Tapestry - style illustration
126 x 29.7 cm
'Requiem for a fly'
Requiem for a fly addresses a monumental event built within a fictional world. Zoe’s illustrations depict a story in three parts: the procession, the ceremony, and the wake. Zoe found inspiration in a piece of performance art, by fine artist, Tilly Wheatley, and reconstructed that original performance within a mythological context, placing narrative at the very heart.
She printed the tapestry onto natural cotton for her degree show, June 2023.
The procession
The ceremony
The wake
"Building on Tilly’s foundation, I drew inspiration from pagan rituals and the whimsical beasts and goddesses found within these traditions. The tapestry-style came from wanting to tell the story of the funeral and include the key aspects of a ritual like this. The tapestry is split into three key parts: the procession, the ceremony, and the wake. In paganism, death is not seen as the end; therefore, the border is representative of the “Summerlands” where the fly would go after death. I approached this piece in a decorative manner, as well as a humorous one. The tapestry depicts a playful interpretation of a “funeral for a fly”. The heavy emphasis on narrative informs the characters and the world I have constructed. These characters aim to orientate the viewer to the ceremony - and specifically the altar - which can be seen positioned in the central third of the illustration. Humour flows through the magnitude of an event dedicated to something as small and insignificant as a fly. The fly lived for a mere 7 days - 7 being a symbol of completeness - but somehow managed to make a multitude of connections with beasts, humans, and those alike."