‘Watch the Creation story unfold in glorious colour and complex design’
Baptist church member Jacqui Parkinson is helping people encounter the Bible through her dramatic textile art which is currently touring English cathedrals
Threads through Creation is a striking Bible-based textile art exhibition, which will have visited 20 cathedrals across the country by the end of 2024. It consists of 12 beautiful silk panels - each nearly 3m high - re-imagining the story of creation from the Bible.
It’s one of the largest textile art projects by a single artist - and took Jacqui three years and eight million stitches.
Jacqui, a member of Chudleigh Baptist Church, Devon, first began picturing the project five years ago. It followed another huge project in 2014 - Threads through Revelation, which re-imagined the dramatic picture book scenes from the last book of the Bible. This toured 14 cathedrals and was seen by half a million visitors.
She explains her work is based on thoughtful theology, presented in a different way to be understandable for most people.
‘You’ve probably read Genesis in black and white. Now I’ve re-imagined it in colourful designs that speak to people in their own language. Watch the story unfold in glorious colour, dramatic and complex design.’
‘My hope is that these textiles will generate new interest and excitement for the Bible,' she adds. ‘That people of all ages and backgrounds will think, maybe for the first time, about a good Creator God who loves us all immeasurably more than we can ever imagine.'
The exhibition has already visited Sheffield Cathedral this year and is currently at Blackburn Cathedral until 14 April.
Jacqui says she is seeing many churches use Threads through Creation as an opportunity for an inspiring visit, as well as to invite friends and those at the edges of the church.
It’s also an opportunity to introduce children and young people to the creation story in a new way. Study materials are available for teachers and young people who want to engage with discussions and craft projects.
‘I’ve been truly blessed to see ‘Threads through Creation’ visit 20 cathedrals and touch hundreds of thousands of people,' she continues.
'After working away in solitude for three years on this project, it’s humbling to know that so many people get so much pleasure and inspiration.’
It follows a life of sharing her Christian faith in creative ways, Jacqui explains.
'Ever since I became a Christian as a teenager, I’ve been fascinated by the Bible. I still have my first Bible, covered in notes and questions, red, blue and black words and drawings filling the margins.
‘I see the Bible as full of amazing things to see.
‘When I became a drama teacher, I set up a Christian arts centre near Wimbledon, to share Jesus, within the context of performance arts, with those in the local community.
‘Then I changed direction, studying embroidered textiles, with the aim of having fun and using the medium in a way to touch people in an intuitive way.’
Jacqui adds that the exhibition’s success has encouraged her to start a third huge exhibition. Threads through the Cross: the life and death, resurrection and ascension, of Jesus.
This will be ready in 2025, with the idea of touring all three exhibitions under the title ‘Threads through the Bible’ - telling the Story of the Bible from cover to cover.
Threads through Creations 2024
-
Blackburn Cathedral Wed 6 March - Sun 14 April
-
Lichfield Cathedral Wed 17 April - Sun 2 June
-
Leominster Priory Wed 5 June - Wed 17 July
-
London - Southwark Cathedral Sat 20 July - Mon 26 August
-
Sherborne Abbey Thurs 29 Aug - Sun 6 Oct
-
Hexham Abbey Thurs 10 Oct - Sat 23 Nov
Baptist Times, 30/03/2024