Tapestries
A collaborative tapestry woven through the Magnolia Tapestry Project, designed by Andy Diaz Hope and myself.
"Allegory of the Monoceros" is a 6.5' x 8.5' woven Jacquard tapestry dedicated to the turning point of evolutionary forces from Darwinian Natural Selection to human centric evolution. The tapestry is inspired by the 15th century Unicorn Tapestries and weaves a tale of medicine, discovery and evolution through the ages beginning with early medicinal botanicals and ending in the gene age. Utilizing traditional textile design and botanical illustration and woven on a computer controlled jacquard loom in Belgium, the technology used to create the tapestry spans the age of computers from 19th century punch card to current CNC machinery. In the tapestry, a Cerberus made up of the first cloned dog fused with his genetic and birth parents sits guard at the base of an apple tree whose branch structure is based on Darwin's first sketch of his theory of Natural Selection titled "Tree of Life". A double helix of serpents weaves around the trunk of the tree, tying together creation myths and the current symbol of the medical profession. The tapestry is a tribute to the new forms of life being created and the species that lose their place in the new order.