"Sacred are the Woolgatherers" – The Policeman Quilt
An original textile artwork that interrogates power, devotion, and the making of modern saints.
In Molly's imagined folklore, a policeman contemplates his own authority: "Shall the holy minnes kneele at my feete as they do for their saincts?" the policeman wondered to himself.
The work depicts a child kneeling before him in an unsettling echo of religious devotion, while the figure holds modern, anachronistic handcuffs - embroidered symbols of state power intruding upon medieval iconography.
The inscription 'venita adorme' (come, worship me) makes the power dynamic explicit. Here is a mythology of contemporary authority rendered through the visual language of sacred art, asking uncomfortable questions: Who do we venerate? What hierarchies do we inherit, and which do we create anew?
The deliberate anachronism - medieval posture meeting modern restraint - collapses time, suggesting that patterns of submission and control transcend their historical trappings.
Following medieval tradition, the work also bears 'Molly me fecit' (Molly made me) - asserting the maker's hand in constructing this provocative fiction.
Materials & Making
Cotton and silk, primarily recycled fabrics and offcuts from previous projects. Colours achieved through natural dyes (black beans, turmeric, madder) and select synthetic dyes for chromatic depth.
Dimensions
Approximately 48cms wide × 62cms tall
Hanging
Features a 2.5cm channel on reverse for rod suspension (rod not included—available from any DIY shop)
Care
Treat as a precious textile: avoid direct sunlight, spot clean gently if needed
One-of-a-kind.
About the maker: Molly Lester
Molly’s practice is centralised around the process of myth making and the interpretation and interrelation of history through the objects we leave behind. Through curating archives or assemblages of quilts, ceramic vessels and organic matter Molly weaves fictional histories which playfully blur the lines between the real and the imagined.
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