Feeling Blue

With its array of colours, striking design and text, it’s hard not to be taken in by this vibrant tapestry.

Feeling Blue is a brand-new commission from Royal Museums Greenwich. It was created by multidisciplinary artist Alberta Whittle and Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh.

Currently on display in the Queen’s Presence Chamber in the Queen’s House, the tapestry is rooted in maritime traditions.

“The title for the tapestry – Feeling Blue – is derived from a nautical saying,” Whittle explains. “When sailors would pass away at sea, the crew would paint a blue band on the hull of the ship or wear some kind of blue.”

Head to the Queen’s House to see Feeling Blue for yourself – and read on for the story of the tapestry's making.

Visit the Queen's House

Weaving together themes including migration, melancholy and mythology, Feeling Blue responds directly to Royal Museums Greenwich’s sites and collections.

“I wanted to think about how collections speak to us as audience members, and how artworks talk to each other,” Whittle says.

The tapestry responds to specific artworks within the Queen’s Presence Chamber – a room where the monarch traditionally would have presented themselves to an audience.  

Cultured freshwater pearl beads are woven into its design, referencing the jewelled gown depicted in The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I, and the ‘Drake Jewel’ shown in the portrait of Sir Francis Drake.

The tapestry’s blue colour scheme also provides a nod to the interior of the Queen’s House itself.

“Blue is a special colour for the Queen’s House,” says Katherine Gazzard, Curator of Art (Post-1800). “You can see it in a lot of the original 17th century decoration, including the ceiling of the King’s Presence Chamber and the balustrade of the Tulip Stairs.” 

“In the 1670s, the Dutch artist Willem van de Velde the Elder and his son, Willem van de Velde the Younger, had a studio space in the House and were designing tapestries here,” she adds.

“As a contemporary tapestry, Feeling Blue is a fantastic response to and continuation of that history that we have in our sites in Greenwich.”

Credits

Feeling Blue 

Alberta Whittle 

Tapestry by Dovecot Studios

2023, cotton, linen, synthetic yarn, cultured freshwater pearl beads 

Tapestry woven for Dovecot by Naomi Robertson, Master Weaver, and Elaine Wilson 

Displayed on powder coated steel gates made by Glasgow Sculpture Studios installed with bells, shackles, rope, wire and cultured freshwater pearl beads

ZBA9711 | Purchased with assistance from the Contemporary Art Society

Image credits: Artwork: © Alberta Whittle and Dovecot Studios. Photos: © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London