Biography and Fashion Collections: Developing a dress-specific acquisition and cataloguing methodology using the Francis Golding Collections.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Arts London
Department Name: Research Management
Abstract
How can analysis of the clothing collections of Francis Golding, held in the Museum of London (MOL) and London College of Fashion Archives (LCF), be used as a case study for creating a dress-specific acquisition and cataloguing methodology. The Golding collections engage with masculinity and gender studies, LGBTQ+ dress, as well as British design history, providing a unique opportunity to analyse how dress-based collections are acquired and catalogued. The proposed research will establish a methodology that enables the full biography of an object of dress to be documented upon acquisition, connected to the wider collection, and catalogued in a manner that creates new avenues of accessibility, including online portals. By gathering the experiences and needs of donors, collections specialists, and museum audiences, my research aims to create a standard operative framework which currently does not exist. This framework can then be implemented by individual curators and collections practitioners and adopted by museums and galleries holding dress-based collections. This will allow for deeper analysis of the interconnectivity between personal identity and object biography, and broader socio-cultural, fashion and design histories in museum collections. These new lines of accessibility to collections will encourage engagement with diverse communities; therefore enriching the provenance of objects. This methodology aims to open up collections and include the histories of groups and individuals who have been previously under or misrepresented in museums.
People |
ORCID iD |
Jeffrey Horsley (Primary Supervisor) | |
Cyana Madsen (Student) |
Title | The Absent Muse |
Description | My contribution to the group show 'ode to MEATYARD', a group exhibition at The Horse Hospital (April 2nd - 30th, 2022) exploring Surrealism and fashion. This work meditated on those absent bodies in the archive through interpretation of the later years of the Surrealist muse and art patron Marchesa Luisa Casati using an enclosed bespoke scentscape. |
Type Of Art | Artistic/Creative Exhibition |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Impact | Visitor engagement and further development of sensory exhibition strategies in dress/fashion curation. |
Description | Collecting on the Periphery: Pocket Contents and Biography in the Clothing of Francis Golding |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presented my paper 'Collecting on the Periphery: Pocket Contents and Biography in the Clothing of Francis Golding' as part of Chicago Fashion Lyceum's 'Fashion at the Periphery Conference' in October 2020. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://chicagofashionlyceum.com/content/ |
Description | Exhibiting Phantasms: Reflections on Curating Worn Clothing in Requiem: Material/Memory |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Online seminar sharing my reflections on multisensorial engagement with clothing, alternative exhibition methods, and my curatorial practice as part of the the digital seminar series Sartorial Society, including Q&A with international audience. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b9qULTxZNc&t=5s |
Description | Minutiae Men: methods for exploring worn biography in exhibitions |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | In person paper presented as part of 'Fashioning the male: on collecting, curating, displaying masculine attire', a symposium co-hosted by Centre for Fashion Curation and Masculinities Hub, London College of Fashion, UAL. The symposium explored collecting, curating and exhibiting masculine dress in the context of both private and institutional collections and included a panel discussion with other speakers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |