Britain’s Covid experience is to be woven into an official tapestry, following a tradition running from the Norman conquest to the D-day landings. But some bereaved families have already withdrawn their participation.
Stories from the pandemic will be captured in warp and weft by artists in a work commissioned by the chair of the UK-wide public inquiry into the pandemic, Heather Hallett.
She announced the project on Monday “so that the experiences of those who suffered hardship and loss are at the heart of the inquiry’s proceedings”.
The curator, Ekow Eshun, a former director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, will steer the project and the first 3.5 metres will be unveiled on 13 June when public hearings into the UK’s pandemic preparedness begin in London.
The project is likely to be highly contested given the breadth of experiences of the coronavirus years, which resulted in 226,196 fatalities with Covid on death certificates.
Some members of Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice who had initially agreed to collaborate on the tapestry have pulled out in frustration because they want their voice heard in the formal inquiry proceedings rather than woven into cloth, the group said.
It was not immediately clear whether there would be any restrictions on political content – for example, capturing lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street or failures to properly protect care homes from infection.
Tapestry panels are understood to be in development on themes including bereavement, education, working on the frontline, isolation and mental health. One source said designs were likely to be “less about what actually happened and more about the emotional impact”. No final length has been set for the tapestry but it appears likely to extend to more than 10 metres.
Andrew Crummy, an artist who designed the 2013 Great Tapestry of Scotland that purported to capture 420m years of history, has been working with “bereaved families to help give voice to their stories”.
He said political issues did not come up in his conversations with bereaved families for a 1 metre x 70cm panel he has sent for weaving. “They just wanted to talk about the person they lost,” he said.
Barbara Herbert, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: “Bereaved families will have mixed feelings about the tapestry. Commemoration is important, and it will mean a lot to those personally involved, but equally it can in no way be a substitute for listening to our experiences and learning from them.
“We didn’t throw all we could into campaigning for the inquiry for nice gestures, we did it to save lives and stop others from going through the same horrors that we have.”
The group has previously criticised Lady Hallett’s approach to involving members in the main proceedings of the inquiry.
Some are boycotting a “listening exercise” that is meant to distill the public’s experience. The group has also criticised the “deeply upsetting” decision not to call more bereaved families as formal witnesses.
Eshun, who also oversees the choice of sculptures for Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth, said: “Throughout history, tapestries have been used to mark the moments that change us, telling our stories and commemorating the impact on millions of people’s lives.
“The pandemic put an unimaginable strain on the fabric of our society, our communities and our families. My hope is that this tapestry will weave the threads of these stories, across the nations and regions, into a lasting tribute.”
People involved include Sammie McFarland, from the charity Long Covid Kids, who said: “We hope the tapestry will weave our experiences together into a visible representation that documents the appalling harm to children.”
Delia Bryce, from the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, whose father died from Covid in February 2021, said: “I hope those that see it in years to come will understand why it’s important our loved ones lost to Covid-19 should never be forgotten.”
The tapestry will be shown in various locations throughout the UK. “We plan to add more panels over time, so this tapestry reflects the scale and impact the pandemic had on different communities,” a statement from the inquiry said.
