The Norman Conquest comes alive as an animated Bayeux tapestry

The Bayeux Tapestry, dating back to the 11th century, has been animated by a student at Goldsmiths College

The Bayeux Tapestry is one of those iconic pieces in the history of European art, comparable to the series of six tapestries known under the name of “The Lady and the Unicorn,” saving the stylistic, thematic, geographic and epochal differences. Also known as the “Tapestry of Queen Matilda” it is a large canvas (of almost 70 meters long), embroidered in the 11th century, which recounts through a succession of images (let us say, almost as if it were a medieval comic) the Norman conquest of England, which culminated in the famous battle of Hastings.

The animation of the tapestry was created by David Newton, a student at Goldsmiths College, the school of arts at the University of London, while Marc Sylvan was in charge of both the music and sound design. Actually, the animation begins halfway through the tapestry — precisely in the scene in which the Halley’s comet can be seen passing by — and ends, as does the tapestry itself, with the Battle of Hastings.