Exhibition Review: The Enchanted Palace

 Photo credit: HRP newsteam.co.uk

 

The princess will fall into

the arms of the beloved. She will be

happy, for a while.

On her wedding day

there will be angels

passing, gods pronouncing

sages advising, and

crowds strewing the

roads with roses

red as desire.

But the shadowy form

has always been behind

her.

She was running towards love

and dancing with death

all her life.

                                             by Mercedes Kemp

This excerpt of a poem called Charlotte at the Kings Staircase by Mercedes Kemp encapsulates the exhibition The Enchanted Palace now open at Kensington Palace in London. Not your run of the mill installation, this collaboration between fashion designers and artists including Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones, Boudicca, Echo Morgan, Aminaica Wilmont and William Tempest remakes Kensington Palace into a contemporary art gallery.

Focused on the lives of seven royal princesses, the exhibition challenges the viewer to actively engage in the installations. The thematic rooms incorporate site-specific art, fashion and poetry to give the viewer clues as to which princess the room is paying tribute to, but it is not until the end of the exhibition that the answers are revealed in light boxes which cleverly turn into mirrors. Undoubtedly frustrating for many of the visitors that were expecting to see more run-of-the-mill, fusty royal displays, I laughed with delight at the whimsy and incredible creativity of the artists and designers who participated in this project. In fact, I felt somewhat jealous that I hadn't been part of it! 

Seven former residents of Kensington Palace served as the inspiration for the exhibition and included:

Queen Mary II 1662-1694

Queen Anne 1665-1714

Queen Caroline 1683-1737

Princess Charlotte 1796-1817

Queen Victoria 1819-1901

Princess Margaret 1930-2002

Princess Diana 1961-1997

The three installations that were in my mind the most enchanting included:

In the Cupola room, there were three mannequin's torsos suspended from the ceiling with sculptural elements that looked like steel crinoline hoops and metal time pieces. I'd hazard a guess that some people walked into this room and didn't even look up to the ceiling to see these extraordinary works by Boudica and William Tempest.

Photo by Richard Lea-Hair HRP newsteam.co.uk

A Dress for a Rebellious Princess was a magnificent Vivienne Westwood gown suspended on a back staircase to look like a headless princess running down the stairs. The saucy button on the bodice reads "I AM EXPENSIV" (sic).

Dress of the World by illustrator and set designer Echo Morgan was a washi-paper dress sculpture which takes the shape of Kensington Palace's infamous 17th century Rockingham mantua. This dress sculpture was covered in tiny drawings and set on top of a wire frame with baby carriage wheels. This room also included a curiosity cabinet filled with whimsical artwork.  

 Photo by Richard Lea-Hair HRP newsteam.co.uk

In the realm of the royal Kensington Palace, these engaging artworks take on a deeper significance alluding to the nightmarish and often troubled fate that befell most of these princesses.

She is dressed each morning

she is fiercely corseted,

encased in dresses that

feel like coffins.

                           by Mercedes Kemp

This exhibition created in association with WILDWORKS was a mash up of fashion, site-specific installation art, history, poetry and performance. It really and truly was enchanting. Kensington Palace's show The Enchanted Palace continues until January 2012.

Kensington Palace

Hyde Park

London, England

Note: All images were provided by HRP newsteam.co.uk and are under copyright.

Another Mad Hatter's Tea Party this Saturday!

Illustration of The Mad Hatter from Alice and Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

I'm hosting another Mad Hatter's Tea Party this Saturday, March 14th and I hope you'll join me for some more fun and frivolity.

This is what you need to do: take a photo of a hat you made (origami, crafted, knit) or a hat that you adore and send it to me no later than Friday, March 13th at 12 noon EST at artismylife@mac.com.

If you need some inspiration, scroll back in March to see last Saturday's riotous posting and other postings about hats or visit the on-line site for the Victoria and Albert exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones (photo below). And take a peek at Judith's studio and The Chic Geek to see their fabulous hats.

Photo of Stephen Jones from Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.

And lastly, consider this quote from John Galliano:
"Hats are the ultimate finishing touch, the piece de resistance that shows grooming, panache and style. They really complete a silhouette, whether they are modern or eccentric, work of art or functional. I think everyone should wear one -- there's nothing to fear from hats."

Quotes about Hats

Hats by Alexander McQueen, 2008 Collection


At the opening of the exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Stephen Jones had some insightful comments about hats:

"Hats are a great antidote to what's going on. It's really their purpose to put a happy face on a sad world."

"That's the thing about hats. They're extravagant and full of humour and allow for a sense of costume, but in a lighthearted way."


Here are some other famous quotations about hats:

"Fashion is a kind of communication. It's a language without words. A great hat speaks for itself." (author unknown)

"Saying you don't look good in a hat is like saying you don't look good in shoes!" (author unknown)

"I myself have 12 hats, and each one represents a different personality." (Margaret Atwood)

"I enjoy hats. And when one has filthy hair, that is a good accessory." (Julia Roberts)

"A hat is a flag, a shield, a bit of armor, and the badge of femininity. A hat is the difference between wearing clothing and wearing a costume; it's the difference between being dressed and being dressed up; it's the difference between looking adequate and looking your best. A hat is to be stylish in, to glow under, to flirt beneath, to make all others seem jealous over, and to make all men feel masculine about. A piece of magic is a hat." (Martha Sliter)

Maybe I will wear that crazy red hat after all!

Please join me on Saturday at 10 am EST for the first Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

Hats and Inspiration

People often ask me how I get inspiration for my artwork. My answer is that I don't really know when or how inspiration will come, but the key is to be open to the world around me.

For example, while researching the newly opened exhibition of hats at the Victoria and Albert Museum curated by Stephen Jones, I noticed this instruction sheet on the V&A website. Artist Nick Robinson lays out visuals on how to make an origami hat.

I gave it a try, first with a regular piece of paper, and then using smaller pieces of paper. After a few attempts, it started to be fun. By that point, I was confident enough in the method that I could modify his instructions to suit my vision. I used pretty Japanese handmade washi paper and applied ribbon trims. In the end, I abandoned the origami method altogether and tried a pillbox style. And this was the result. These paper hats are very tiny (the pink one is maybe an inch tall).

A trio of Party Hats
Mixed media, copyright Ingrid Mida 2009

The Hat

This is the hat that I referred to in my post on hats on Monday. Isn't it fabulous? If only I could actually wear it! But even in the few minutes that I had it on to take my photo, I ended up with hat head.

Apparently the opening night gala for the Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones was the talk of today's fashion press. Almost everyone wore hats and those that did not, probably regretted it like Vogue's Plum Sykes (maybe she didn't want to get hat head!). To see a slideshow of the gala evening, check out on NY Mag's Fashion Alert.

Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones

One of my favourite fashion haunts is the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. Their exhibitions are divinely inspired and innovative. Their latest exhibition Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones opens tomorrow (February 24, 2009 - May 31, 2009). Stephen Jones is a top-notch London milliner who has designed hats for people such as Princess Diana and Isabella Blow. He often works in collaboration with fashion designers like John Galliano and Marc Jacobs.

In this exhibition at the V&A, Jones has curated this exhibition of over 300 hats for their cultural and historical importance. "Historic hats redolent of romance and adventure are a constant source of inspiration for many milliners. Simple folded shapes such as the tricore can be reimagined, evoking the drama of a bygone age."

I won't be able to make it over to see the V&A in person for this show but I was thrilled that I could actually view many of the hats on-line. There is also a mesmerizing video of how a hat is created. Making a hat is a labour of love to be sure! And if you'd like to see Stephen Jones talk about his life and his work, check out the youtube video.

Seeing this exhibition online reminded me of a glorious hat that I bought a few years back and have tucked in the back of my closet. I've never had the nerve to wear it but the quote from French fashion editor Genevieve Dariaux seems appropo: "take the one you fall in love with, which mysteriously does something for you, which magically makes you feel more beautiful." I felt beautiful and mysterious when I tried on this hat in the shop. Maybe it is time to actually wear it!