Eye on the Esplanade: A truly magnificent display

By Xanthe Isbister on July 23, 2021.

The Black Gold Tapestry, by Calgary artist Sandra Sawatzky, is one of the 21st century’s most significant Canadian works of art and it is on display at the Esplanade until early September. The 67-metre, hand-embroidered masterpiece visually narrates the history of oil, tracing its impact on human civilizations around the world and throughout the centuries.

Single-handedly, Sawatzky created the tapestry over nine years, diligently working over 16,000 hours. The Black Gold Tapestry is comprised of millions of meticulously stitched and knotted threads that form a depiction of the world’s relationship with oil.

Sawatzky explains, “As a source of fuel and a versatile resource for plastic and chemical creation, oil has profoundly shaped both our world and ourselves for better and for worse. I decided the tapestry would be about discovery, science, invention, adventure, consequences and the pound of flesh exacted from those involved. The story of the tapestry covers the globe and spans eons.”

Before producing the preliminary drawings and woven tapestry, Sawatzky thoroughly researched the global history of oil. This historical account translated into a storyline laid out in a 60-metre pen-and-ink drawing. She then traced it by hand in three-foot sections onto tracing paper before retracing it onto the fabric. Sawatzky worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week during the final years of this epic journey in order to complete the tapestry for display at the Glenbow Museum for Canada’s sesquicentennial.

Sawatzky’s journey was motivated by the 11th-century masterwork, the Bayeux Tapestry, and her tapestry is stylistically based on it.

“I have only seen the Bayeux Tapestry in a book,” she says, “But just the knowledge that it exists was enough to inspire me. That is what epic art does. It moves the spirit.”

The artist hoped tackling the story of oil conceptually would help her better understand where we are heading on this planet.

“Exhausted by the pugilistic debates for and against oil, I hoped that through letting the facts of the story speak, the tapestry would spark other kinds of conversation.”

The artwork has not only achieved its intent of sparking diverse conversations – it also captures and expresses a universal, visually accessible story about humanity’s history.

This handmade work of genius can’t be missed. So, if you are wanting some reprieve from the hot summer day, come visit the Esplanade and immerse yourself in 220 feet of world history.

You’ve never seen anything like it.

Xanthe Isbister is Director/Curator, Art Gallery and Collections at the Esplanade