Dundee's intricate history weaves its way onto giant tapestry

The star of hit show Succession, which triumphed at last week’s US awards ceremony, is not the only celebrity name now in stitches, as the artwork also features the only professional football player to win an Oscar and the man who was the voice of Mickey Mouse for 35 years.

The new Dundee Tapestry has been five years in the making and has involved 140 volunteer stitchers who have created 35 panels that tell the city’s story – including the more unsavoury aspects like its connection to the slave trade.

It went on show at the prestigious V&A Museum this weekend and it is hoped it will bring even more visitors to Dundee, the UK’s first Unesco City of Design and a City of Discovery.

Brought to life are many of the people who have put Dundee and the whole of Scotland on the map.

They include Neil Paterson – who played for Dundee United and then went on to win an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Room At The Top – as well as Alfred Cuschieri – who pioneered keyhole surgery at the city’s Ninewells Hospital.

Then there’s the Lochee Cowboy, William Duncan, who was born in Dundee and became a silent movie star in the US.

“He was really handsome and earned $1 million in 1930 but when the talkies came along, I don’t think they liked his accent, as they stuck him on a horse and put him in the posse in cowboy movies,” said John Fyffe, who developed the idea for the tapestry after seeing the Game Of Thrones tapestry in Belfast.

He enlisted the support of Frances Stevenson from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and the Nine Incorporated Trades charity in order to create a community-based Dundonian version.

“We didn’t want it to be a heraldic tapestry full of shields – if we were going to do one, it had to reflect the history of Dundee,” said Fyffe.

The result is a fascinating portrayal of the city’s history and the people who have made it.

Jimmy MacDonald – the voice of Mickey Mouse who became head of sound effects at Disney as well as voicing many other characters – is represented, along with the lesser-known but equally notable Willie Smith who won the US Open Golf Championship at the end of the 19th century.

“He was 11 under, and that gap was not overtaken between first and second until Tiger Woods won 100 years later,” Fyffe said.

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The tapestry features both rich and poor, including socialite and philanthropist Anna Thompson Dodge, who at one point was considered to be the wealthiest woman in the world. Born in Dundee, she emigrated as a child with her family to the USA and later married Horace Dodge, the founder of the Dodge motor company.

There is also suffragette Mary Maloney, who became famous for her disruption of Winston Churchill’s campaign in a Dundee by-election.

“She rang a large bell to drown him out every time he tried to speak,” said Fyffe.

Women’s work in the mills is also portrayed in the tapestry.

“The nickname for Dundee for years was ‘She Town’ because it was the women who were working as they were cheaper to employ than the men,” explained Fyffe. “Women did the work and the men were called ‘kettle bilers’ because they were at home looking after the bairns.”

The panels on the jute mills, whaling, medical breakthroughs and the creative industries are what might be expected – but less obvious is the panel on the jumpers that the Dundee gang members wore in the 60s and 70s which were made on home knitting machines in each gangs’ colours.

The music of Northern Soul is also given a nod as it was music that brought the gangs together when many members from different gangs would hop on the buses running to the Friday night dances in Wigan.

It was strongly felt Dundee’s part in the slave trade should not be ignored, as the jute mills had a massive trade with the southern states of the US during the Civil War, providing sail cloth, cloth for wagons and the rough-hewn cloth the slaves wore.

Also represented are emancipated slaves like Joseph Knight, and Frederick Douglass, who spoke at meetings in Dundee detailing the cruel treatment of slaves. The meetings were so crowded that tickets had to be issued for his last speech.

The contribution immigration has made to the city is recognised, with the words “my home” stitched in many different languages on the tapestry.

The finished product is a stunning piece of artwork – but it has also helped people connect with the 140 volunteers keen to continue in their groups with more projects.

“It had to be a community-based project,” said Fyffe, who steered it with help from Dr Stevenson. The panels were co-designed by Dr Stevenson and Andrew Crummy MBE, the artist behind The Great Tapestry Of Scotland.

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“For Frances and I, it was about trying to deal with social isolation so that people could make new social networks and that has worked,” said Fyffe. “It’s just been absolutely amazing.”

Joanna Mawdsley, head of learning at V&A Dundee, said: “The Dundee Tapestry is a wonderful co-designed community artwork that celebrates the history and creativity of our city in glorious stitches.

“We’re so happy to have it on display and look forward to people coming to V&A Dundee to enjoy the experience of seeing the completed Dundee Tapestry.”

A series of themed talks, events and activities are planned to take place at V&A Dundee, engaging audiences with both the design process and the themes depicted in the Dundee Tapestry.

The exhibition runs until April 28.