States of Mind

Yesterday I visited Ann Veronica Janssens' States of Mind exhibition, which was utterly unique to any other exhibition I have visited before, as it left me feeling engrossed in my own consciousness. Situated in a singular room of the Welcome Collections museum in London, Janssens sets on drawing visitors into their own mind and consciousness, allowing them to find a form of meditation and reflection through the simplistic presentation of merging coloured mist.

Before entering, staff guide you to two doors which serve as a boundary between reality and Janssens' representation of mesmerism and consciousness. When stepping into the room, your vision is encircled by brightly coloured pink mist, which is so opaque that anything further than a metre surrounding you is simply not visible. Every aspect of the room is completely disorienting, and what baffled me was the uncertain size of the room; I was completely unaware of how big or small it was, as all bearings were lost as soon as I stepped through the door. In fact, I didn't become aware of where I was until I walked straight into the wall on the other side of the room, and even then I was lost at the boundary of the mist. As you walk through the blurring mist, colours merge into one another, and you find yourself transitioning from pink to yellow to green to blue. The flowing change of colours is somewhat therapeutic, as they add to the calm atmosphere encircling the room. This calm atmosphere is additionally achieved by the lack of sound. When stepping into the exhibition, the sheer silence is slightly alarming due to its juxtaposition with busy London outside; it is almost as though you have travelled to another planet, one which Janssens would argue is your mind. Though I was with my friends and we occasionally whispered to one another very quietly, the lack of sound certainly served to showcase Janssens' wish for visitors to be solely enveloped in they mind.

As someone who has never visited a light installation before, I would highly recommend States of Mind to anyone, as it is so unique to any other current exhibition in London and serves as a meditating and calming experience for all. Plus, for any lovers of photography, the photographs turn out pretty cool.

States of Mind is a free exhibition at Welcome Collections which is open to the public until 3rd January 2016.

Faye .x



















Mademoiselle Privé

Consuming the entire three floors of the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London, Chanel's Mademoiselle Privé exhibition showcased the history of Gabrielle Chanel, and ways in which her renowned fashion house has been re-invented through an 'enchanted journey' under Karl Lagerfeld. The combination of heritage and modernity radiated throughout the exhibition, allowing visitors an insight into Lagerfeld's creational changes which have modernised the house for the trends of today.
What I found with Mademoiselle Privé was that it appealed to all of the senses through the numerous aspects of the brand, from haute couture to fragrance to accessories. The sensory room room in particular allowed visitors to touch the vast variety of fabrics used to create the brands couture clothing, from delicate silks to the renowned tweed materials used for Chanel's signature staple suits. This sensory room lacked light, allowing visitors to experience the materials for their texture rather than visibility. Appealing to sight and smell was the futuristic factory room showcasing the ways in which the signature Chanel No. 5 perfume is created, both through large vats which continually opened and closed to reveal coloured scents used in the perfume, as well as a complimentary free workshop available for all visitors to experience. Another appeal via scent was the French garden, a stunning room filled with fresh green hedges carved in a pattern which was representative of the designers 'C' based logo.
What Mademoiselle Privé lacked was traditional pieces of Chanel couture clothing so that visitors were able to discover how Lagerfeld has maintained the origins of the house in his modernised collections. However, there was a great insight into Chanel's lifestyle through the places which influenced her as a designer. Even before entering the exhibition, visitors were guided through a garden leading to the exhibitions entrance, which was designed by Harry and David Rich to reflect the designers different moods in relation to her creations. Visitors were introduced to the exhibition by literally stepping into a replica of Chanel's renowned Rue Cambon apartment, the famous mirrored grand staircase being the main attraction for all to see. It's grandeur caused one to naturally visualise Chanel's models walking down the staircase in the house's early couture shows to present items of clothing which would go on to define one of the most influential fashion houses in society. This room was one of my personal favourites as it truly encompassed the traditional house of Chanel.

However, as a great admirer of Chanel's haute couture, a favourite of mine in the exhibition was this very room. I was astounded by the presentation of the clothing; the spirit of Chanel pervaded the room as bright, beaming poles of light served to hold mannequins in a way which captured a ghost like tone to each piece, perhaps hinting at Gabrielle's presence even in modern collections of today under the direction of Lagerfeld. Though at the same time, the presentation of the haute couture items allowed visitors to discover the embroidery detail involved in each piece of clothing, this detail in itself the main purpose of haute couture, as it is the maintenance of 'a tradition and attention to every detail that defines this exceptional quality and perfection'.

Mademoiselle Privé was an insightful exhibition for any visitor, as its presentation was unexpected yet creative in showcasing the history of Gabrielle Chanel and multiple sensory appealing aspects of her brand. Entering and leaving the exhibition through the Chanel inspired gardens left visitors feeling encompassed in Gabrielle's world, thus a great way of illustrating her continual presence in Lagerfeld's adaptation of Chanel today.
Faye .x

 
(self-made video showcasing the exhibition)

(outside the Mademoiselle Privé opening party: Lily Collins, Cara Delevingne & Annie Clark)

















(selection of exhibition photos)





Louis Vuitton Series 3 - Past, Present & Future

Situated on the Strand in central London, the Louis Vuitton Series 3 exhibition showcased Nicolas Ghesquire's FW15 ready-to-wear womenswear collection for the elite French house. Following the Series 1 & 2 exhibitions in Toyko and Los Angeles, Series 3 was depicted in a way which left all of its visitors astounded due to its mesmerisation.

What I loved about this exhibition was the true insight it illustrated into the creational process of high fashion collections. For so many people, fashion is perceived only as the final product: from a beautiful piece of clothing, to a sparkling piece of jewellery, to a statement accessory. But fashion is so much more than the final product, and this was illustrated perfectly in Series 3. Its title: Past, Present & Future is emphatic of the exhibition; visitors were able to see the past in how the products of this collection were made - a room titled a tale of craftsmanship focused solely on the LV artisans yielding classic couture bags from scratch. The present aspects of the exhibition were apparent in the Wardrobe Sensation room: garments, shoes and accessories from the FW15 collection hanging in flawless glass boxes, adding a dream-like, angelic tone to the wardrobe. As for the future, well, visitors were simply left wanting more, and craving to see not only Ghesquire's SS16 collection, but any future creation under his direction for Louis Vuitton.

The success in this exhibition lay in its narrative; each new room I entered was a juxtaposition to the previous room I had visited. In particular, the Infinite Show room was encircled with mirrors and tall, holographic digital presentations of each look from the show at Paris Fashion Week. This was then followed by The Science of Savoir-Faire which showcased the laser creativity of the house through a pitch black room, lit only by a bright green laser precisely tracing individual pieces to create the brands shoes and accessories. For me, the Accessories Gallery was a favourite in the exhibition, as the brightness and simplicity of the room filled with plain model statues literally highlighted the featured accessories on display, whilst also drawing on the traditional luggage aspects of the brand.

Louis Vuitton Series 3 was an iconic experience for me, as I was able to gain a true sense of Nicholas Ghesquire's inspirations for just one of his many collections, and a great understanding of a house which has so much influence in carrying the continual evolution of fashion in society.

Faye .x





(self-made video showcasing the exhibition)










(photographs from my favourite room in the exhibition: Accessories Gallery)





Happy days

Hello!

After some incredible inspiration I have decided to begin blogging again, though this time on a much more frequent and dedicated level. Over the past year I have completed my A Levels, and the results I received in August allowed me to secure my place to study English Literature at University in London. I have long wished to live in London and now that I am here, I'm both extremely grateful for the incredible opportunity and massively excited to explore all that the wonderful city has to offer! As mentioned, I hope to be posting very frequently as there are so many events being hosted in London as one of the most influential cities in the world, particularly relating to art and fashion.

Setting into London wasn't too difficult, as I was so keen to explore the city. Most importantly, the week following my arrival in September was London Fashion Week. As it was my first time being in London during fashion week, I didn't have the opportunity to be involved in the backstage aspects of the shows, however that didn't stop me from researching the event locations, as I wanted to gain a true sense of what fashion week was all about, and how the capital responded to it. I was astounded by the amount of young girls like myself waiting outside all of the shows, and the individuality each one of them had in their outfit choices. I was lucky enough to meet some of the many leading figures in the industry, from Alexa Chung to Poppy Delevingne, and was also lucky enough to see the iconic Anna Wintour herself, though didn't dare ask for a selfie as she is so rarely seen in one! I hope that as I am now settled in London, I will have the opportunity to work during fashion week in February, and gain even more insight into one of the four crucial weeks of fashion month.

I can't wait to begin posting again; it's been far too long!!

Faye .x











(just a few of the many photos taken during LFW! .x)