St Alfege Millennium project, homage to Tijou

In 2009, the Royal Parish Church of St Alfege, Greenwich, London, invited Françoise Dupré to lead a community art project to research and develop ideas for a new art work. The final outcome was new pew and altar cushions for the Church to celebrate St Alfege Millennium in 2012 From the pilot project, Dupré made a series of drawings from which textile samples were made. Fashion designer and a member of the congregation, Sylvia Young, worked with fabric manufacturer Henry Bertrand, to produce the samples and the congregation chose their favorite. Designed by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor (1714), the Church has fine examples of ironwork by Jean Tijou. His design of the Church’s balconies and gates inspired Dupré’s drawings for fabric design. The congregation covered the manufacturing cost of fabric and cushions. The pilot project consisted of a series of workshops, between January and March 2009. An exhibition showing participants’ artworks and designs was held in the Church on St Alfege Day 2009. Partcipants were drawn from the local community, parishioners, Trinity Hospital residents and pupils from St Alfege with St Peter’s Primary School. Participants were encouraged to develop ideas and make artwork in response to the Church’s architecture, music and interior design. Inspired by Jean Tijou’s gates and balconies and Francis Spear’s stained glass panel of St Alfege, participants made drawings and collages and used wire, plastic tubing and French (spool) knitting to create 3D artwork. The pilot project was supported by St Alfege Parochial Church Council, Sir William Boreman’s Foundation, Greenwich Charities and sponsored by Pony Needle Industries (India) Private Limited.