James Merry on Opus Anglicanum

James Merry is a contemporary embroidery artist, best known for his incredible costume creations for Icelandic singer Björk. He works only by hand and in a variety of mediums, merging traditional craft with new technologies.

In this film Merry examines four masterpieces from the golden age of English medieval embroidery, known as opus anglicanum, revealing their intricate detail and the painstaking skill of their medieval makers, while drawing parallels with his own contemporary embroidery practice.

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Find out about James Merry's innovative embroidery design for the new V&A Membership pack.