am so proud of this wonderful group of ladies (and one man – our framer) and thank them for their support.
To find out more about the tapestry, the association, the motivations of the embroiderers and the methods of design and production of this work, visit the association’s website: https://www.port-vendres-tapestry.com/
Your visit will be a tribute to the Port-Vendrais heritage and to the work of all the embroiderers. It will interest embroidery enthusiasts, those curious about the history of Port-Vendres as well as those of the work of CRM Mackintosh and his wife Margaret.
The visit to this exhibition could indeed be the opportunity to discover or rediscover the CRM Mackintosh interpretation center in Roussillon located below, in the Dome garden, open Wednesday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
From now on, and since the beginning of 2023, the large tapestry has been on permanent display at the Port-Vendres Place Castellane cultural center near the Vauban cinema and the new Charles Rennie Mackintosh interpretation center in Port-Vendres