For those of you with a good memory, you may recall a while back I announced an upcoming collaboration with the Stoke Pottery Museum and Art Gallery based on my ideas around dressing tables, female artifice and narrative through feminine belongings:
I did a run of posts called the Dressing Table Gallery where, you, the lovely readers of this blog sent in photos of your dressing tables to be showcased every week and used as research into my ideas;
Harriet Cooper's dressing table
I also looked into the theatrical side of dressing up by visiting the amazing Wigs Up North shop in Manchester, where I discovered the importance of appearance means more than just looking good, it covers gender, identity and comfort...
...and I also studied vintage dressing tables and Hollywood glamour of the past and present...
Dita Von Teese makes some last minute adjustments
...as well as looking into how other artists have tackled the idea of feminine belongings and their meanings;
My research took on a poignant note as I looked into the narritive of feminine belongings. I was inspired by the collection of supposed belongings Marilyn Monroe left after her death, which really gave a deeper empathy with the person behind the public veneer.
Image by Mark Anderson www.markanderson.com
And when my lovely Nan passed away earlier this year I was compelled to celebrate her life through talking about the objects she left behind.
This coming Monday I am visiting Stoke Pottery Museum and Art Gallery for the first viewing of their costume and decorative art collection! We are to collaborate on a project that should give the collection a new lease of life and a fresh appeal for the public.
I'm also going to be able to have access to the collection for my work and I hope to encompass all my research and ideas into some fabulous new art work!
I'll be posting about my visit next week, so see you then...
4 comments:
Your post really galvanized my interest and I look forward to your findings. It's very creative of you to take a subject that most people don't think about much, dressing tables, and produce such interesting information. Thanks!
Thanks Kittie! I am really excited and so pleased to have this great opportunity!
Hi Gemma,
It was great to see you again today. I hope you found some inspiration. I noticed you'd been directed to our old website (which needs to be taken down). Our new one is: www.stokemuseums.org.uk
See you soon,
Laura
Righto Laura, I'll use the new address in future posts. Was great to spend time in the dec arts store and see all the possibiltes. I'm currently going through all my photos and putting some stuff together for the next post... see you there!
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