Last week saw the opening and Private View of 'Finding the Unicorn - Tapestries Mythical and Modern', an exhibition at The Fleming Collection, which runs until the first of June 2013. Over a two-day period, representatives of both the Fleming Collection and West Dean College - including Nick Benham, Neil Finch, Katharine Swailes and Caron Penney - installed over thirty pieces for the show, including work by Pat Taylor, Michael Brennand-Wood and Philip Sanderson.
The centrepiece of the exhibition, The Unicorn is Found, a large-scale tapestry (measuring 3.3 x 3.43 metres), is one of a series of woven by the West Dean Tapestry Studio in connection with Historic Scotland's refurbishment of James V's Royal Palace at Stirling Castle. This is the first time the tapestry has gone on public display outside Scotland.
Two lectures will be held at The Fleming Collection during the exhibition:
'The Rebirth of a Palace: Rediscovering the Unicorn Tapestries' by Peter Buchanan (Project Manager, Historic Scotland) and Caron Penney (Studio Director, West Dean Tapestry Studio) / Monday 29 April, 6.45- 8.00pm [Tickets: £10 (£7.50 for Friends of The Fleming Collection)]
'The Mystic Hunt of the Unicorn: Capturing Beauty' by Katharine Swailes (Studio Manager, West Dean Tapestry Studio) and Sue Prichard (Curator, Contemporary Textiles, Victoria & Albert Museum) / Monday 13 May, 6.45- 8.00pm [Tickets: £10 (£7.50 for Friends of The Fleming Collection)]