How does one exhibit an intangible, or many intangibles together?
Lea Anderson's R&D presentation at Wimbledon College of Art on Friday explored potential methodologies and structures for exhibiting costumes in performance - ways to perform costumes in exhibition. The costumes under consideration come from a wardrobe of some 2000 items from the inspiring 30 year history of contemporary dancers The Featherstonehaughs and The Cholmondeleys.
As choreographer for the troupe, Lea was intimately engaged with every aspect of every performance.
Now that the funding has been withdrawn from these dance companies the costumes have been 'buried' in an archive and Lea is working on a plan to bring them back to life, to animate the costumes through performance in an exhibition space.
These costumes are alive to performance. The intangible meaning held in the costume becomes tangible in its moment of performance. Accompanied by the component parts of its lifeworld - sound, light, dancer, set - the performed costume is brought to life in such a way that it speaks back to itself and its origin while simultaneously creating an dialogue with the viewer.
Under the New Museuology trope the exhibition of cultural practices is considered of equal importance to the object on display. The considerations of intangible heritage in this field may help think more closely about how to not just exhibit but enliven these costumes a museum space.
http://www.thecholmondeleys.org/
