On a slightly unplanned trip to Antwerp recently, I visited the ‘Dream the World Awake’ exhibition, a retrospective of Fashion Designer Walter Van Bierendonck, at the Mode Museum. I can’t quite believe I have never come across his work before. Not for the faint-hearted, the pieces really appealed to me throw the satire that is injected into them – every pieced is infused with all sort of different, often humorous remarks. However, what made the exhibition really engaging was the way in which they displayed sketchbook pages as well as images, objects and art that had obviously inspired Bierendonck – ranging from modern art, to throwaway bric-a-brac, and ethnographical images. There was work from Grayson Perry and the Chapman Brothers. It was great to see how the complete chaos of his inspiration had influenced the end result, and not often in a subtle way.
The exhibition is on until the 19th February, so if you happen to be in Antwerp make sure you check it out, even if you aren’t particularly interested in Fashion.
http://www.momu.be/en/index_momu.jsp?layout=momu
Also, check out the great photography and fashion film that accompanied the exhibition, by Nick Knight and stylist Simon Foxton.
Lucy Ann 