Banners of Persuasion

••• By candlelight, The Dairy -

A super-cool, if slightly surreal party space converted from a former milk depot - was the perfect location to bring the fine art of tapestry into the 21st century. Guest including Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman traipsed along the flame lit path to enjoy a hog-roast and chestnuts in the venue’s garden. The honey and gold-sprinkled cocktails as well as a dizzying range of spirits helped keep the bristling cold at bay.

The large-scale works by 14 artists including Peter Blake, Grayson Perry and Gavin Turk, priced between £15,000 and £ 85,000, hung alongside The Dairy’s own quirky décor, such as giant antlers.

Husband-and-wife commissioning team Suzanne an Christopher Sharp, under the title Banners of Persuasion, organised the party for Demons, Yarns and Tales- They own The Rug Company, and encourage the artists to create cutting-edge images for tapestries. “I wanted to bring tapestry into the modern age,” said Suzanne Sharp. By all accounts, her efforts were a rounding success.

Perry, dressed in sequins as Claire, his female alter ego, said he had sought inspiration in modern Afghan rugs for Vote Alan Measles for God, which features his childhood teddy bear atop the Twin Towers. “ I copied the rugs from Afghanistan, which have images of the Twin Towers, Osama Bin Laden – they’re all very political,“ he said.

Paul Noble stood next to his tapestry, Villa Joe, talking about dystopias and urban landscapes. Turk, sporting a handle bar moustache, stood near his creation, mappa del mundo, a map made of cocke cans, crisp packets and other detritus. “The moustache is for my latest art project. I had a full beard yesterday,” he said, adding that in another creative pursuit, he planned to dye his hair blond in an attempt to resemble Jackson Pollock

ARIFA AKBAR