Richard Kenyon’s quilting project during Covid, aiming to connect people, resulted in seven community-made quilts. The upcoming exhibition at Poulet restaurant in Bermondsey will display these artworks, inviting the public to witness how beauty emerged through adversity. Kenyon hopes for the quilts to find a permanent home post-exhibit, celebrating the community spirit despite isolation.
A new exhibition will highlight quilts created during the Covid pandemic, bringing attention to how beauty can emerge from adversity. Richard Kenyon, an employment lawyer, initiated this quilting project to foster community spirit and combat isolation when the pandemic struck in 2020. Initially aimed at his colleagues, the effort expanded to include around 150 participants both in the UK and abroad, including renowned fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
The collective effort resulted in seven quilts, each approximately 1.5m by 2.5m (5ft by 8ft). Kenyon, 58, based in Bermondsey, South-east London, likened the project’s progression to the spread of the virus, saying, “it took a while to get going and then more and more people got involved.” The quilting community from Dulwich and a classroom of nine-year-olds in Yorkshire also made contributions.
The project included unprecedented engagement during lockdowns. Kenyon shared how his football team, unable to play, transformed Zoom calls into a sewing circle where members crafted strips inspired by their respective teams. “Every day the postman was arriving with more and more contributions, which was lovely,” he added.
When discussing the quilt designs, Kenyon noted they symbolically conveyed a sense of community even amidst isolation. Each quilt’s design features a central red square, symbolising home, with four legs representing the electronic connections that kept everyone linked together. He remarked, “When you put all the quilts together, you can see this community.”
The quilts also incorporate lines from John Cooper Clarke’s poem Arts ‘n’ Crafts, resonating with the project’s theme. “There’s a line… which goes ‘Time, time, time to slay,’ which is about suddenly having time to spare,” Kenyon said, recalling how the poem inspired him during lockdown.
Along with the quilts, many contributors sent letters and emails expressing their joy about being part of the initiative. The quilts will be displayed for the first time at Poulet restaurant-bar in Bermondsey at the end of May, inviting both contributors and the public from 12pm-5pm on May 28 and 29.
Kenyon felt the five-year lockdown milestone was the perfect moment to showcase the artwork. “Lockdown is something people have very mixed memories of… I want to remind people that positives and beauty can be born from terrible circumstances,” he stated.
After the exhibit, he hopes the quilts can find a permanent display, noting, “They are a piece of history…worthy of being kept and seen more widely.”
The upcoming exhibition showcases seven quilts born from a community project during the Covid pandemic. This initiative, led by Richard Kenyon, sought to create connection and positivity in a challenging time. Highlighting contributions from 150 participants, including a renowned fashion designer, the quilts depict themes of home and connectivity. Kenyon aims to remind viewers of the resilience that can arise from hardship, seeking a lasting home for these artworks after the exhibition.
Original Source: www.independent.co.uk