Exhibiting Fashion Toolkit

  • Piccini, Angela (CoI - Co-Investigator)
  • Horsley, Jeffrey (PI - Principal Investigator)

Project: Research

Project Details

Overview

This collaborative, practice-based research examines and records the live production of fashion exhibitions in a professional context. The PI is a member of the Centre for Fashion Curation (CfFC), University of the Arts London (UAL). Research will be led by the PI from an exhibition-maker's perspective: a specialist approach that focusses on exhibition development guided by visual and spatial centred methodologies, in contrast to discipline-based curatorial practice centred on collection management and collections-based research. The proposed project will also involve a filmmaker as Co-I (University of Plymouth) and three regional museum partners. The museum partners (Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend; Bankfield Museum, Halifax; Manchester Art Gallery) were selected through preparatory research and development to maximise the project's geographic reach.

Project Aims

The overall aim is to advance professional, curatorial and museological practices in the field of fashion exhibition-making supported by six objectives outlined below.
1.To develop three venue-specific fashion exhibitions, informed by the PI's exhibition-maker's perspective, that respondto each partners' collections, spaces, resources and audiences. (Led by PI in collaboration with museum partners.)
2.Should Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing measures be re-introduced during the project time frame* we willrender each exhibition as an interactive audience experience through digital online outputs. (PI in collaboration with Co-I and museum partners.)
3.To conduct an evaluative analysis of the practice-based research (linked to 1 and 2 above), using participant-focussedtechniques including film-making, interviews and project journals, to identify the particular qualities of exhibition-making and curatorial practices. (Co-I in collaboration with PI and museum partners.)
4.To use the evaluated project findings of the above research to inform an 'exhibiting fashion toolkit' that will enhance theskillset of non-specialist curators at small and mid-sized museums and equip them to produce innovative, engaging and resource efficient displays that maximise the potential of outstanding dress collections across the UK. The toolkit will be hosted online by UAL. (PI, Co-I, museum partners.)
5.To engage key stakeholders (collaborating curators, venue-specific audience participants, project Advisory Board) infurther evaluation strategies that seek to: (i) inform the final iteration of the toolkit; (ii) measure the impact of the PI's exhibition-making methodologies on practices of collaborating curators and their potential to influence future curatorial outputs; (iii) assess the impact of the venue-specific outputs on visitors and online audiences. (Co-I in collaboration with PI, EO, museum partners.)
6.To disseminate new knowledge gained from the delivery of exhibition outputs and the toolkit via a symposium,conference papers, articles in journals, professional publications and exhibition visitor guides. These will target relevant academic disciplines, museum professionals including international, national and specialist networks, and project partners' audiences. (PI in collaboration with Co-I and museum partners.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date1/01/2231/12/24

Funding

  • Arts and Humanities Research Council: £200,000.00

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities

Keywords

  • fashion curation
  • exhibition making
  • practice as research
  • toolkit
  • sustainability
  • couture
  • drag
  • historic dress
  • experimental documentary