On Wednesday last week myself and Paul, my boyfriend, were meant to go to London... to cut a long story short, we missed the coach. So we booked some more tickets and got up at 05:30 to go on Friday. It was a beautiful day, perhaps the most glorious of the Spring so far, and perfect for relaxing in the V&A gardens with a coffee and croissant for breakfast, before heading off to explore the gallery, with a few choice exhibitions we had tickets for. Naturally, I wanted to look around the Fashion gallery, as I always do, but there was something new this time; a recently acquired Alexander McQueen dress from his final collection. I have been lusting over images of his latest creations since they were on the runway, but it was amazing to see one of them in real life, right in front of me. If only I could touch! Of course, there was a hushed atmosphere, more than usual, from the spectators, only to be expected after his sudden death. The dress was a reminder of how quickly things can change, not just in the fashion world, but in life too.
Paul is studying animation and had found the most perfect exhibition, which just happened to be on at the same time as some others we both wanted to see! Decode: Digital Design Sensations was an exploration into digital realms, using computers to create art that was ever changing, or interactive pieces that appealed to both children and adults alike. I found it interesting, not just on a basic level, but also for inspiration. There were so many programs that created beautiful imagery, that you could imagine using for fabric prints. One of my favourite exhibits was a silhouette of a tree that was taken from real video of outside of the museum. The tree moved in the wind, and shed leaves. The leaves on the floor would then interact with the audience, for example, walking across the floor caused the leaves to twist and float as if the wind had caught them.
We hurried from Decode to Quilts as quickly as possible, as our tickets overlapped slightly. From the rush and bustle through the maze of staircases and rooms and corridors, the the quilt exhibition was a tranquil haven! The softness of both palette and texture of the quilts brought a sense of calm to the room, and as Paul pointed out, there was only one man... and that was him! Most of the exhibition goers were ladies of a certain age, which was no surprise (quilts have a reputation of being a old-woman's pastime) however, I had expected maybe a few more fashionable young women, as the exhibition had been feature in Vogue, and quilts seem to be having something of a revival (a fashionable city girl, and close friend of mine recently commented that she would 'absolutely love to make a quilt' using Liberty print fabrics of course!). Being a kind of old-fashioned and traditional girl myself, I was intrigued about the history and making of the quilts. My favourites were the ones that had a social commentary, or reflected a political view of the time. As for there being no men, this seemed rather silly to me, as there was a whole (rather large, might I add) section completely devoted to quilts made by men. Usually not just men of a 'sensitive' disposition, but rather men in the army or other such professions. Making quilts was thought to calm the body, mind and soul. I think young men today need a similar hobby! It wasn't all just quilts gathering dust, there were some contemporary examples, the most famous being Tracy Emin's 'To Meet My Past'. Being the most famous however, does not necessarily make it good! My favourite contemporary piece was a bed quilt made up of a patchwork of quotes from feminist literature, along side illustrations of inane household objects (irons, washing machines...) and illustrations of women's glossy magazines. The quilt really did tell a story, and made a strong comment on both the roles of women, and indeed feminism today. I'm a sucker for marketing, and as the exit of Quilts led directly into the shop, well, I couldn't leave without buying myself some 'limited edition' pieces of material, in the vain hope that I might one day create my own quilt... with the help of the Liberty fabric department!
Paul is studying animation and had found the most perfect exhibition, which just happened to be on at the same time as some others we both wanted to see! Decode: Digital Design Sensations was an exploration into digital realms, using computers to create art that was ever changing, or interactive pieces that appealed to both children and adults alike. I found it interesting, not just on a basic level, but also for inspiration. There were so many programs that created beautiful imagery, that you could imagine using for fabric prints. One of my favourite exhibits was a silhouette of a tree that was taken from real video of outside of the museum. The tree moved in the wind, and shed leaves. The leaves on the floor would then interact with the audience, for example, walking across the floor caused the leaves to twist and float as if the wind had caught them.
We hurried from Decode to Quilts as quickly as possible, as our tickets overlapped slightly. From the rush and bustle through the maze of staircases and rooms and corridors, the the quilt exhibition was a tranquil haven! The softness of both palette and texture of the quilts brought a sense of calm to the room, and as Paul pointed out, there was only one man... and that was him! Most of the exhibition goers were ladies of a certain age, which was no surprise (quilts have a reputation of being a old-woman's pastime) however, I had expected maybe a few more fashionable young women, as the exhibition had been feature in Vogue, and quilts seem to be having something of a revival (a fashionable city girl, and close friend of mine recently commented that she would 'absolutely love to make a quilt' using Liberty print fabrics of course!). Being a kind of old-fashioned and traditional girl myself, I was intrigued about the history and making of the quilts. My favourites were the ones that had a social commentary, or reflected a political view of the time. As for there being no men, this seemed rather silly to me, as there was a whole (rather large, might I add) section completely devoted to quilts made by men. Usually not just men of a 'sensitive' disposition, but rather men in the army or other such professions. Making quilts was thought to calm the body, mind and soul. I think young men today need a similar hobby! It wasn't all just quilts gathering dust, there were some contemporary examples, the most famous being Tracy Emin's 'To Meet My Past'. Being the most famous however, does not necessarily make it good! My favourite contemporary piece was a bed quilt made up of a patchwork of quotes from feminist literature, along side illustrations of inane household objects (irons, washing machines...) and illustrations of women's glossy magazines. The quilt really did tell a story, and made a strong comment on both the roles of women, and indeed feminism today. I'm a sucker for marketing, and as the exit of Quilts led directly into the shop, well, I couldn't leave without buying myself some 'limited edition' pieces of material, in the vain hope that I might one day create my own quilt... with the help of the Liberty fabric department!
No comments:
Post a Comment