The gilded bird in flight, 2021

Applique on cotton and synthetic silks. Three panels, 1.4m x 90cm at longest and widest length

This wingspan applique textile work pulls from imagery and meaning of birds wings in Egyptian symbolism often used in architecture, a metaphor for nurturing and protection, as well as strength in flight. The colour’s selected and wing layers also are suggestive of the myth of Halcyon birds, which only lay their eggs in a short window of time in winter on the coastal rocks when the weather is calm.

The title ‘the gilded bird in flight’ comes from a line in the modern version of a Scottish Gaelic blessing, The Lost Words Blessing. The poem relates the patterns and workings of the natural world as a comfort for our inevitable, human feelings of grief, love and hope.

Watch a film about the making of this work on Jenny’s YouTube here