"Sacred are the Woolgatherers" – The Priest
An original textile artwork that weaves medieval devotion with contemporary mythology.
In Molly's imagined folklore, a troubled priest dreams of simpler days: "Today the Priest longed for illness. The weight of the flock's devotions was too heavy and he desired naught but to be the altar boy." Here is anxiety rendered in cloth—a figure who vomits into sacred wafers, overwhelmed by the burden of holiness.
The title references the woolgatherer: both the humble collector of stray fibres from hedgerows and the daydreamer lost in thought. It's a meditation on distraction, devotion, and the weight of spiritual responsibility.
Following medieval tradition, the work bears the inscription 'Molly me fecit' (Molly made me) - an 11th-century convention asserting the maker's hand and voice across centuries.
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 46cms wide × 61cms 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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