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victoria and albert museum

Home Tag victoria and albert museum
mary quant at the v&a museum in tandem with london design festival 2019.

mary quant at the v&a museum in tandem with london design festival 2019.

Oct 23, 2019

the whole point of fashion is to make fashionable clothes available to everyone ~ mary quant 1966

dame mary quant defined the young, playful look of the 1960s, becoming britain’s best-known designer, a fashion icon, and a powerful role model for working women. harnessing an explosion in shopping and the media – in photography, graphics, journalism and advertising – she helped shape a forward-looking, innovative identity for post-war britain.

above > 1944 sketchbook by mary quant
made when quant was just 14, this sketchbook shows her early interest in drawing figures, here in the nostalgic style of mabel lucie atwell. in her 1966 autobiography, she recalled admiring a childhood friend’s short black skirt and tap shoes worn for dance lessons – the sort of clothes which later inspired her designs for the miniskirt.

above> courtesy of victoria and albert museum collection

quant was a self-taught designer, attending evening classes on cutting and adjusting mass-market printed patterns to achieve the looks she was after. once technically proficient, she initiated a hand-to-mouth production cycle: the day’s sales at bazaar paid for the cloth that was then made up overnight into new stock for the following day. the look was fresh and competitively priced.

1960-64 victorian-modern
quant combines victorian nineteenth century fashion with a fruitful source of inspiration often resulting in surprising styles which helped to get publicity for the mary quant brand.

above – below > early 60s – death of the debutante
snobbery has gone out of fashion / fashion editors endorse bazaar with its distinctive designs, witty window displays and jazzy fashion shows. quant’s shop becomes a destination for professional women seeking streamlined, modern fashion. buying a new dress is a new rite of passage for london’s fashionable elite, as aristocratic customs such as ‘deb of the year’ and court presentations become outdated.

above > 1960-64 – english eccentrics
like a good dancer, she accommodates her steps to the changing rhythms of fashion / quant brings an entertaining slant to fashion. repurposing victorian frills and childrenswear, she play with color and silhouettes. inspired by serviceable cottons and dependable woolens and tweads, she works directly with weavers and manufacturers in wales, wittshire, and yorkshire. at the same time she revives the boyish look of the 1920s flapper. he bewigged, gawky mannequins strike unusual poses in bazaar’s window displays, alongside props such as live goldfish, stuffed birds or dead lobsters. passerby stop to stare.

above > 1963-65 the ginger group
quant clothes at budget prices to buy a piece at a time / quant strides into new territory with her ginger group collection. the name is a political term for a pressure group, derived from the use of ginger as a verb to pep things up. the first ginger group collection is based on the american sportswear principle of interchangeable separates. with a new graphic identiy and a lower price point, the range provides countless mix-and-match possibilities combined wit the cachet of quant.

above > 1963 – 65 the wet collection
bewitched…with this super shiny man-made stuff and its shrieking colors…its gleaming liquorice black, white and ginger / quant launches her wet collection in april 1963 at the hotel de crillon, paris. the collection features a relatively new material called polyvinyl chloride (pvc), a shiny plastic-coated cotton which reflects increasing fascination and modernity. because of mass-production delays of sealing pvc seams the collection takes two years to launch on the high street.

above > 1966-75 style evolution
switching to the sounds of the seventies / having created the minimal look which defined the 1960s, quant’s style becomes eclectic and retrospective amid the economic and political uncertainties of the 1970s. still combining victorian details with bright colors and a clean modern finish.

above > 1965-75 liberated fashion
i didn’t have time to wait for women’s lib / in this time of growing activism and struggle for equal rights, quant has a visionary take on the role of women. her assertive, liberating minidresses express the changes of post-war-briton, giving women an independent style of their own. she credit’s her king’s road customers as her inspiration and the ones leading the feminist rebellion. in 1967, she describes the young as, ‘prototypes’ of a whole new race of women…it’s their questioning attitude that make them important and different.

above > 1966-73 girls will be boys
i didn’t want to grow up, perhaps that’s something to do with it / from 1966, tomboyish models like the teenaged twiggy promote the minidress-look in typical quant style: knock kneed in gawkish poses, often sporting cropped hair and resisting the constraints of adult stereotypes. these often provocative styles reflect increasingly relaxed attitudes in society towards sexuality in all its forms, reinforced legally by the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1967.

above > quant and vidal sassoon 1964

above > 1965-67 underwear
foundation garments needn’t be surgical. get a birthday suit and be your own sweet self (minus six pounds) / the silhouette of quant’s dresses requires a new kind of underwear or ‘foundation garment’. magazines aimed at adventurous young women feature ‘q-form’ worn by models in dynamic poses. the images promote unrestricted movement and the new ideal for a lithe, childlike physique. later these are replaced by quant’s simple ‘booby traps’ and knickers.

above > 1965-67 alligator rainwear
since when did the raincoat go wild? since mary quant designed for alligator / quant’s fascination with shiny, waterproof pvc is realized with her collaboration with alligator rainwear. alligator’s manufacturing expertise resolves the wet collection issues, allowing a new bright range of colors, capes, zips and contrasting collars.

above >1965-67 the jersey dress
i want free-flowing, feminine lines that compliment a women’s shape…i want relaxed clothes, suited to the actions of normal life / quant discovers a new type of wool jersey that’s heat-bonded to an acetate backing and available in the brightest, deepest colors. previously used in underwear and for rugby or football kit, jersey’s smooth, fluid qualities are perfect for quant’s signature sportry minidresses. worn with matching berets, tights and shoes giving a total top-to-toe block of color.

1962-66 the miniskirt
the shock of the knee / quant’s knee-skimming outfits are first noticed by the media in 1960. an emerging street style, shorter skirts develop in tandem with teenage dance crazes. quant’s designs, often based on practical schoolgirl pinafores, adapt the look for grown-ups with hemlines gradually rising to well above the knee. although exclusive paris couturier andré courreges achieves international publicity for the higher hemlines in 1964, quant, the female celebrity designer, becomes recognized as inventor and ambassador for the style. the miniskirt becomes an accepted part of fashion as well as an international symbol of london’s youthful look and of women’s liberation.

above > crêpe dress with frilled collar and cuffs by mary quant for ginger group, modeled by patti boyd with the rolling stones. photograph by john french, 1960s, london. museum no. ct64253. © victoria and albert museum, london

the above feature created from the victoria and albert museum‘s installation mary quant, open thru 16 february 2020

non-pavilion by studio micat, there project and proud studio at v&a. london design festival 2019.

non-pavilion by studio micat, there project and proud studio at v&a. london design festival 2019.

Sep 14, 2019

the idea of endless economic growth is proving environmentally unsustainable. with the global population hurtling towards 11 billion by the end of the century, we cannot continue our consumerist pattern.

as creators of new and desirable things, the design community can help in proposing new and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.

the concept of ‘degrowth’ offers a response. it suggests sufficiency for all instead of excess for a few. it means imagining a good life beyond consumerism.

the non-pavilion creates a space in its most minimal sense, inviting visitors to engage with the idea of ‘less’ as enrichment rather than loss. drawing on the beauty and simplicity of swiss baugespanne – the poles, rods and wires erected to help the public visualize the impact of a proposed development – the non-pavilion serves as a ghostly reminder of our urgent need to produce less.

through ar technology the digital pavilions aim to ask pertinent questions for our times. can design facilitate a change in mindsets away from consumerism and the mantra of economic growth? can design help identify and promote societal values fit for the 21st century and advance a sustainable, prosperous and fulfilling human existence? how can designers and architects use their skills to provide vision and inspiration for this progressive and much needed movement?

a rallying call to action, the non-pavilion offers a safe space for testing out and discussing ideas for a fairer, richer future.

supported by entuitive

v&a, the sackler courtyard
cromwell road, knightsbridge
kensington
SW7 2RL

tube > south kensington

#ldf19 #victoriaandalbertmuseum

british land celebration of design medal exhibition. london design festival 2018.

british land celebration of design medal exhibition. london design festival 2018.

Sep 15, 2018

the exhibition illustrates the breadth of work and scale of achievement of each of the four winners across the categories of london design, design innovation, emerging design and lifetime achievement.

visitors are invited to room 55, clore study area to explore each designer’s work, in an exhibition curated and designed by okolo.

this year’s exhibition, inspired by the idea of a card house, will guide visitors through texts, images, illustrations, prototypes, materials and objects, narrating the creative story of each designer. designers will be presented not just as creative individuals, but in the context of their creative world, understanding their signature styles, and exploring the influences behind their work.

the 2018 medal winners
panerai london design medal: hussein chalayan
lifetime achievement medal supported by fortnum & mason: eva jiricna
design innovation medal supported by sap: neri oxman
emerging design medal supported by storey: grace wales bonner

faye toogood invites visitors to explore the v&a wearing a custodian’s coat. LDF15.

faye toogood invites visitors to explore the v&a wearing a custodian’s coat. LDF15.

Sep 19, 2015

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_French_Tye_01

photo > french and tye

10 custodian-style coats by London-based designer with Kvadrat Faye Toogood invite visitors to delve deeper into the permanent collection of the city’s iconic Victoria and Albert museum.

A visit to a museum usually starts with checking your coat into a cloakroom. At the V&A throughout the London Design Festival, visitors were instead invited to exchange their coat for one of 150 custodian-style compressed-foam Kvadrat coats, designed by Toogood. “Each coat has been hand-painted emphasising the seam, the pattern and the pattern cutting,” said Toogood who launched her first fashion collection with pattern-cutter sister Erica two years ago. “But we’re not asking everyone to look the exactly same, because on the backs of the coats are faces, so you can pick your little face.”

ldf15_Toogood_Cloakroom_02

Hand-illustrated maps sewn into the pocket of each coat led visitors to 10 different “coats” – specially commissioned sculptures that responded to specific items or spaces within the museum. “One of the main ambitions of the project was to get people to go to parts of the museum they might not normally go to – not just to put a piece within a space, but to really engage with the exhibitions,” said Toogood.

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_French_Tye_04

photo > french and tye

All created by British fabricators, artisans and manufacturers, and named after the trade they reflect, the coats are made from unexpected materials from studded industrial rubber to intricately carved wood.

ldf15-Toogood_WoodCarver_04

The Wood Carver (above) was hand-formed from European Oak by Stuart Interiors in response to the strapwork ornamentation of the 16th-century Old Palace in Wax Gallery 58, where this sculpture could be found. Scaled-up markings of the original clay maquette can be seen in the finished form, leaving a legacy of the design and making process.

ldf15-toogood_09

Overlooking the veined marble “Staircase A,” outside the Arebascato Marble Gallery 58, The Stone Mason (above) made by Lapicida features flowing fabric forms dictated by the digital scanning process on the front and precise machine-cut incisions on the back.

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_Welder

The Welder (above), formed by Newcastle-based Novocastrian, comprises a blue aluminum rod outline of coat encased in a blackened mild-steel mesh box, complementing the 1990s steelwork of the Wendy Ramshaw screen displayed nearby. Pivoting discs of mirrored glass at its collar and cuffs encourage a moment of literal and metaphorical reflection.

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_Sculptor_03

Inspired by the Victorian casts of Salisbury Cathedral’s medieval stonework displayed in nearby Gallery 64b, and created by fiberglass First, The Sculptor (above) comprises ten layers of flat coat-shaped fiberglass in varying tones, bound together with galvanized steel bolts standing in for the coat’s buttons.

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_Astronomer_01

The Astronomer (above) resembles a flattened and creased leather coat, but on closer inspection it is in fact cast from patinated bronze, the reverse side revealing its supporting structure and cerulean blue hue inspired by the trompe-l’oeil mastery of Alessandro Pampurino’s Renaissance ceiling grisaille in Gallery 64a.

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_Blacksmith_02

In Gallery 62, The Blacksmith (above) is a heavy-duty industrial rubber coat pierced with hundreds of steal studs and mirrored screw-enclosures to create the aesthetic of an armored hide harking back to the specialized apparel of 16th-century tournaments and battlegrounds.

ldf15-Toogood_Cloakroom_Tiler_01

The Tiler (above) in Gallery 143 is made from loosely piled terracotta pottery shards arranged to approximate the form of a coat, with viscous drips of tinted resin oozing down its sides. Its jagged outline references both the heritage of the ceramics industry and pixelated images of the digital era. This sculpture was made by Natural Stone Projects.

ldf15-Toogood_Potter_01

Resembling a coat covered in white post-it notes, The Potter (above) was made by 1882 Ltd from fragments of glazed stoneware and earthenware, which have been annotated with words and phrases from the Toogood manifesto, which includes calls to arms like “We hereby reject and reprehend the cruel diktats of the discredited fashionista treadmill,” “We shall… clear the way for a new aesthetic rooted in individuality and honesty,” and “We celebrate the craft and the toil of the workers.”

ldf15-Toogood_Plasterer_01

The Plasterer (above) is more the absence of a coat than a coat. A block of plaster lies on the floor of Gallery 54, with a counter-relief of a coat carved out of its middle. The piece, made by London Mould Makers, was inspired by the 18th-century fashion for intricate plasterwork mouldings – as mastered by the architect James Gibbs – and seen on the ceiling this room, making the coat a reflection of what’s above.

ldf154-Toogood__Embroiderer_01

Finally, a bedroom-hanging from Stoke Edith House in Gallery 54 provided inspiration for The Embroiderer (above). Woven from steel wool mesh, the coat merges the results of fine needlework with the tools used in its creation – thousands of stainless steel pins have been stitched into its fabric.

Faye Toogood at her London studio

above> faye toogood in her london studio / photo mark c o’flaherty

ldf15-Toogood_sketch1

above / below >the cloakroom concept sketches

ldf15-Toogood_sketch2

The Cloakroom by Faye Toogood at the V&A museum 19 – 27 September 2015 to coincide with the London Design Festival.

Swarm study/iii. London.

Jul 14, 2011

On 18 June, the V&A unveiled SWARM STUDY / III, a new interactive light installation by Random International. The monumental piece will overhang the staircase that adjoins the Architecture and Ceramics Galleries for the next three years. The installation has been developed specifically for this position, in association with the Carpenters Workshop Gallery.

Swarm Study / III is made up of illuminated brass rods, suspended from the ceiling in an arrangement of four large cubes. As visitors move up and down the stairs, so the light follows in swarm-like formations, varying subtly in its intensity. Tracked by a camera, the visitors’ movements stimulate the behavior of the installation. Controlled by a complex algorithm, Swarm Study / III translates collective behavioral patterns found in nature into moving light. Though apparently inanimate, the installation is brought to life by visitors’ activity, engaging them with both the swarm itself and the surrounding space of the Museum.
Swarm Study III by Random International on view 18 June 2011 – 2014
Victoria and Albert Museum | Architecture Gallery and Ceramics Gallery 
Cromwell Rd | London SW7 2RL

[ victoria and albert museum ] [ random international ] [ carpenters workshop gallery ]

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