This year – 2022 – marks the momentous occasion of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – marking 70 years of service to her people and the Commonwealth.
The Queen also holds the title of Duke of Lancaster and therefore has a special relationship with Lancashire and the people who live there.
It is the first time in British history that a monarch has marked a platinum jubilee, representing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an artist to create a work that will encapsulate the moment.
Drawing inspiration from Lancashire’s industrialists and philanthropists of the past, who donated great works of art that spanned the ages to galleries like the Harris, Lord Shuttleworth and a collective of local business leaders and industry professionals culture have come together to commission a new work of art that celebrates this extraordinary moment in our civic history.
Lord Shuttleworth said: “Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a unique historic occasion which allows us, as her subjects, to express our thanks for 70 years of continuous service to the nation. Not only did it provide great constitutional stability, but it also defined our nation in the world.
“Commissioning this great work of art will give the people of Lancashire a legacy to celebrate this momentous event.”
Following an open call, it was announced that Jamie Holman, an artist born and practicing in Lancashire, has been selected to create the artwork.
Jamie acknowledged the significant change that has taken place throughout the Queen’s reign, but that the constant throughout has been the service of the monarch, a monarch who has sat with all prime ministers from Churchill to Johnson and dedicated his life to the nation.
Jamie will record 70 people, all aged 70 and alive since the Queen took the throne. Recording their memories of both the big and small memories of their lives, he will produce a beautiful, poetic multi-channel soundscape installation that tells the story of the Queen’s reign, our diverse Lancastrian communities and the extraordinary individuals who remember the best of his life. Services.
He will weave together their stories, as they are told, with archival footage to create a narrative that will accompany seven large tapestries, each depicting the monarch’s 10 years of service to her people.
These works will form a contemporary visualization of these collected interviews, as he “weaves people’s stories” with a nod to the global traditions of commemorating our past in textiles, from the Bayeux Tapestry to the hunting tapestries of the Devonshire.
Jamie Holman said: “As an artist, I have found myself interrogating history through the lens of personal narratives, whether through my now personal ancestry or the unique story of an individual who resisted to any expectation.
“I find ways to tell this story or to question the beliefs that an era has left as a legacy. Often my work explores working class stories, so it’s a new adventure for me, but I’ll apply the same logic to this commission.
“I want to make it one more capsule than the 70 years of our monarch – but for the 70 years of her people.”
The images and story will be available worldwide and will accompany the tapestries which will be hung in a yet to be determined location in Lancashire for all to enjoy.
The works will be sponsored by donations and patronage from the public. Major sponsors will be highlighted next to the artwork.
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