Black Gold
Working on the same project for nine years must take a great deal of patience, but Sandra Sawatzky is showing no sign of fatigue. She is the artist behind the incredible Black Gold Tapestry; a sixty-seven-metre-long tapestry that tells the story of oil. Starting with the dinosaurs, the cloth spins an epic tale of prehistoric catastrophes, human settlers, battles and changing technologies - all in stitch. All in all: 220 million years of life.
Sawatzky has described the process of creating the Black Gold Tapestry as a "solo adventure" that has tested her skills as a storyteller, artist, designer, illustrator, maker and filmmaker. As one can imagine, the nine-year journey towards completing the tapestry was not always easy; the local shop running out of the exact fabric type was always a worry and, as Sawatzky has put it, working on the tapestry has taken a sixth of her life.
While Sawatzky did not necessarily have the whole process mapped out from the beginning, the sheer enormity of the task required a year of research before she'd even begun stitching. Not only has the artist stitched for sixty-seven metres; before that, she had to draw the whole thing out. Somewhere out there, there exists a drawing that stretches for two whole city blocks.
Once finished, the Black Gold Tapestry was put on display in the Glenbow Museum, Calgary. Sadly, the exhibition has now closed but there will be another opportunity to see part of the epic tapestry in the flesh this autumn for those in the UK. Panel 5 of the Black Gold Tapestry will be on display at the Canadian High Commission, Canada House in London from 6 - 8pm, 1 October 2018.
To register interest or find out more, email suewlyons@yahoo.co.uk
Blog post by Jessica Edney
5 comments
I was able to see this beautiful work at the Glenbow Museum. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of the dinosaurs with the history of oil.
Just beautiful. All the faces are different and the whole piece will be up there with the Bayeux tapestry.
Thank you for sharing the photos for those who cannot get to see if.
I will definitely be going to see this. Let’s hope it has the longevity of the Bayeaux tapestry and finds a permanent home.
Wonderful work.
WoW ! I am so enamored of the work and the beauty and love shown in this piece. just stunning !