Yesterday was set up day at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke! After months of preparation and research, the collaborative project between myself and the museum has been put on display!
The final display has turned out to be extremely beautiful, thanks to the variety of original vintage pieces found in the museum's archives. It felt really satifying to see them all together for the first time and place them in the display, knowing that not only do they all have part to play in constucting my projects character they are also going to be viewed by the public after spending years in storage.
Each item had to be handled carefully (hence the fetching purple latex gloves). It took a bit of trial and error before everything looked right, but I had a rough idea where I wanted everything to be, plus not everything that had been chosen got used in the end. The space could only hold so many items and also I didn't want to clutter the display and compromise the hidden story with too many objects.
Some items had been specially selected to be displayed seperately to focus on specific themes. This plinth for instance holds the original programme from the Grand Re-opening of the Theatre Royal from 1951. Around it are items from the character Mrs Brown's outfit. The display sets the scene for the rest of the dressing room and helps to illustrate what a posh event the re-opening was to the people of Stoke. I especially enjoyed putting these items together as the final outcome looks so good! (There will be a pair of opera glasses attached to this plinth so that you can zoom in on some of the smaller pieces on top of the dressing table!)
Each item had to be handled carefully (hence the fetching purple latex gloves). It took a bit of trial and error before everything looked right, but I had a rough idea where I wanted everything to be, plus not everything that had been chosen got used in the end. The space could only hold so many items and also I didn't want to clutter the display and compromise the hidden story with too many objects.
Some items had been specially selected to be displayed seperately to focus on specific themes. This plinth for instance holds the original programme from the Grand Re-opening of the Theatre Royal from 1951. Around it are items from the character Mrs Brown's outfit. The display sets the scene for the rest of the dressing room and helps to illustrate what a posh event the re-opening was to the people of Stoke. I especially enjoyed putting these items together as the final outcome looks so good! (There will be a pair of opera glasses attached to this plinth so that you can zoom in on some of the smaller pieces on top of the dressing table!)
Stoke on Trent Museums What's on guide for February - March 2011
It took months of sourcing for the museum and visits and research for me to get to the day of set up. I've really enjoyed the project; It's allowed me to gain more knowledge about one of my favourite eras. I've learnt about social aspects, fashion, entertaiment and the local history of Stoke in the post war period!
But it doesn't end here! Whilst the project is on display I will be posting Mrs Brown's Diary on a brand new blog: http://mrs-browns-diary.blogspot.com/ . Here you will be able to find out the secret life of Mrs Brown, find out who she is and what the items in her dressing room mean to her.
Plus over the six months the dressing room is on display I will be continuing the project by interacting with the set, photo sessions and some new paintings based around Mrs Brown's story! Make sure you come along to view it all!
The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery,
Bethesda Street, Cultural Quarter,
Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DW
Telephone: 01782 232323
Minicom: 01782 232515
E-mail: museums@stoke.gov.uk
Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 2 - 5pm
Admission: FREE.
But it doesn't end here! Whilst the project is on display I will be posting Mrs Brown's Diary on a brand new blog: http://mrs-browns-diary.blogspot.com/ . Here you will be able to find out the secret life of Mrs Brown, find out who she is and what the items in her dressing room mean to her.
Plus over the six months the dressing room is on display I will be continuing the project by interacting with the set, photo sessions and some new paintings based around Mrs Brown's story! Make sure you come along to view it all!
The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery,
Bethesda Street, Cultural Quarter,
Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DW
Telephone: 01782 232323
Minicom: 01782 232515
E-mail: museums@stoke.gov.uk
Open: Monday to Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 2 - 5pm
Admission: FREE.
2 comments:
It's looking great Gemma and I love the first installment of the blog. Am waiting with bated breath now to see what happens next! Thanks again for all your hard work.
Oh great! I'm glad you like her diary. I might alter the layout over time but I'm pretty happy with it so far!
I had such fun doing this project, it's been so interesting and I'm thrilled to continue with the theme and build on what we have created!
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