Six LCF students participate in the making of exhibition “China’s Hidden Century”
- Written byUna Andzane
- Published date 18 August 2023
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When multidisciplinary architecture and exhibition design studio Nissen Richards reached out to LCF for a collaboration on the upcoming exhibition “China’s Hidden Century” at the British Museum, they knew to look no further than the talent being nurtured at the MA Costume Design for Performance course.
“Exhibition designer Pippa Nissen’s studio and the British Museum exhibition team were aiming to create shadows of specific characters that would subliminally engage the audience of the “China’s Hidden Century” exhibition,” explains Donatella Barbieri who teaches on the MA Costume Design for Performance. The six life-sized shadow silhouettes of Chinese characters were each intended to appear in a specific part of the gallery. Creating almost an optical illusion of movement, the translucent shadows would allow visitors to have a deeper interaction with the artworks on display.
The six students, Xuanran Zhou, Yiqi Nie, Min Liang, Yongyi Yin, Maria Evstyukhina, and Jailin Li, were chosen following a presentation of their portfolios alongside a short explanation of why they would be the best to work collaboratively to develop embodiments of past historical figures. Besides, all this was happening as they were preparing for their MA graduation and finishing off work for the graduate showcase held in Brick Lane.
Understanding what was specific to each character was essential for capturing them in silhouette and required extensive research. “The students were able to present this research in a masterclass organised by the curators of the exhibition with Tim Yip, designer of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and of several other films, dance, and opera productions in China and beyond. The whole of the course’s cohort was invited to attend the masterclass at the British Museum” says Barbieri.
Through all stages, working closely with both the professional design studio and the museum, students were able to gain insights into understanding what a professional brief is, how to work in such a context, respond creatively, and present ideas.
For LCF, doing such collaborations is about making sense of the work done within specific courses. “The students see that what we do normally in a classroom is what you can do professionally,” says Barbieri.
Having received a materials budget and a commission fee, the working process involved fitting Chinese performers to create garments for effortless movement to be captured photographically as “shadows of ever present ‘hidden’ characters, emphasising how costume establishes presence and ways of being in the world through the body in movement,” Barbieri explains.
What has since transpired is the popularity the project has had among the diasporic Chinese community living in London. Audiences have been turning up to the exhibition wearing clothing that looks back at the traditional ways of dressing, replicating the looks of their great grandparents.
Barbieri believes that the project highlighted further research questions. “How do you bring the performance of costume into the museum through exhibition making?” she asks. “Museum objects on display are often stunning, while stilled in their cases. Yet, worn on the body they would have been active and in movement. This project demonstrated one approach to bridging this gap between displayed object and performance.”
The exhibition will be open at the British Museum until 08 October 2023.
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