Wedding Procession, 2011
.Wedding Procession, 2011
82h x 49w cm
Private Collection
Photo: Sylvain Deleu
A Memorable Event
Wedding Procession records the Royal Wedding of 2011, the marriage of Prince William to Katherine Middleton, as she was then. It took place in May that year and was memorable for reasons beyond the expected ones. Firstly, there were trees inside the abbey - something I thought worthy of note and the main reason I made the pot - I thought it would look good. Secondly, the women attending wore strange head dresses: fascinators which included a large number of feathers and resembled nesting birds and, thirdly, for the runaway horse. It bucked its rider and galloped off into the wilds of central London and became the most photographed part of the entire event.
Phone cameras
There was a fourth reason too, related to the recording of the runaway horse's journey through London: it was the first major royal occasion to be caught on phone camera. The jostling crowds that came to London to witness the event all came equipped with smart phones and filmed and photographed the entire thing. I, in turn, pictured all the phones on the pot. Wedding Procession was one of eight large pots I made for 'An Extraordinary Turn of Events,' my first solo show with Francis Kyle Gallery, in Mayfair, London in 2012.
An Eventful Year
2011-12 was a year rich in news, much of which was subject to what came to be known as 'citizen journalism,' a resource that became vital, initially, with the Iranian uprising of 2009-10, quickly followed by the 'Arab Spring,' 2011-12. I recorded that on my pots too, from my viewing point in the UK, reading social media, listening to radio, watching TV, and talking with family. 'Continuing Unsettled,' 2011, and 'Missing,' 2012, both refer to those events. Meanwhile in Tottenham, at the end of my road, a funeral took place which also attracted the attention of smartphone cameras and world media - the shooting of Mark Duggan, a local small time gangster, by police and the ensuring riots that spread throughout our cities over five days in August 2011. The funeral procession went past my house. Duggan grew up on the estate nearby.
Times Change
Twelve years later - it doesn't seem long but much has changed for the participants in Wedding Procession. The Queen died last year so Prince Charles is now King. Katherine Middleton is now the Princess of Wales and much closer to the throne - the king is old and unwell - and the country is a very different place from one where so many people gathered and photographed the wedding. We have left the EU, we have lived through two years of Covid and the result, combined with a decade of incompetent government, is a substantially poorer population and vastly more volatile electorate. Not a good mix, not good for stability anyway.
In Sickness and in Health
Princess Kate is now being treated for cancer. She is recovering but she is still unwell and unlikely to be visibly 'royal' for a while. Monarchy, at times of transition, is often vulnerable. Her illness makes it seem more so somehow. Prince Charles is also recovering from cancer leaving the least charismatic character, William, the most prominent. It is an etiolated version of Monarchy but Katherine herself is, perhaps, placed a little closer to the people with this voracious illness that affects so many and has a curiously levelling effect. A royal body is going to be better looked after than most and have more advantages than many but where cancer is concerned, it may not help.
For Richer for Poorer
It's difficult to know who needs to commit to who: the country - ie the people - to the monarchy or the other way round. All I know is that getting poorer sucks. When 'Wedding Procession' sold, in 2012, the sale of that pot alone paid my studio rent for two years. The exhibition sold well, most of the large pots sold. I had enough money to pay for major works to be done on my flat. Now, the same money would pay my studio rent to six months, no more, and, realistically, I would struggle to get that money now for any pot.
Cost of Living
Costs have risen in line with the rent rises so overheads have rocketed. I used to pay myself a wage. No longer. I've earned well this year. I'm proud to say I've seen off all the expenses but there's precious little left to pay myself.