Interwoven World: How Fashion Connects Us

My role

The conception, ideas, object and museum selection, presentation, and design were all solely my own. I was inspired by extensive research, reading exhibition reviews, referring to museum and gallery guidelines, interviewing curators, and visiting exhibitions.

Aims and Objectives

1. Increase understanding of the interconnected nature of culture through fashion.

2. Question cultural appropriation and essentialist narratives.

3. Increase Global Majority and overseas visitors from USA, Europe and Asia.

Main themes and concepts

The overarching theme is ‘connection’, split into three sub-themes: 

1. Appropriation or Admiration? - Explores the global demand for Indian and Chinese textiles pre 20th-century

2. Appropriation or Domination? - Explores the influence of colonialism 

3. Appropriation or Inspiration? - Explores hybrid clothing from the 20th-century onwards 

Relationship between aims and objects of exhibition and Museum’s strategic plan or mission

The exhibition’s focus on attracting global majority and overseas visitors, and enhancing understanding of different cultures complements the V&A’s key strategies to grow target audiences and attract more visitors from Europe, Asia and the USA. The international nature of the exhibition content suggests it would make a popular touring exhibition meeting the V&A’s strategy to grow ‘touring exhibitions businesses’. The use of social media in marketing and engaging with the exhibition will support the museum’s strategy to maximise its social media presence. 

Proposed timeframe

Suggested dates of 15th April 2023 to 26th November 2023 as:

• V&A exhibitions are typically three years in the making. 

• Dates coincide with the opening of V&A East and peak UK tourist numbers from international target markets.

• The recommended display period for textiles is 6-9 months.

Interpretation Techniques

Labels used minimally to convey essential information. Visitors to be provided with a device that utilises proximity technology to display text and video in their chosen language, allowing them to favourite, vote and comment on objects. The final exhibition room will contain a live feed of interactions. By providing their details, visitors can access their favourited objects at home, curate their own groups of objects from the V&A collections and share these on social media with a designated hashtag.

Clothing displayed in glass cases slightly raised off the ground. Pathways are 1500mm wide to accommodate wheelchair users. 

Specific conservation needs identified

Clothing should be displayed on a mannequin or laid flat at a 20-60° angle if seams are too weak. Mannequins must be padded to avoid creasing and weight-strain. Textiles to be displayed in climate-controlled glass cases at 10-20°C temperature and 45-65% humidity. Lighting should be no more than 50 lux throughout. 

Possible tour venues

• V&A sites in Dundee, Scotland and Shekou, China 

• Moda Goa Museum, India: Due to open this year, the museum will focus on clothing history in the region and its impact nationally and internationally. With many Indian textiles featured, the exhibition complements the museum’s aims. 

• CAFA Art Museum, Beijing and Asian Art Museum, San Francisco: both borrowed V&A exhibitions previously. Museums’ objectives have an international focus aligning with the exhibition’s aims.

Reception

I received my highest marks for this assignment, receiving the following feedback from my tutor:

1. KNOWLEDGE (appropriate range of reading, knowledge and understanding of existing material)

Wow. This is such a visually striking and coherent presentation! You have combined a high level of detail with a strong visual sense. I love your use of background transparent images and of colours to help the viewer to navigate the presentation. You have worked out the interpretation and display techniques to a high level, but present them in simple, comprehensible formats.

The proposal demonstrates a real understanding of the material you want to exhibit and its potential audience. You have carefully considered its suitability for the V&A and worked out objects, themes and concepts that would suit the venue and its possible touring sites. Really impressive level of detail on objects, tour venues, and the conservation issues. Timeframe is carefully thought out, noting the demands of textile display.

2. ARGUMENT (relevance, clarity and structure of the argument, critical engagement with the material, appropriate use of textual evidence, independence of thought)

This exhibition proposal demonstrates a real critical engagement with the material, a sensitivity to its needs and potential and a lively approach, all of which are essential for a curator! The title is excellent, very catchy and informative, and the concept is timely and engaging. You have conceived of the project in alignment with the aims and objectives of the V&A as an institution. Your themes are nicely broken down into manageable sub-themes.

Deceptively simple, this presentation is clearly the result of lots of iterations. You have worked through the requirements of the exhibition in great detail, thinking, for example, about the pose of the mannequins and how that might reflect an ethnographic or a fashion perspective. The role of the exhibition design is pivotal in expressing the theme of the show, with the coloured cord textiles literally and symbolically connecting elements. This would be such a striking and memorable experience - I hope you get to mount this exhibition one day!

3. PRESENTATION (spelling, punctuation, grammar, clarity of language, referencing style)

Fantastic presentation that combines hand-drawn plans with striking images, mood board collage and montages. The level of detail is impressive. The clarity and confidence of your proposal in the light of considerable difficulties this term is impressive.

4. STRENGTHS

I want to visit this exhibition! Fantastic work, this is a confident and imaginative proposal full of detail and fresh ideas.

Impressive level of detail in this highly developed and visually striking presentation. Well done!