Swayspace and the Bayeux Tapestry

Swayspace* [ Technically swayspace is an engineering term describing the amount of space or padding required to protect precious cargo from interference or damage. To us, it is a metaphor for the protective, nourishing space we build around our projects that helps them grow from precious ideas into impressive results. ] is a safe place for design has long been our easy catch phrase to convey how we think about our studio. Given how much we treasure that metaphor, we always get a kick out of proper real-world examples of the term. Here’s one from a recent article in the New York Times about transporting the precious Bayeux Tapestry to Britain from France:

“French art experts have previously said the tapestry was too fragile to travel abroad. Yet on Thursday evening, a truck carrying it in a climate-controlled and vibration-dampening crate left Bayeux in northern France at 6:15 p.m. accompanied by French security services, according to the country’s culture ministry. Then the tapestry traveled by train under the English Channel.”

A vibration-dampening crate, with the shock absorbing coils top and bottom? That’s swayspace, of course!

UPDATE 26 August 2026: The New York Times published another story with much greater detail, including photos of moving the tapestry in progress and a link to an explanation of the vibration dampening during shipping. It “took six nerve-racking hours” to slide the tapestry two inches at a time onto a new railing for transport.

What we described as “shock absorbing coils” are wire rope isolators, which enable wire rope to adopt characteristics of springs, dissipating vibrational energy.