I’m busy assembling the
parachutes to accompany my Battle of Britain lace panel exhibitions. All the
parachute shapes have been made by visitors and volunteers at Bentley Priory
Museum in Stanmore London, the headquarters of Fighter Command during the
Battle of Britain. They have made 1497 in all, one for each allied airman
killed or mortally wounded during the battle. The idea is that we will commemorate
them all by suspending the parachute shapes in an installation. I’m busily
attaching them to fishing wire by the centre of the circle so they hang down
forming a line of spiral shapes. I’m adding 50 to each line but also attaching
some parachutes in pairs with a thread joining them so they can be hung over
the line and lie below the level of those on the line. These paired shapes can
also move more freely so can turn in the breeze giving a better impression of a
parachute descending. I’m hoping that the two types of hanging system will
allow the parachutes to be seen and also allow some movement. They also have to
be transported to two different venues to be exhibited and then repacked so the
system also has to be fairly simple to hang and pack. Apart from the
practicalities, my overwhelming feeling has been the realisation that each one
represents a lost life – it’s a sobering thought as there are so many of them.
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