The Magna Carta is one of the cornerstones of English history, and if you want to know why, chances are you’d head over to Wikipedia to refresh your memory. To mark the approaching 800th anniversary of the drafting of the Magna Carta by the Archbishop of Canterbury, an art project has taken on the onerous task of recreating in embroidery not the document itself, but its equally lengthy Wikipedia page.
The Magna Carta (or the Grand Charter of the Liberties, to give it its full title in English) remains one of the country’s most symbolic artefacts for its attempt to formalise the legal rights of the people. There is such a complex depth of information surrounding the document that artist Cornelia Parker had her work cut out; viewed as a single “page”, Parker’s Wikipedia embroidery stretches 13 metres. Thankfully, she had a lot of help. Celebrities, members of the judiciary, human rights advocates and some 40 prisoners pitched in, choosing words from the Wikipedia entry that were important to them and stitching them into the work. Jarvis Cocker, for example, chose “common people”, Edward Snowden embroidered “liberty”, and Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales went for “user’s manual”. Parker said she was attracted to the process of transposing something digital, inspired by a hand-written document, back into an hand-crafted object, while at the same time exploring the language around the Magna Carta and what it means to individuals. Magna Carta (An Embroidery) is on display at The British Library until 24 July.
Magna Carta (An Embroidery) by Cornelia Parker at the British Library.
[Detail] Photo, courtesy British Library.
Jarvis Cocker, who stitched ‘Common People’
on Cornelia Parker’s Magna Carta (An Embroidery).
Photo, Joseph Turp.
Part of a series of articles on Monarchy
stitched by Kate Barlow, Angela Bishop, Rachel Doyle, Belinda Egginton,
Amanda Ewing, Susan Kay-Williams and Annalee Levin, Royal School of Needlework.
Part of Cornelia Parker’s Magna Carta (An Embroidery) at the British Library.
Photo © British Library
Pope Innocent III stitched by Anthea Godfrey, Embroiderers’ Guild (Eastern Region).
Part of Cornelia Parker’s Magna Carta (An Embroidery) at the British Library.
Photo © British Library
Detail from Magna Carta (An Embroidery) by Cornelia Parker
being hand stitched by Embroiderers’ Guild member Anthea Godfrey
Photo, Joseph Turp
Wikimedia, Wikiquote, Wikisource and MediaWiki panels
stitched by Lorna Pound, Embroiderers’ Guild (West Midlands Region).
Part of Cornelia Parker’s Magna Carta (An Embroidery) at the British Library.
Detail of one of only four surviving 1215 Magna Carta documents,
held by the British Library.
Stitched by Pam Keeling, Embroiderers’ Guild (East Midlands Region).
Photo © British Library
Embroiderers’ Guild member Anthea Godfrey at work
on Magna Carta (An Embroidery) by Cornelia Parker.
Photo, Joseph Turp
King John signs Magna Carta (1902)
stitched by Janet Payne, Embroiderers’ Guild (Eastern Region).
Part of Cornelia Parker’s Magna Carta (An Embroidery) at the British Library.
