​

The three-dimensional tapestry is a response to the landscape and industrial heritage of the cloth trade within the area of Stroud.

​

The natural features of the area provided optimal conditions for the wool and cloth industry to expand throughout the middle ages. Exploitation of the landscape and its geology has forged it to what it is recognised as today. Oolitic limestone is the prevalent sedimentary bedrock of the region. Areas of this are interspersed with pisoids, which are concretionary grains of calciferous material to form pisolitic limestone. Petrological samples of the pisolitic limestone within Stroud, sourced from the British Geological Surveys online data collection, are translated into tapestry linking the textile heritage, the limestone landscape and the wool being produced for industry.

​

Traditional craft skills in the form of tapestry weaving are combined with digital fabrication techniques and CAD development to create a scale model of the historical landscape of Stroud. Wool is used to weave an interpretation of the microscopic imagery pertaining to the geology of the area. The interdisciplinary concept is explored to illustrate the unseen components of a landscape. This challenges the perception of the world around us and exaggerates the invisible to exhibit its aesthetic; to provide an alternative viewpoint to the landscapes we are familiar with.