Our second Making Historical Dress online event showcased some recreative work taking place in Australia and New Zealand.
1. The restitching of the Yellow Dress: The Yellow Dress Project a collaboration of The National Trust and NIDA. Lucy Francis and Jasmin Gray
The Yellow Dress Project explores pieces of 18th-century silk fragments belonging to an 18th-century gown that were found in a storage bag at Old Government House, through in-depth, object-based research. By reconstructing and remaking these historic pieces, we uncover valuable insights into their construction and the lives of the people who made them. Our systematic approach—encompassing analysis, documentation, and reconstruction—reveals the rich, multi-layered narratives embedded in these garments over time. Join us to discover the intriguing stories and revelations that emerged from this historical journey.
Bios: Jasmin and Lucy were The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) students at the time of the Yellow Dress Project, working with Hilary Davidson.
2. Pocket Archives and Material Memories: Embodied creative research through garment deconstruction and alteration. Cerys, Dallaway, Davidson
This research delves into dress history methodologies that emphasise the artifact as the primary source. By examining museum held and second-hand garments with found pocket contents or connected material culture, the study aims to uncover insights about the garments, their previous wearers, and the contexts in which they were worn. One key aspect of this research involves creative intervention through deconstruction and alteration. This talk will focus on this aspect, detailing the processes and outcomes from a few case studies.
Bio: Cerys is Poutiaki Taonga | Collections Curator at the University of Waikato | Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato in New Zealand. She has been working in the GLAM sector in both curatorial and collection management capacities for over a decade.
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