A Necklace of Stars

A Necklace of Stars was a remote embroidery and creative writing project for housebound older adults in Derbyshire. Throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns, participants received weekly one to one phone calls, emails where required and parcels of all the materials they needed for the project sent through the post. Artist Lois Blackburn, poet Philip Davenport and songwriter Matt Hill worked with nearly 100 participants, talking for months over the phone.

A Necklace of Stars celebrates childhood and the night sky in words, song and stitches. The project is a testimony to the power of human connection and creativity in the face of lockdowns and isolation. All of the embroidered stars have now been brought together to create a beautiful quilt which is being exhibited around Derbyshire’s cultural venues, alongside a catalogue of poems and a lullaby soundtrack.

During Creativity and Wellbeing Week, the exhibition is on display at Derbyshire Record Office.

For more information, and to view a digital version of the catalogue and listen to the lullabies, please visit the project page on Arts Derbyshire's website (link below).