Sir William Burrell (1861-1958) amassed one of the world’s greatest single personal collections. He and his wife Constance gifted it to the city of Glasgow in 1944 and in 1983 the Burrell Collection opened to great acclaim.
Home to over 9,000 fascinating objects from all over the world and spanning different time periods, the Burrell Collection includes paintings, sculpture, textiles, ceramics and stained glass windows. The purpose-built museum is temporarily closed for a major re-display and refurbishment which will make much more of the Collection accessible to visitors and will ensure that the building is more user-friendly and sustainable for future generations.
As part of the Collection’s re-display, the Burrell will re-interpret some of these objects with a new, contemporary voice that will allow visitors to engage with the collections in a more personal way.
The Burrell would therefore like to invite members of the public from different community groups to assist in gathering information and stories that bring a fresh perspective which will provide visitors to the Burrell with a better understanding of the objects.
One of objects selected for people to provide feedback on is "Death of the Virgin", circa 1450, a tapestry that raises questions about the nature of death.
The Burrell will be using the tapestry to begin a dialogue about the rituals and meanings of death, the different ways of commemorating and celebrating death, and who these traditions benefit – the deceased or those left behind.
During the process The Burrell would like to invite anyone who is interested to take part in up to three workshops within Glasgow (venues to be confirmed). Depending on museum conservation work taking place at the time, there may also be the possibility to view the tapestry itself.
Your shared thoughts and experiences will better inform the redisplay of the tapestry and other objects in the newly refurbished Burrell Collection.
If you would like to take part, please contact Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief Development Manager, Robert Peacock on robert.peacock@palliativecarescotland.org.uk or 0131 272 2735.
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