This post was written by Wikimedia UK volunteer Emily Sørensen
On 15 June, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales and artist Cornelia Parker will discuss the artwork Magna Carta (An Embroidery). This is a ticketed event, held at the British Library and led by their Chief Executive Roly Keating.
English sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker was commissioned to create the artwork Magna Carta (An Embroidery) in commemoration of the 800-year anniversary of Magna Carta. This extraordinary piece of artwork is a replica of the Wikipedia article on Magna Carta and made of pieces of fabrics embroidered by many people from across the UK.
Artwork contributors include lawyers, artists, barons, prisoners, among others, much in line with Wikipedia’s own emphasis that everyone can contribute as an editor of its articles. Jimmy Wales, lifelong Internet entrepreneur, and Cornelia Parker, one of Britain’s most inventive artists, will likely have a nuanced and thoughtful discussion from artistic, technological and historical perspectives.
With the Human Rights Act currently under scrutiny in Parliament, Parker’s piece could hardly have been publicised at a more poignant time. The discussion between Parker and Wales is therefore likely to cover aspects of democracy, human rights and the historical significance of Magna Carta in the context of our digital age as well as contemporary politics. The discussion is presented in association with the Ruskin School of Art.
Magna Carta (An Embroidery) is exhibited at the British Library until Monday 24 July 2015. The artwork is based on the Wikipedia article as it appeared on Magna Carta’s 799th anniversary in 2014. For full details of the event, including ticketing, see the event page on the British Library’s website.