Located in Aldgate, an ancient part of London where Geoffrey Chaucer lived when he wrote, The House of Fame and Parliament of Fowls, is “Payleys upon Pilers”. It is an installation designed by
Studio Weave to mark the Olympics and a route from the City of London, east to the Olympic Park. It is also marks the historical gateway into the city, hence the area's name “Aldgate”.
In these poems Chaucer discribes images of temple-like structures elevated over strange landscapes, and it is those references that Studio Weave have used as their inspiration.
Payleys upon Pilers is an abstraction of the upper room in a traditional gatehouse and is something like an embroidered timber structure. It is supported on pillars that are decorated with a pattern inspired by illuminated manuscripts from Chaucer's time. The pattern was designed and screen printed by
Linda Florence.
