I have always been interested in the shift that took place during the 20th century when fine art moved away from a realistic representation of the natural world to a focus on works of art that are self-contained within the parameters of their concept, theory, structure and media.
The collapse that then took place between the differences between high and low culture that accompanied the spread of globalization and the development of post-modernism where popular culture was no-longer distrusted, had major implications for both the interpretation and creation of works of art and the relationship between disciplines.
Where graphics, fashion, photography or fine art ends and another discipline begins has become increasingly blurred and irrelevant.
What then becomes paramount is the motivation of the artist or designer, whatever their practice or medium. It was my interest in motivation coupled with the possibilities of a number of fashion designers and artists exploring one medium – glass – that was behind my desire to set up the White Light White Heat Glasstress exhibition that is about to open at London College of Fashion and the Wallace Collection.
Would the motivations become apparent or relevant depending whether an artist or fashion designer had created them? Is fashion ever art or is it always that fashion is at its heart about making clothes or garments that people want to wear? It was this type of question that I hoped would be prompted by the exhibition and I hope will also be debated in the accompanying LCF Masterclass panel discussion: “Forgetting the Catwalk – When is fashion fit for the gallery?”
Miuccia Prada says:
“What interests me most is when a work of art is no longer just an object, but also touches reality and life.”
For me fashion always does just that.
The LCF Masterclass will be live streamed from 18.30GMT on Wednesday 27 November 2013 – Here…
