Broken Hearts
After hearing the stories, the idea of a broken heart emerged. It was said they were “crying tears of broken hearts, raining down on me”. The Covid cell circle has a circle of hearts. The tartan background is a reference to the many beautiful colours in the Highlands of Scotland, the many threads that make up the many stories of Covid and its impact. The quiet blue colours represent sadness and thoughts of those lost.
Created by Andrew Crummy, following conversations with members of Scottish Covid Bereaved.
The image features a blue-purple heart, broken in two. The two pieces of the heart also look like faces, downcast in sadness. Small blue hearts cascade down from the eyes of the two faces like tears, all the way down to the bottom of the image. Surrounding the broken heart is a large circle, ringed in small red hearts. There is also a line of 3 small red hearts at the top of the image, and two rows of 3 red hearts on the lower portion of the image. The background is tartan, with a range of soft blues and purples.
Describing the piece, the artist said:
“After hearing the stories, the idea of a broken heart emerged. It was said they were “crying tears of broken hearts, raining down on me”. The Covid cell circle has a circle of hearts. The tartan background is a reference to the many beautiful colours in the highlands of Scotland, the many threads that make up the many stories of Covid and its impact. The quiet blue colours represent sadness and thoughts of those lost.
Titled “Broken Hearts”, it was created by Andrew Crummy, following conversations with members of Scottish Covid Bereaved.
Discover the details
Click on a thumbnail from the tapestry to reveal more details from the artist.
The broken heart
"The heartbreak of Covid took many forms - husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, grandparents, friends. This heart split down the middle, and the sadness of the two faces depicted, speaks to the heartbreak felt by so many families in Scotland and across the UK - and described with great emotion by all members of the group."
Tears raining down
"I remember how one of the bereaved individuals talked of 'crying tears of broken hearts, raining down on me'. This powerful image stuck with me, and ended up being influential in the final design of the tapestry panel; the pale tears mingling with the tartan and the ring of red hearts".
Tartan of sadness
"The tartan background is a reference to the many beautiful colours in the Highlands of Scotland, the many threads that make up the many stories of Covid and its impact. The quiet blue colours represent sadness and thoughts of those lost."
What this panel represents to us
Delia Bryce, Scottish Covid BereavedI lost my Da’ in February 2021 to Covid-19. Nothing prepares you for the loss of a much-loved parent especially, when the world as I knew it was unrecognisable. The tapestry is something I felt very privileged to do and I hope those that see it in years to come will understand why it’s important our loved ones lost to Covid-19 should never be forgotten.
Peter McMahon, Scottish Covid BereavedI think Andrew has managed to capture the feeling of heartbreak, sorrow and emptiness we personally feel due to the loss of our loved ones. The tartan background associates the tapestry with Scottish Covid Bereaved and the heart shapes represent the tears of a nation.
About the artist
Andrew Crummy
Andrew was born in Edinburgh and is now based in East Lothian. He trained as an illustrator at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee before receiving an MA in Design from the Glasgow School of Art. He is a great advocate for community-based art and has been involved with many mural projects around the world as well as a range of book publications, multimedia events, festivals and educational programmes.
Since 2013 he has been involved in 18 tapestries, including: The Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry, The Great Tapestry of Scotland and The Scottish Diaspora tapestry.
Broken Hearts: Creating the artwork
Andrew talks about the process of working with members of Scottish Covid Bereaved to create his panel design.