When in 1979 Farah Diba, Empress of Iran, fled the fall of Tehran she did so in a dress designed by Valentino. It was neither the first, nor the last, time that luxurious textiles and high fashion were intimately linked with the image of an Empire. Historically, extravagant clothing and textiles, ceremony and pageantry have been central to the way in which the allure of Empires has been constructed. In contrast everyday clothing and ordinary textiles have often been part of the set of tools by which revolution and sedition have been able to dismantle the rule of Empires.
Despite a strong association with the past, the idea of empire still occupies our daily diet of ideas. Here, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, and at the beginning of the 8th Costume & Textile symposium, then - the concept of Empire has been chosen to provide a starting point for the discussion for a broad range of aspects of textile and costume from the products of past cultural Empires to the outpourings of current fashion Empires - the tale of the Emperor’s new clothes might even expect a mention.
The Programme
The programme for the Queen’s Birthday weekend symposium includes a range of events including: two key note presentations; the presentation of twenty papers by speakers from around the county: the launch of the exhibition Last, Loneliest, Loveliest; New Zealand & the Empire; a special screening of Fashion on Film 1925 – 1958, a compilation of footage from The New Zealand Film Archive; a conference dinner; and floor talks with textile artist Clare Plug and HBMAG Director Douglas Lloyd Jenkins.
The two keynote speakers for the conference are writer, curator and textile artist Rosemary McLeod, and Louis Le Vaillant, Director/ Curator of The Johnston Collection, Melbourne, and the former Curator of Applied Arts at Auckland Museum. Rosemary will be looking at how ideas of empire were incorporated into women's domestic textile handwork in the 1930's - 1950's, and how this was encouraged by women's magazines of the period; and Louis Le Vaillant will give a keynote presentation on garments and jewellery ornamenting and promoting Empire from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I through to that of Queen Elizabeth II (and beyond).
The symposium is being held in conjunction with an exhibition of textiles by Hawke’s Bay artist Clare Plug titled Look South, which will feature a selection of embroidered works based on her trip to Antarctica in 2006 through the Antarctica NZ /Creative New Zealand Artists in Antarctica programme.
The weekend will be launched with the opening of the exhibition Last, Loneliest, Loveliest; New Zealand & the Empire on Friday night, and the core part of the symposium will take place on Saturday and Sunday allowing plenty of time on Monday to take advantage of the other attractions Hawke’s Bay has to offer.
Both members of the Costume and Textiles Association, and non members are welcome to attend the event.
Empire Costume & Textiles Symposium 8th Annual Symposium Costume and Textile Association of New Zealand (aka New Zealand Costume and Textile Section of the Auckland Museum Institute) When: Saturday 30 May – Monday 1 June 2009 (Queens Birthday Weekend) Where: Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery, Napier
To register or for more information on the symposium go to: www.hbmag.co.nz