Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Kaj Franck designs, a surprise gift

For a museum person, receiving a museum piece as a gift is just a fantastic surprise!  This is what happens when I opened the box from Iitala and I  saw the beautiful glasses Kartio, designed by Kaj Franck in 1958 for the firm Iitala.  Then browsing into my photo archives, I discovered they were one of the objects shown as part of a retrospective exhibition of Kaj Franck at the Design Museum in Gent (Belgium) held in January 2012.

These are the glasses, now in my collection.





And here is the article published in blog with the full review of the exhibit, and some images from the exhibit with the archival pieces.







Monday, February 17, 2014

"Living Fashion", exhibition at the MoMu Antwerp (March-August 2012)

These weeks the news about fashion in the main international cities are full with mentions of catwalks and presentations for A/W collections.  The nowness of these events influence the obvious reflection on the importance of timelessness.  To help understanding the meaning of wearing fashion,  two years ago the MoMu Antwerp developed and exhibition that displayed part of the collection of Mrs. Jacoba de Jonge, which was being research and now is part of the museum's archives.

The exhibit called "Living Fashion, Women's daily wear 1750-1950", curated by Karen Van Godtsenhoven and Wim Mertens, both curators at the Mode Museum, explored the idea of middle class women's garde robe for every day circumstances.  The period the exposition covered  is ample and showed  the transformation of fashion rules and impositions over a long lapse, and reflects that changes in garments and habits of wearing them were somehow product of historical and social changes.





The exhibition was divided into 13 sections each one of them presenting the different aspects of apparels and accessories, establishing a conversation on how and when to wear them and translating the the evolution of textiles and patterns.  The design of the layout followed the idea of juxtaposing home and street wear according to social rules. 



At the entrance of the expo there was a video showing some interesting aspects of working with archives and collections and there was a sing with information about delicate conditions under what the dress, costumes and textiles must be exhibited, therefore the very bleak lighting was used in all the halls that sometimes coloured warmly some of the garments.

View of the exhibit with generals and some close ups of pieces and accessories.





















There were some videos and large format prints that offer context to the pieces showed.  Those prints were as interesting to observe as the collection itself.






Friday, February 14, 2014

Happy Valentine's Day!

A day to celebrate and wear red!


Piece from the exhibition Living Fashion, Women's Daily Wear 175-1950, MuseumMode, Antwerp, Belgium  (March-August 2012)

Saturday, February 8, 2014

"Talking Textiles" at TextielMuseum, Tilburg (The Netherlands)


 "After a reaction to the increasingly digital landscape of our lives, a craving for tactility and dimension has led designers to reconsider the role of fabrics once more. The near future will see the overwhelming return of textiles in our interiors, covering floors, walls and furniture in an expansive and personal manner. These textiles will speak loud and clear to become the fabrics of life, narrating stories, designing pattern, promoting well-being and reviving the act of weaving."


This is part of the proposal presented at the exhibition Talking Textiles, curated by trend forecaster and design curator Lidewij Edelkoort, at the Textiel Museum in Tilburg (The Netherlands) that closed some days ago.

The museum is a great scenery for the textiles world and explores the many possibilities in the field.  It is a place to follow closely for its innovative presentations and research.



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