things to do in london

Hawthorne & Heaney visits Peru: A Journey in Time

February 8, 2022 by Intern

Independent, isolated yet highly developed. The Andean people challenge contemporary ideas of what makes a successful society, yet their civilisation began 3,500years ago (900 to 200 BC). The British Museum’s exhibition ‘Peru: a journey in time’ intrinsically integrates the different Andean communities in chronological order yet still allowing for an organic integration of life, death and rebirth which is poignant to the lives of the indigenous communities.

We must understand the connection the Andean people had with the land, which was shown predominately with symbols in their artwork, for example this cloth showing the three diverse landscapes the communities lived from, the rainforest, the mountains, and the ocean.

Hawthorne & Heaney visits Peru: A Journey in Time London Hand Embroidery — A piece of cloth, with hand painted symbols of the land. The bird feathers representing the rainforest, the circular shapes showing the mountains and the lakes and the waves for the Pacific Ocean.

They were incredibly resourceful from the sea and cultivated the land for crops, showing great technological innovation and communities that were rich in knowledge. However, unlike modern day cultivation they do not just take the resources, what is so beautiful about the Andean culture is that they believe that nature is a living being. ‘Sustaining all life, woven into the shared belief system of which the natural and supernatural worlds are intimately connected’. Many objects in the exhibition show this intimate connection through the divine beings embodying the power of plants and animals, reflecting how nature supplied for the needs of society.

An Andean understanding of time is contradicting to that of a western perception. The belief that past, present and future are directly interconnected and happening at the same moment is for us almost incomprehensible and disrupts almost everything we base our cultural beliefs on! The Andean people take the living past into the present which influences the future. The importance of respecting ancestors and ensuring a safe passage into the afterlife is integral to the communities.

Just dissecting this remarkable piece of textiles, we can take so much information about the funerary rituals. Firstly, the severed heads which represent the importance to the afterlife, it is suggested that the heads were taken from the sacrificial rituals which then developed into the life-giving ceremonies. The life-giving ceremonies were when the life force of individuals were symbolically extracted to maintain balance in the neutral cycle of life, enforcing this further the heads are sometimes depicted with plants sprouting from the skulls to show the interdependence of life and death.

Deities, were how the ancestors and mythical beings were depicted with head dresses on, nose pieces and accessories which gave them animal type features showing the strong link with nature. This style of dressing was not just depicted in the artwork to honour the ancestor, but also worn by the living bringing the deities to life.

Textiles also played a large role in respecting the dead and the ancestors. Skilled and trained weavers were sourced to create the most beautiful, patterned textiles to wrap the dead body, usually being much more complex weaving methods and finer fabrics used for the dead rather than the living who wore practical everyday cloth. The Textile industry was proof of technological innovation in society, being a collaborative activity, the trade was passed down to workers who would train for years to perfect their skill and improve their knowledge.

Sacrifice and Ritual were dominant methods of respecting the ancestors, pleasing the gods and ‘maintaining a balance between the natural and supernatural worlds’. Ritual battles provided this, the indigenous communities didn’t fight to expand territory but used soldiers in a Moche ceremony of ritual battle. In which pairs of finely dressed warriors engaged in hand two hand combat, the losing warrior was stripped and taken to the mountains to be sacrificed.

Hallucinogenic plants were used extensively and were an important part of Nasca ritual, it allowed individuals to transform into different states of being and transcend time. This was visible in the artworks and ceramics of the communities giving the individuals the ability to really aline with their belief of life, death and rebirth being connected so deeply.

The exhibition expresses all these elements of Andean life and culture in such a respectful and informative way I felt myself gliding round the room mesmerised by each fact and admiring such an enduring culture and community who lived through colonisation from the west. It truly is remarkable and really telling of how deep rooted and powerful their traditions were to survive western repression and rule and still be seen to be practised today, 200 years after gaining independence again from Spain.

‘In many ways, past traditions inform present practise, and the enduring belief that humans are a part of the living landscape helps to shape our shared future. The objects in the exhibition connect this narrative and provide a brief glimpse of these remarkable societies from whom there is so much to learn’. The last message from the Exhibition curators as you leave the exhibition, which I felt summed the whole display up wonderfully.

Thank you to the British Museum for this remarkable exhibition, if you found this interesting then I strongly suggest you visit the exhibition and see the artifacts for yourself! Closing 20^th February 2022.

Photos and Words by Amelia Vance

Hawthorne & Heaney Explores London Craft Week

October 13, 2021 by Intern

Last week was full of London Craft Week events, workshops and open houses. A few of which we had the delight to attend including an open house and embroidery demonstration at Erdem, an exhibition of embroidery artist Rosalind Wyatt’s work and a talk and demonstration by the Heritage Craft Association on the red list of endangered crafts.

We also have enjoyed participating ourselves with twice daily live stitching on display in The Service on Savile Row – thank you to everyone who came to see us!

TOAST & Rosalind Wyatt

We started the week with a trip to lifestyle brand TOAST’s London store where they were running a series of workshops and an exhibition of Textile Artist Rosalind Wyatt’s work titled ‘Stories through Stitches’

Rosalind Wyatt is a mixed-media and embroidery artist, most recognised for her embroidered letters and calligraphy. Some of these beautiful pieces were on show in store!

She considers handwriting a significant part of culture and people’s lives. Where calligraphy and cloth meet in her work signifies the emotion held in the textiles, emotions found in handwritten letters

She writes with her needle onto garments people have worn, encapsulating their emotions into their clothes.

TOAST was also running a live workshop where participants leant the art of mixed-media textiles. The workshop aimed to promote a more thoughtful way of life, sustaining traditional textiles techniques and craftsmanship.

Erdem Open House and Demonstration

We were then lucky enough to attend Erdem’s open house to see some of their embroidery in process.

The demonstration featured a neckline for one of their dresses, being embellished in large crystals and beads on a frame, the dress itself was also on display in store to allow viewers to see the final outcome.

Erdem is a womenswear brand, based out of central London. Their collections are often finished with hand and machine embroidery – it was wonderful to see some of these samples too which were on show alongside the demonstration.

Heritage Crafts Association Endangered Crafts

To end our London Craft Week adventures, we finally had the pleasure of attending the Heritage Crafts Association event held at Fortnum and Mason. Fortnum and Mason are known for their long-associated traditions with craft and quality – the perfect venue to hold this event!

Exhibiting their work was ‘Paula Carnell’ a Bee Skep Maker, ‘Coates English Willow’ who are a company of Basketwork Furniture Makers and ‘Ernest Wright’ who is a traditional Scissor Maker. These crafts are all at risk with Scissor Making and Basketwork Furniture Making being Critically Endangered.

Basketwork Furniture making is a recognisable craft, however is critically endangered as only one company which supports the craft is left. P.H Coate & Son was founded in 1819, and although the business has a new apprentice this wonderful craft is at risk!

The straw baskets used in Beekeeping, known as Bee Skeps are beautiful objects in and of themselves. The straw is twisted and bound in a continuous coil of lipwork with lapping (lapping can be made from bramble, willow and hazel). Whilst highly practical the craft started to wane after the First World War as Skep making is a highly time-consuming craft compared to its value.

The final endangered craft on display was scissor making. One of the last remaining companies to produce this craft is Ernest Wright. The scissors are very high quality and long lasting – a durable crafted item.

We hope you have enjoyed London Craft Week as much as we have, thank you to all of the wonderful events that we attended!

More information about endangered crafts can be found on Heritage Crafts Association’s website

https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/redlist/

Words by and Images: Rosie Watkins

Sneaker Unboxed – Studio to Street

July 16, 2021 by Intern

This exhibition showcased how the sneakers you choose can relate to a particular sport, music genre or subculture. Fast paced production leads to us and the brands themselves dismissing the history of where it all started. The motivation for the exhibition was the innovative attitude and products within the sneaker industry being developed today.

Stock X funded the Sneaker Unboxed exhibition, the brand is a live marketplace for people selling their sneakers online, along with other designer products. The data that they have collected throughout their five year history, has allowed us to see patterns and behaviours of consumers within the sneaker industry.

Sneaker market value has increased by double since 2012 from $40,000 to $80,000 and is expected to reach $100,000 by 2025. An astonishing 1,282 million shoes were sold worldwide in 2019.

Where it all began, Converse All Star sneakers being the oldest shoes at the exhibition, taking us back to 1920. Charles ‘Chuck’ Taylor brought out his first pair in 1917, marketed towards basketball coaches to influence their players. Converse All Stars were the Olympic shoe for 30 years, due to their effective sponge rubber insoles and moulded outer sole, which benefited athletes as the signature diamond tread avoided them slipping on smooth wooden floors. The Converse All Stars were extremely popular until the late 60’s, and then the sneaker industry began to grow.

Customising sneakers was something that was at the forefront of the exhibition. As the 1970’s began young people from diverse inner-city neighbourhoods started to wear sport sneakers as a fashion statement. However brands were unaware of this, therefore still promoting them as sports shoes. Brands saw the new craze and marketed their sneakers to younger people, towards the 90’s started collaborations with fashion brands.

Within the 1970’s, people were having economical issues, yet they still wanted ‘fresh creps’. Therefore they would buy the well promoted sports sneaker, and interchange accessories, such as different width or coloured laces. To match outfits or just to make a statement. People were thriving off the compliment they were getting about their sneakers.

Adicolour kits were available to buy in 1983, which were a set of coloured marker pens. Later in 2005, the kits were reissued with oil paints.

Another sneaker trend began in the 1980’s revolving around Adidas, Run-DMC were a big hip-hop group and they were the first non-sport stars to promote a sports brand. The iconic unlaced Adidas Superstars with the tongue pushed out took New York by storm. Originating from one of the band members being jailed, as the typical prison procedure his laces were removed from his shoes, however when being released he did not replenish the laces and the trend grew from there. Increasing Adidas’ sales, as they had plummeted in the 1970’s.

It was interesting to see which trainers fitted with each subculture and the journey they had taken.

In 1984 Jordan’s were established, a collaboration with Micheal Jordan and Nike. Nike created the shoe particularly for Micheal Jordan, this was the first collaboration of a brand and a singular sports individual, resulting in success and thirty five sneaker models being released to date.

Skateboarders did not really have much choice for shoes, therefore wore basketball shoes to support their ankles while skating. There was suddenly a change in the sneaker market as Van’s rebranded themselves with their famous logo today ‘Off The Wall’, in 1976, they took off in the skating subculture, for their sturdy structure and style. Nike Air Jordans were created as a result of Van’s success, and were very popular within the skateboarding culture.

Casual wearing of sneakers was adopted by football fans in the late 1970’s in Liverpool and Manchester, the subculture the ‘Casuals’ showed their rivalry by their sneaker, your choice showed which football team you supported.

At the beginning of the exhibition it explained that sneakers are constructed by different sections of the sneaker being created in different factories world wide, and then being shipped to one place to be constructed. Therefore adding to the industry’s carbon footprint. As the exhibition unfolded it showed new sustainable methods of making shoes that brands are now considering as well as producing for the market.

There were some great examples of how the sneaker industry is developing, for example Adidas have made their classic Stan Smith’s out of Mylo mushroom leather, looking and feeling like animal leather however totally harmless on the environment.

There was also Stella McCartney Loop Sneakers produced in 2018, which was a new concept of how sneakers are attached together. Instead of using toxic glue, adding to our carbon footprint, McCartney uses interlocking clips and stitch techniques instead. Another issue within sustainability was that each part of the shoe takes different times to degrade. With this shoe the parts can be removed from each other easily, therefore making it easier to recycle or be reused.

To conclude the exhibition was an interesting journey, it was a great way to see how shoes have evolved over the years and how they are going to keep adapting in the future when adapting with a sustainable attitude.

The Sneakers Unboxed Exhibition is on at the Design Museum: Now until the 24th October 2021, tickets are £14.00, some concessions available- see the website for full details and booking.

Words by Victoria Jones

Hawthorne and Heaney Explores the Online V&A Museum Exhibition – Schiaparelli and Surrealism

February 17, 2021 by Intern

With London being placed into tier 4 and the closure of all things deemed as non-essential, I decided to explore some of the virtual exhibitions available online and came across the Schiaparelli and Surrealism collection displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer who challenged the concepts of dressing, playing with silhouettes and traditional tailoring. She was heavily influenced by the Surrealism movement and the Surrealist artists of the time such as Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Man Ray and Bebe Barnard.

Surrealism is an avant-garde movement introduced in the 20th century that was heavily influenced out of the Dada movement. Its focus was to release the imagination of our unconscious mind, by juxtaposing images and ideas. With the freedom of the movement and the collaboration with artists and photographers, she stretched her creative boundaries, creating unique fashion statements.

Evening Coat- 1937 Elsa Schiaparelli and Jean Cocteau

This dark blue silk jersey evening coat was a collaboration with Jean Cocteau, who drew the facial features positioned on the centre back of the coat. Cocteau was obsessed with the effect of double imagery, as did many of the other surrealist artists. Looking closely at the artwork on the back at a first glance, you wouldn’t spot the vase shape containing pretty pink gradient ribbon roses. Instead, the focus would be on the facial forms. The beautiful gold embroidery detailing helps to distinguish both of the shapes as well as adding the glamour and luxury to the tailored coat.

Tear Dress – 1938 Elsa Schiaparelli

I’m sure you will find this dress stunning and intriguing too with the use of colour and print replicating rips and tears to mimic torn flesh. An idea that appeared on women in Dali’s paintings. The veil has the same effect also, however, includes an appliqued fuchsia chiffon underneath the cream fabric. A good contrast to the abstract print. It makes the viewer look into the work and use their imagination to understand the reasoning behind the idea and the design.

Skeletal Dress- 1938 Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali

Skeleton dress was the most significant garment creation in the collection made with black crêpe sheath and a raised skeletal form using the trupunto technique. The technique involves adding wadding into the back of the fabric after stitching a shape, forming a raised platform on top of the surface. Adding in hooks to link the bones together such as the leg connecting to the pelvis, added a style included in jewellery. The design itself, was sketched by Dali.

Velvet High Heel Hat 1937-38 Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali

One of my favourite pieces of this collection, was the velvet high heel hat, part of the Autumn/Winter 1937-1938 collection. I liked the way the hat has been thoughtfully positioned on top of the head with the bottom of the shoe face upwards. The idea came from a photo of Salvador Dali with a shoe belonging to his wife, placed on his shoulder. This influenced other ideas to come, placing unusual found objects on the head in three-dimensional structures. One of her other hat creations consisted of a lamb chop meticulously placed above the head to match the design featured on the summer jacket of 1938.

It has been a great way to view and revisit some of the fantastic artwork available online. Google Arts and culture have a vast selection of exhibits that are free and not just from the UK, but also some located all around the world. Worth checking it out.

Words written Jessica Westley

Photo’s sourced from Google Arts and Culture- V&A online exhibition

(This was written before the national lockdown)

Hawthorne and Heaney Visits David Adjaye’s Making Memory Exhibition

March 7, 2019 by Intern

British based Architect of Ghanaian descent, Sir David Adjaye OBE, known for his beautifully and carefully thought out landmark structures within the architectural world, is showcasing his past, present and future work at The Design Museum.

Adjaye’s international recognition comes from his ability to immerse himself and fully understand a culture’s past in order to design and build a structure that not only holds the information and artefacts of that specific time, but holds the memory and tells the story of those that were involved and lost during those times. Throughout the exhibition, every room is dedicated to a specific building that has been designed by Adjaye to hold, preserve and experience the memories of that specific time.

When you first enter the exhibition, you are met with an introductory room with images of well-known historical landmarks. Here, Adjaye introduces himself with a written statement giving his opinion on how structures of remembrance should be designed, as well as what the exhibition will entail.

Gwangju River Reading Room

The first official room of the exhibition was dedicated to the Gwangju River Reading Room which Adjaye was invited to help design. Collaborating with writer, Taiye Salasi, this structure was intended to be designed and made in remembrance of the hundreds of students and citizens who were killed in the South Korean city of Gwangju’s ten day uprising in May 1980. The exchange of book and ideas in this space was intended to keep the memory of those who passed, alive.

The room was dimly lit with the small scale model of the designed reading room, which sat in the middle. Images of the real reading room were lit up on one side of the room and a book shelf on the opposing side. The sombre feel of the room reflected the events, being immersed into the experience of those who suffered all those years ago.

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Moving onto the next room, showcasing a landmark, located in Washington’s National Mall which was solely designed and made to remember as well as celebrate the African American community and their contribution to building America during slavery. Adjaye, knowing and learning about their history, came to know the contribution that African American slaves had in many trades including ironwork. From this information, the exterior panelling of the building honours this trade and the slaves that contribute to it. This is only a small snippet of the how Adjaye and his team designed this building to honour and most importantly remember the lives that were lost during slavery in America.

Sclera Pavilion

One of Adjaye’s smaller and temporary structures was the Sclera Pavilion which was made to be a safe space for self-reflection and contemplation for the public, designed in the shape of an eye. Within the room that was dedicated to this building, was a life size version of the design in the corner of the room. Different levels of wood, with different widths, descended from the ceiling gave the room a feel as to what it would have been like within the structure, alongside a smaller scale model of the building which sat in the middle of the room. This room, unlike the others, was lit up changing the feel and overall experience of the room.

UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre

Out of the 22 countries directly involved in the Second World War, the UK is the last to build a memorial to commemorate the horrific event in our history. However, this is about to change with Adjaye’s proposed plan of a national landmark for the remembrance of the Holocaust which is to be finished in 2020. The memorial will sit next to Parliament, with the proposed design including a powerful architectural memorial above ground where 23 bronze fins are located which lead to underground exhibitions which reflect the 22 countries before us who have remembered. This building looks to be architecturally striking and I urge you, when it’s built to go and see this long awaiting structure and exhibitions.

There was so much more amazing things to experience and learn about these structures from this, as well as the other rooms that were dedicated to the Adjaye’s planned proposals for structures such as the National Cathedral of Ghana and the Mass Extinction Memorial Observatory. This exhibition left me in awe. The showcase of all the memorials allowed me to enter that time and learn the importance of remembering the past so that we can shape our future the right way by learning from our mistakes. This exhibition should not be missed!

By Kiah Fisher. All photos taken by Kiah Fisher

Exhibition Details:

David Adjaye: Making Memory Exhibition

Dates: 2nd February 2019 – 5th May 2019

Location: The Design Museum

Opening Times: 10:00- 18:00

Last exhibition entry: 17:00

For ticket pricing see the Design Museum for further details

Hawthorne & Heaney Visits the Yayoi Kusama Exhibition

December 13, 2018 by Intern

The exhibition features new paintings, including works from the iconic My Eternal Soul series, painted bronze pumpkin and flower sculptures, and a large-scale Infinity Mirrored Room, created for this presentation, Kusama’s twelfth exhibition at the gallery.

Yayoi Kusama exhibition Victoria Miro: Infinity Mirrored Room, 2018

Upon arrival, we were ushered up a vertigo inducingly narrow staircase into a dark upstairs, after a brief queue, we were told that we will have 60 seconds in the Infinity Mirrored Room. Infinity Mirror Rooms are an iconic staple of Kusama’s repertoire of work; once these rooms open their doors to a new city, social media swiftly becomes inundated with these tiny universes of cosmic infinity. 60 seconds is nowhere near long enough to fully appreciate this all encompassing experience, however one cannot complain as the queue was but a fraction of the size of a theme park’s.

In the following room, we were greeted with the vision of three immense spotted pumpkin sculptures, another recurring theme in Kusama’s work. Accompanying the sculpture are paintings from the series ‘Dots Obsession’ and other polka dot dominated paintings, this is almost a real-time amalgamation of the whole body experience from the Infinity Room and the everyday life as we see it; fusing both installation and painting together to create a quasi-reality.

Once through this room, we were guided outside to step amongst three larger-than-life sculptures of childlike fantasy polka dotted flowers. Walking through this sculpture terrace feels like entering a scene from The Day of the Triffids, only on a sugar high. Kusama’s poignant hallucinations, for which her art is therapy, are clearly an inspiration for these gigantuan florals. Almost in correlation with Kusama’s rise to fame in recent years, has been the explosion of discussion around mental health and destigmatisation of mental illness.

The final room in the exhibition consisted of a wall of 20 square canvases presented edge to edge; each canvas shows a completely unique composition, we could gather no running theme in these paintings bar Kusama’s distinctive painting style. The sensation of feeling overwhelmed returns; each canvas portrays a keyhole insight into Kusama’s mind, thousands of tiny staring eyes wriggling around in the negative space upon the canvas surface. The shapes appear to move around your peripheral vision; as if they are slothing about when their guardian is not watching.

Our intern stood next to the paintings for some size reference!

We left the exhibition feeling satisfied that our pattern cravings have been satiated – for the meantime at least! Although small, the exhibition packed a mighty, colour filled punch. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for the next Kusama exhibition in London anytime soon and will be sure to let you know in advance!

Yayoi Kusama – The Moving Moment When I Went To The Universe Exhibition Visit

3 October – 21 December 2018

Free Timed Tickets, Currently Sold Out

Victoria Miro Gallery, 16 Wharf Road, N1 7RW

By Jessica Strain