BY ANASTASIA CHOO

Ask anyone what the word “tapestry” means and the chances are that they’ll talk about old and grandiose designs that are metres long and wide, which the aristocracy often used to keep out the draft.

Nowadays the need for tapestries to keep out draughts in a large hall has disappeared but the weaving of tapestries did not die in medieval times and is still alive today.  I recently went to see the Heallreaf 2 (pronounced hair-l-reff) exhibition which displayed contemporary tapestry by artists from across the world alongside weavers in the UK at the Brick Lane Gallery in London.

Modern day tapestry is quite different to the medieval pieces of yesteryear. Gone are the religious themes, knights, and unicorns which were widely featured in pieces such as The Apocalypse Tapestry or The Lady with The Unicorn from the 14^th and 15^th Centuries. They have been replaced…