COCKEREL BY MICHAEL O’CONNELL

For a limited time only, come and see this stunning wall-hanging by artist Michael O’Connell at the Museum.

Its central feature is a large cockerel, and the textile was created using O’Connell’s famous wax resist dye technique. This was the same technique he used to create his wall hangings for the 1951 Festival of Britain, one of which you can see on permanent display in our gallery Our Country Lives. O’Connell employed two sisters, Betty and Irish Sheridan, to assist in his work, and you can hear Iris’s memories of making textile pieces like Cockerel as part of the display.

Cockerel was acquired in memory of Jill Betts, a former volunteer and colleague at the MERL and who passed away in December 2016. It was always Jill’s ambition to see O’Connell’s wall hangings on display at the MERL.

Purchased with support of the Art Fund and the Arts Council England/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund.