The Edinburgh Seven Tapestry commemorates the first seven women to matriculate at any British university. I say matriculate, not graduate, as they never gained this formal recognition of their studies. One student – Edith Pechey – had to move to India to complete her medical training. It seems fitting then, that this tapestry hangs in the old Royal Infirmary as a reminder of some of the first female medical students in Britain.
In three parts, with variously sized holes and a pink and orange hued colour scheme, this tapestry might initially seem unrelated to both the women, and the study of medicine. However, Christine Borland, the artist behind this tapestry, considered every element of it in relation to medicine. She used modern technology to memorialise old medicinal practices by wearing a motion sensor as she performed tasks like bedside care and medical research. The motion sensors digitally recorded data on her movements that was then printed into a 2D form which allowed the weavers to create this tapestry, based on movements standard in the life of a medical student. It is made in the form of cellular structures, furthering incorporating the idea of medicine and research. The purpose of the colour? It mimics the dyes used to stain cells for observation in the 18th century when the seven women matriculated at Edinburgh.
Hanging directly above the staircase as you enter the main door to the Futures Institute, this tapestry is absolutely worth appreciating. Standing in front of it, where 155 years previously male students held a riot to ban female students from graduating, there is a satisfaction in knowing that the Edinburgh seven all received posthumous degrees.
Image: © Dovecot Studios. Photograph by Phil Wilkinson