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Reconstruction

Reconstruction © Hussein Chalayan, Afterwords, A/W 2000. Photograph Christopher Moore

© Hussein Chalayan, Afterwords, A/W 2000. Photograph Christopher Moore

Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion 

Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and the Making of Contemporary Fashion was a British Council commissioned touring exhibition curated by fashion curator Alison Moloney and designed by Nissen-Richards Studio. A culmination of our New Silk Road programme, the exhibition featured the work of seven UK-based designers who reference their cultural heritage, histories and personal memories in their work, including Hussein Chalayan, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Peter Jensen, Sophia Kokosalaki, Osman Yousefzada and Marios Schwab. The exhibition toured along the Silk Road to seven cities in Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia and Georgia from 2011 to 2012. It was accompanied by catwalk shows of local designers referencing their cultural heritage, film screenings and workshops on fashion blogging and fashion curation.

Location
South Asia

Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Fashion

Reconstruction: Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Fashion Marios Schwab Autumn/Winter 2010 collection which was a homage to his Austrian heritage. Photo by Dan Lecca

Marios Schwab Autumn/Winter 2010 collection which was a homage to his Austrian heritage. Photo by Dan Lecca

24 January 2011
by Alison Moloney

Over the past four years I’ve worked on a programme of events in Central and South Asia  - New Silk Road - which explored the use of traditional crafts skills and iconography from the region within contemporary practice.

 

In Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan we developed a series of workshops, predominantly focusing on fashion and textiles, which addressed this subject. Last year we commissioned Basso and Brooke to produce a collection inspired from travels in Uzbekistan which was shown at the Design Museum Tank ,and this then travelled to Uz Style Week last October.

 

The next stage of this programme will be an exhibition of contemporary fashion from the UK which focuses on the work of designers who incorporate elements of their cultural heritage within their work.

 

‘Reconstruction’  - which will open in Astana, Kazakhstan in May - celebrates the work of seven of the UK’s leading fashion designers. Their approaches differ markedly, but I have selected work for this exhibition which demonstrates a shared philosophy: a skilful distillation of elements of their respective pasts – either personal moments or a collective cultural heritage – to create contemporary garments with narrative.

 

Some of British fashion’s most internationally renowned designers – Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood, Hussein Chalayan and Sophia Kokosalaki – are shown alongside rapidly emerging names Peter Jensen, Marios Schwab and Osman Yousefzada.

 

Like the dyes, silks, muslins and printed cottons that arrived in Europe along the Silk Road, conjuring up images of their distant origins, the work in this exhibition offers a snapshot of some of the traditions and cultures inspiring these celebrated designers.

 

The exhibition design is by Pippa Nissen Studio with graphic design by Kellenberger-White.

We’re lucky enough to have Bonaveri, which produces beautiful mannequins as sponsor for the exhibition.

 

Designs are developing quickly and we’ll be releasing images soon. Watch this space.

8 May 2012

Reconstruction: Russia

Reconstruction: Russia  Peter Jensen A/W 2012

Peter Jensen A/W 2012

29 November 2012

Reconstruction: Georgia

Reconstruction: Georgia

3 April 2012

Reconstruction: Pakistan

Reconstruction: Pakistan Sophia Kokosalaki display

Sophia Kokosalaki display

9 February 2012

Footage: Reconstruction in Bangladesh

Footage: Reconstruction in Bangladesh  Reconstruction in Bangladesh, film by Green Ink

Reconstruction in Bangladesh, film by Green Ink

2 February 2012

Reconstruction in Bangladesh

Reconstruction in Bangladesh Peter Jensen exhibit with historic Jamandis in the background at the Bangladesh National Museum

Peter Jensen exhibit with historic Jamandis in the background at the Bangladesh National Museum