Textile spectacle to transform historic house

A County Durham arts venue is preparing for a bold one-day transformation.

Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens will host REVEAL, a large-scale outdoor art installation by artist Betty Barnet Brown tomorrow (Saturday, August 2). 

Eleven enormous tapestries will be draped across the grand façade of the former Catholic seminary, each bursting with colour, character and surrealism.

The textile works, some as large as six metres by four metres, fuse religious iconography, celebrity and fantasy. 

One standout piece features First Dates star Fred Sirieix surrounded by towering trifle-blancmanges, while others depict goats and gods in bold, playful detail.

Betty, who trained in fine art at Chelsea and Camberwell alongside TV star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, said: “The size of these tapestries can’t be understated; I can spend 20 to 30 hours a week on one, and they can take anywhere from eight months to a year to complete, so the scale is really impressive.

“This is a really audacious event, almost like an art flash mob – these tapestries are going to occupy the building, and the whole event feels larger than life.”

Set against Ushaw’s striking 19th century architecture, the open-air display promises to be a visual spectacle.

Betty added: “Work like this shouldn’t be stored away, it should be seen, and this is a chance to do just that in a really unique and special environment.

“This is about storytelling, and I love creating work that fires the imagination – hopefully for those who experience it, this event will do just that.”

Betty, who previously painted murals for the London Underground, began working with textiles 12 years ago and is known for her immersive, theatrical approach to storytelling through art.

REVEAL is planned as a one-day-only experience and is highly weather dependent, adding to its exclusivity.

Betty added: “The size of these pieces means it will take around three hours just to hang them, but despite their size they are still fragile.

“Exposing them to heavy rain or wind could jeopardise them.”

Installation is set to start at around 10am and will last until mid-afternoon.

For more information, including booking details, visit https://ushaw.org/

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