Postmodernism: Style and Subversion, V&A

Postmodernism is among the most controversial of 20th Century art movements, many would argue that we are still experiencing it, mixing up the rules to say something new. This provocative movement kicked off in the 1980s with architecture acting as a rebuttal to the rigid Modernist movement and its conventions. Whereas in Modernism 'less is more', in Postmodernism 'less is a bore'. This much misunderstood 'style' is illustrated and explored in the current expansive exhibition at the V&A.

I studied Postmodernism for my History of Art A-level syllabus, but walking round the V&A I felt like I was learning it all for the first time, it is a tricky concept to grasp. It is hard to sum up this phenomenon in an exhibition with clarity, and some of this show feels muddled.

First we are introduced to sculptures, photographs and experiments that demonstrate postmodernist tendencies. Works such as Hans Hollein's facade from Strada Novissima, the Presence of the Past. Household appliances and furniture are futuristic and kitsch, bright colours, stylised and bold - image is everything. These I found a little tacky and uninteresting.

The latter half of the exhibition appealed to me more - the New Wave: vivid colour, theatricality and exaggeration... all my favourite things! These features are illustrated predominantly through magazines and music. American performance artist, Laurie Anderson's elusive tracks use voice encoder fragments to create disorientating music. Punky magazines like i-d, bomb and fetish all stand out with fun bright colours and thrilling cutting edge graphics. Andy Warhol's signature silkscreen prints, and in particular the 'Dollar Sign' show the preoccupation with money and the extravagant 'designer decade'.

Postmodernism is fabulous in fashion - the androgynous look became popular - artists like Annie Lennox rebelled against convention by wearing straight masculine suits on stage. And in 1982 when Lagerfeld took over Chanel, the classic and prim black suits underwent a 'postmodernisation' with colours like acid yellow being introduced and radical new tailoring.

The show ends with New Order's music video "Why can't we be ourselves like we were yesterday?" Postmodernism is an ever changing set of ideals, and seeing this exhibition I could certainly feel the attraction and allure. But will Postmodernism always remain current and cool? Is it scary to imagine what could possibly come after this explosive movement? Only time will tell.

Ps. The shop has some rather wacky and nice stocking fillers.

Postmodernism: Style and Subversion continues until Sunday 15 January 2012, visit website here.

Yohji Yamamoto at The V & A

While thousands of miles away Japan deals with the aftermath of recent disasters, the V&A houses a solitary but striking exhibition of Yohji Yamamoto’s beautiful creations. This retrospective explores the work of this prolific Japanese designer and is the first exhibition to include his menswear.

Yamamoto was born in Tokyo in 1943 but spent a formative period in Europe after receiving two prestigious awards and drew influences from all over the world. His first collection, a ready to wear line for women was presented in Tokyo in 1977. He has always shown a deep interest in textiles and once said: ‘fabric is everything’. Through his collections he plays with tradition and challenges convention creating work that is unusual and never without a sense of humour.

This show is located throughout the V&A, and features several site specific installations. The central gallery features over sixty of Yamamoto’s creations and a multi-media timeline that demonstrates his wider output. The main room is flooded in bright white light, a clinical starkness that contrasts with the impressively tall statement garments. Though there is obvious Japanese influence in shape and design, Yamamoto departs from the traditional. In his 1994 collection he used Japanese dying techniques for kimono designs, producing a wonderful collection, signalling his arrival to the world of design.

Many characterise Yamamoto’s work by his frequent use of black, and though these evening outfits are simple and bold, it is the colourful clothes that most attract me: highly decorative two piece suits - I liked one which looked miraculously like a duvet skirt with dinky fur lined jacket, fun but sophisticated. Drapes feature a great deal and often the curve or shape of a garment is completely disguised by the billowing excess of material. The importance of shape is about the falling curves of the fabric rather than framing the woman’s figure, a mysterious and androgynous approach that Yamamoto is obviously aware of, stating: “All I wanted was for women to wear men’s clothes.”

My favourite men’s item is a marvellous jacket in gloriously bright pink and red with a tiger sewn on the back. It is radical and eccentric and would look wonderful on, but is equally breathtaking standing alone as an artwork. You certainly would have to find a brave man to wear many of the clothes on display here, wild and sometimes quite feminine, certainly cumbersome, they are not for your average jeans and t-shirt guy.

On the detailed timeline I was most interested in the costume features: Yamamoto’s collaborations with the theatre and stage, including groups like the Pina Bausch dance company. In 1993 he designed the costumes for Wagner’s ‘Tristan and Isolde’ for the prestigious Bayreuth Festival. The statuesque garments are said to have complemented the pared down set perfectly.

There may only be one main room of Yamamoto’s designs at the V&A but this single space gives a stimulating insight into this master’s work showing him to be a daring, avant-garde, free-spirited artist.

Continues until 10 July 2011, book here.

The V&A: Shadow Catchers and Diaghilev: The Ballet Russes

A few days ago I walked up the big steps to the V&A, after weeks of promising myself I would go “this weekend”. Surprisingly there were tickets available for Shadow Catchers and the Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes shows, so I bought tickets to both. With nearly two hours I assumed there would be plenty of time to explore all the work. After an hour however I’d barely finished the first exhibition and rushed to start the Diaghilev, a show touted as a must-see.

Shadow Catchers investigates the mystery and magic of camera-less photography, showing the work of five international artists – Floris Neusűss, Pierre Cordier, Garry Fabian Miller, Susan Derges and Adam Fuss. Each use different processes and techniques to catch shadows for their art. Often this is dependent on light and natural encounters, manipulating what they find to create beautiful and imaginative works.

It is particularly illuminating to watch the film in which each of the artists has about three minutes to describe their work and influences. A great deal of the work on display appears abstract, accidental patterns captured just for a fleeting moment (like a conventional photograph) but with an added fragility – these images are completely original because they are not made from negatives. Neusűss has dedicated his career to extending the practice and study of the photogram. His work often deals with opposites, stark contrasts that focus the attention on form. My favourite artist of the selection was Susan Derges who reveals hidden forces of nature in her work. Derges’ images are mesmerising, but with a natural serenity. I loved her “Vessel No.3” that showed the tiniest adorable little frogs amidst a wonderful stillness.

Diaghilev is an epic show that you need at least an hour and a half to look round. Serge Pavolovich Diaghilev (1872-1929) was regarded as many things: dictator, devil, sorcerer, charmer, but above all he was a lover of art, music and dance. Through much dedication and driving ambition he created the radical dance company – the Ballet Russes, a groundbreaking troupe that pushed the boundaries in a such a way that their work continues to influence cultural activity today.

As an individual, Diaghilev remains elusive but through his work with Ballet Russes we slowly discover more about the man and his life. I was struck by the detail the V&A have gone to, exploring every facet of the ballet company and surrounding art and music that you soon realise are vital to its success. I adore costumes and was thrilled to see the outrageous dancing outfits displayed throughout the show. How they danced in such heavy ornate clothes is astounding, and there are clips of film to show the original performances alongside the decorative costumes.

Music is a big part of this exhibition, Diaghilev chose unexpected contemporary music for his ballets, more than half of which he commissioned himself. Satie, Poulenc and Stravinsky all wrote for Diaghilev and his dancers. Erik Satie said about the great man “Diaghilev’s a likeable man, but awful”. Stravinsky rose in fame through association with Diaghilev, both representing the Russian national style. In 1913 Diaghilev’s company performed Stravinsky’s specially commissioned ‘The Rite of Spring’, a particularly disorientating piece of music. It was a revolutionary statement that made others notice this shocking masterpiece, and since then over 200 versions of 'The Rite of Spring’ have been choreographed.

There were five main choreographers for the Ballet Russes, including Diaghilev’s lover Vaslav Nijinsky who was an utterly brilliant lead in many of their productions. All the choreographers were adapting or rejecting traditional ballet to create a new original style of dance that was constantly evolving.

For the sets, Diaghilev had the best up and coming artists on board. And often he would enlist the help of his friends, such as Coco Chanel, to help find potential patrons to help with the insanely large production costs. The influence of Cubism was vital to Diaghilev’s later shows. The bold forms and theatricality of the Ballet Russes suited the Cubist and Art Deco aesthetic perfectly. An amazing enormous cloth hangs in the V&A, an enlarged version of a tiny Picasso painting.

When he died in 1929, Diaghilev left behind an astonishing legacy of music, dance and art. The V&A explores every aspect of this legacy in a stunning show that will surely be remembered as one of the great exhibitions of 2010.

Diaghilev continues until 9 January 2011, Shadow Catchers until 20 February 2011, visit V&A website here.

QUILTS 1700-2010

An installation by artist Tracey Emin at the V&A


For me quilts represent memory and history, of people, places, situations and relationships. The epic length of time that it takes to create a quilt gives the object its own history of its making and its own story. When I left for University, 4 years ago my mother vowed to start on a quilt for me... I think she managed about 6 squares, and that took her long enough. I still live in hope that she will complete it, one day!

The current exhibition at the V&A explores over 300 years of British quilting history - and includes private loans as well as many from the V&A's own collection. The show is vast and the variety on display is impressive, although I was slightly disappointed that the works were exclusively British, as there are, in particular, many wonderful American quilts. The older quilts, bed-hangings, and cushions seem to be preserved and restored immaculately, and show the luxury and wealth associated with this trade in the 18th Century. I particularly loved the quilts that celebrated the birth of a child, often white and tiny to fit the newborn babe, with the sweetest words sewn on as messages, they evoked a real poignancy.

The more contemporary pieces show the trends and fashions of today. A fantastic outrageous Union Jack quilt made from various Libertys floral prints was eye-catching to say the least. Influential artists, Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin's works reflect their own bedtime preoccupations and attitude to the culture of the quilt. The exhibition illustrates the power of the quilt and why it has remained so popular for many hundreds of years.

Quiltmaking is an activity that those in dreadful situations can turn to. There is a video showing the inmates of Wandsworth Prison and their quest to produce a quilt. It offers them a skill and gives them a quiet way to consider their situation and vent their frustration. The outcome is quite beautiful and moving as you see these men turn their anger to a creative, constructive focus - thoughts of freedom and despair weave through the carefully made artwork. Once again the gentle power of the quilt is evident.

Quilts 1700-2010 is on display until 4 July 2010 at the V&A:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/future_exhibs/Quilts/index.html

Learn how to make a patchwork quilt yourself here: http://www.ehow.com/how_2071698_make-patchwork-quilt.html