Exhibition:Woven Memories of Ceredigion Shipwrecks

Woven Memories is about the seafaring ethos of Ceredigion coastal communities. 

The artist lives in Aberarth, near Aberaeron, that had a long history of ship building in the early 1800s. 

This exhibition of woven sails is a tribute to that. It is a salutation to the stoicism and courage of a seafaring community, typical of many around the coast of Wales at that time. This was a time when people built houses from beach pebbles and positioned them with their backs to the sea as a defence against the weather. 

As well as memorialising historical vessels, the artist has included the current fate of refugees crossing the Channel to Britain. One sail with the colours of the national flags of Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Eritrea, Syria, and Vietnam represents the countries from which migrants who lost their lives originated from, demonstrating that despite two centuries apart these tragedies still occur.

Artist Weaver Vicky Ellis has been involved with textiles for over 50 years, with the Bauhaus tradition being a constant source of inspiration. She sees the work she produces as contemporary paintings in yarn. Woven Memories was first shown at MOMA Machynlleth in 2024.