Artist in Residence at the Mary Rose

Laurence Wen-Yu Li is in the Mary Rose Museum on Tuesday 28 July and Tuesday 25 August, where she'll be spending the day weaving Tudor-era ribbons and cords in the gift shop. She will also be doing a demonstration at the Mary Rose Southsea Castle takeover on Tuesday 4 August. The demonstrations run from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, so you can drop in whenever you're around rather than committing to a set time.

There's a bit of a story behind it. Li is a PhD candidate in History of Design at the Royal College of Art, and she's spent her summer as a visiting researcher for a graduate placement, studying the actual ribbons found on the Mary Rose. The demonstrations are her way of bringing that research out of the archives and into the public eye. While she works, she'll be explaining how these ribbons and cords functioned as crucial agents in keeping Tudor clothing fastened and secure — the small, practical things that held a whole wardrobe together.

It's a chance to see a craft that's usually hidden away, worked on by someone who's spent the summer studying the originals. If you've ever wondered how Tudor clothes actually stayed up and together, this is exactly where you'll find the answer. The sessions are free with a valid museum ticket, and run from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Visitor Centre, Victory Gate, PO1 3LJ, within the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (and at Southsea Castle on 4 August).