Lucia Muchetti, my italian mother, after watching the website wrote down this comment.

Impressions on the work “Tom Harrington about”

The first thing i felt was curiosity.
Strange and funny character.
I wanted to scroll all the images and my curiosity grown.
What is this?
Someone’s story?
And why at the end this portraits’ series?
The text or the descriptions were making me even more confuse.
I went through it many times.
It is hard to explain but i have the impression that the whole work is about one thing: the research of the “I”.
“I” as manifestation of itself, the duplication, the change, the lie, ecc….
The key of these impressions is given by the realization of the work in a sequence.
The train of images on the white background works and gives space to the thought and to the reflection.
The imagine is not aggressive, it is a consequence of the recognition.
Thank you for letting me think.

lucia muchetti

Raf Uniform                                                                                                                   Boxing Robe                                                                                                      Movie Star

While searching for “Tom Harrington wrestler” on google I came across this webpage about the traditional embroidery in Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling.  There I found this  beautiful picture.

The picture is showing Tom’s embroidered costume in the Tate gallery during 1999 and 2000 in an exhibition called “Britain Today”. The woman in the picture is Tom’s daughter Michelle, the kids are her children. Michelle made the costume and must be quite proud, although in the picture she seems to be not quite comfortable in the gallery environment. It might have been that Tom himself took this photo.
On the left side you see the photo of Tom we all know. On this photo, he is not wearing the same costume as displayed in the gallery, but the embroidery style with the flowers is definitely recognizable.
I tried searching for other costumes than these two, but google found no hits but this, which is probably taken at the same event Jeremy Deller captured him.

The webpage I found starts with a little anecdote about another wrestler called Patrick Molloy and his costume:

“A kingfisher hovers over a beck, its bright eyes alert to every movement in the shimmering waters of the pool below.On the other side, a vixen looks round alertly as something attracts the attention of her two cubs. “Are ye ready, lads?” The reverie broken, the spectators turned to look at the referee.

No, this wasn’t another wildlife film on the TV. Patrick Molloy was about to step into the ring at the world famous Grasmere Lakeland Sports to wrestle in the final of the 14-stone (89kgs) weight class. As he stood there nervously, the bright sunlight sparkled on the embroidery of his intricately decorated costume.”

While reading further I found out that the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling tradition is not just about wrestling. It is far more important what your wrestling costume looks like.
It tells the story about Mrs. Molloy and her sons, who are determined to win the prize for best costume.

“Fifteen years before Patrick and his two brothers had come home from Kendal Wrestling Academy in Westmorland and excitedly told their mother that they were going to enter their first competition in three weeks time. “Oh and by the way Mum, there’s a best dressed wrestler competition!” Mrs. Molloy did not know the first thing about wrestling except that the wrestlers wear socks, tights, a vest, and a “centre-piece”, but she was determined that her lads would look as good as all the other boys. ”

Mrs. Molloy was of course disappointed in the fact that she missed the point with her sons costumes, but it drove her to learn embroidery.
“Now her sons regularly win best dressed wrestler competitions, and Mrs. Molloy’s works are famous all over Northwest England for their artistry, imagination, and fine needlecraft.”

The wrestling costume competition began in 1862.
“A prize of one guinea was awarded for the neatest costume, with the object of doing away with the breeks and grey stockings so commonly associated with rustic athletics, and James Scott of Carlyle whose handsome figure set off his magenta shirt and white drawers to striking advantage was the winner. ”

One guinea is, in this case “a gold coin with a face value of £1.1. The modern value of the gold is about £90 ($135) and in 1862, it would have been the equivalent of about three weeks’ wages for a farm labourer.
Quite a lot I would say. And you didn’t even have to win the wrestling competition, just look stunning while doing it!

“A guinea was a considerable sum in 1862, and to this day wrestlers from Cumberland and Westmorland are easily distinguished from the wrestlers of the other English Northern counties of Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, and Lancashire (and of course Scotland) when they appear in the ring wearing their wonderful embroidered costumes. Their wives, sisters, or mothers have spent the winter creating masterpieces of folk art, and some like Mrs Molloy have become locally famous. Nonetheless, mud, grass, or just friction will inevitably damage the costumes that they have spent so many hours creating.”

But the Molloy boys were not he only ones winning the Best dressed wrestler prize, in despite of their mother.

“At the 200th annual Westmorland Agricultural show in mid September 2002, Trevor Hodgson from Dent in West Yorkshire turned up in magnificently decorated tights (his vest has always been embroidered) and won the first prize. His sister had taught herself embroidery and had spent about a year decorating his costume; not only is Trevor a formidable wrestler but also he is now just as formidable a competitor as a “Best Dressed Wrestler”.

And of course, there is Tom Harrington, who is considered the greatest Cumberland wrestler of modern times. Born in 1944, and has won more than 1600 competitions.
Also his embroidery costume is famous throughout the entire country. (see above)
I tried searching for other costumes than the one he is wearing in the Jeremy Deller poster and the one displayed in the Tate, but google found no hits but this, which is probably taken at the same event Jeremy Deller captured him.

What I did find out, was a person called John Harrington! This might be Tom’s son. In fact, I think he is. I found an article consisting of information about the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and mp3 interviews.
Sadly this is what I read about it:
“Traditional costume is usually worn, consisting of shorts worn over white long-johns, though in 2007 the Wrestling Association decided to allow wrestlers to wear athletic gear. This was a bone of contention among some traditionalists but it is thought that it may help to attract more young people to the sport. Originally the costume was worn by other sportsmen, but over the years it has become the uniform of the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestler. Mothers, girlfriends and sisters spent long winter nights embroidering the outfits and it has become a feature of the sport.”

John Harrington in action. He is, like his father, one of the best.

The mp3 file is not very good, and the accent is somewhat hard to understand, but it is John Harrington and his mom over traditional costumes and how it is treated nowadays. Obviously, the younger generation is not very interested in wearing embroidery.
http://www.grampusheritage.co.uk/Norse/Shirley%20wrestling%20pics%20movies%20and%20sound%20files/Outfit%20Johnmp3.mp3

Not everybody agrees with the fact that tradition seems to be neglected by the younger generation.
On this mp3, you hear a man talking about the tradition.
http://www.grampusheritage.co.uk/Norse/Shirley%20wrestling%20pics%20movies%20and%20sound%20files/Outfit%20Andrewmp3.mp3

I don’t want to drift off to the wrestling part and the modern view on it, since my main interest was the embroidered costume.

Sources: http://www.grampusheritage.co.uk/Norse/Norse%20Cumberland%20Wrestling.htm

http://ejmas.com/jalt/jaltart_baxter_0403.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43331343@N08/

In my vision of Tom Harrington, he died in a very violent and barbarous taxi attack. On his way to the airport they were stopped by a vermillion junker. Three curious women, dressed in same-colored catsuits rapidly jumped out of the vehicle, placed themselves in an encircling triangle and pulled out heavy weapons. They were armed to the teeth. Get out of that damn fucking taxi, yelled the smallest. She was very tiny, not even 3 feet tall, but hard like steel. I ain´t joking! We´ll kill all you fucking bastards, if you´re not out within the next three seconds. Than she raised her gun and shot the driver. His head exploded and the brain spread out across the whole interior of the car. Tom soundlessly started crying and begged them to stop. He would do whatever they wanted him to, he said. Get out of that cab. Faces on the ground, the butcher shouted. It´s five to twelve and you got to be dead by noon. Isn´t this what your job is about, she blamed Tom. Don´t you have to be finished with your combatant at a given time? Isn´t there everything fixed before it even started? Now you gotta learn what the unexpected is, she thundered. You´ll be dead before you could ever think about what death means. Go to hell, you bloody wrestler. One, two, three. They poured petrol over their bodies and burned the whole scenario down. (drop falls)