Dianna Vreeland at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, at 'The World of Balenciaga' exhibition, 1973
Whilst many museum and curation theorists and practitioners disliked, or at least disagreed with, the work of Diana Vreeland for the Met, I find her techniques really interesting. I find her style of curation interesting for many reasons, which I may or may not research further in my academic endeavours, however, what I read that became most intriguing, is that many of the things she introduced for fashion exhibitions, that at the time were faced with criticism, are still being used today, in both curation and commerce.
A page from 'The World of Balenciaga' exhibition book, 1973
In the 1973 exhibition held at the Met based, 'The World of Balenciaga', focused on, quite obviously, Cristobal Balenciaga, Vreeland placed empty bottles of Balenciaga's fragrance, Le Dix, were placed in the air conditioning units to scent the gallery space, in the theory that "nothing evoked the emotional connection of memory more than sound and smell'. [1]
Adverts for Balenciaga 'Le Dix' perfume
Interestingly, the current exhibition at Fashion and Textiles Museum, 'The World of Anna Sui', is also scented - and uses the same title structure 'The World of...'. Both the downstairs and upstairs sections of the exhibition space are scented with two of Sui's whimsical fragrances. Similarly, music is a great part of the exhibition, with a curated playlist that plays throughout the space. Undoubtedly, many of the senses are fully engaged in this exhibition; sight, sound and smell. Although, it can be said, that without a careful watch, many guests also try to gain a sense of touch too - by touching the garments on display (this has led me to some research in the presence - and removal - of glass in a museum and how this chances the visitors experience. Watch this space).
I digress.
I would be interested, should I get the chance, to ask Dennis Nothdruft if there was any connection or inspiration drawn from Vreeland in the creation of this exhibition.
This relationship between the Sartorial and Scent developed into more general research about Fashion Houses and Fragrance, as seen on a Facebook post below:
Screenshot of the Facebook Post I wrote for the Fashion and Textiles Museum
Following all this research about fragrance, I visited the Perfume exhibition at Somerset House, but more about that next time....
[1] Harold Koda and Jessica Glasscock, Fashion and Museums: Theory and Practice, Chapter 1, page 28
No comments:
Post a Comment