Pop Art Fabrics and Fashion – From Warhol to Westwood
Temporary exhibition Textiel Museum, Tilburg
The exhibition was on the ground floor in the museum located
between the Lab and the historical gallery. Having had such openness of
conversation and photography even with the commissioned pieces happening in the
Lab it was strange to move to space of
no photographs. So my initial visit had some sneaky pictures, my second visit I
asked and the guard was kind enough to say yes for educational purposes. Which
with the complexity of the exhibition narrative and some innovative textile and
fashion curation was really helpful to record for future reference.
The exhibition opened in the era of Rock ‘n Roll with some
excellent examples of how textile print captured the zest and energy of the
time. Textiles as an advertising and marketing a tool were presented through pieces
from Bassett’s Liquorice allsorts, Bass Long Life Beer and Martini. This was
innovative brand development and pieces that are often discarded. The Martini
printed fabric had been made into a circular skirt confirming the sophisticated
message of the drink and its standing as an aspirational brand.
 |
| sneaky photo hence blurred.......martini skirt |
The hook of the exhibition were the pieces from Andy Warhol
and Vivienne Westwood. I have a mixed relationship with Warhol. I am in awe of
his ability to grab the zeitgeist of the time and be such an innovator. The
taking of his work by Philip Treacy to create headwear breathed new life into
over used visuals. So I stepped into this part of the exhibition determined to
remove my pre-conceived thoughts and biases. I was justly rewarded. The
textiles pieces were fresh and exquisitely created and charted the time pre
fame when Warhol worked as a graphic designer and created textile designs. With
the current vintage pattern trends the fabrics displayed were really appealing.
I particularly liked the colours and shapes on the lemon print and the fountain
pen print which had been made into a skirt. There were not many pieces in this
part of the display but enough to tell the narrative, make one smile and look
again at a designer who can be ubiquitous.
 |
| Warhol Lemon Print |
Turning from the Warhol the exhibition moved cleanly into
1960’s design. The tabloid of fashion was well formed with excellent
mannequins, displaying the clothes and the look. Fashion exhibitions can be
difficult, a fine line between a shop display and museum narrative. The casing
for the stands was beautiful. Sometimes it would be great to just walk into an
exhibition and see the exhibition not the accouterments that make it. But I am
away on research work, so I guess its allowed!!
 |
| Op Art dresses |
Great range of Rabanne, Quant, Cardin and some hand made
pieces highlighting how the look was taken on by teenagers and youths. The
vitrines along side had stunning selections of jewellery and accessories which
confirmed the pop art and op arts impact
on fashion and design. The scenography of the exhibition was well designed and
implemented.
The two rooms to the right charted the next stage and how
music played an influential role. There were some high profile pieces from
paper dresses and the adverts that promoted them to pieces designed and worn by
the Beatles. I particularly liked the knitwear piece designed by Hockney.
Always good to see a bit of Yorkshire.
 |
| Hockney designed jumper |
The final room showcasing the Westwood pieces was a mix of video,
oversized objects, T-shirt design and the clothes from punk. Again well spaced
and engaged the viewer. Having such open space to exhibit and showcase work
makes such a profound difference.
Really excellent exhibition even more so when I was able to
take photographs.......
No comments:
Post a Comment