Utopian Bodies – MA Fashion Curation Alumni wins exhibition of the year.

'Utopian Bodies – Fashion Looks Forward' at Liljevalchs Museum in Stockholm has won Exhibition of the Year 2015.  Co-Curated by Sofia Hedman who studied MA Fashion Curation at London College of Fashion, and Serge Martynov, the exhibition was one of 27 exhibitions in Sweden which went before the judges.

The award is given to the exhibition that has best contributed to developing the medium in Sweden over the last year, with a focus on: curatorial narrative, exhibition design, audience accessibility and method.

In their comments, the Jury said of the exhibition:

“With a number of important socio-cultural issues serving as a foundation, visitors are accompanied in creating their own visions of the future in this grand exhibition. With a exquisite sensibility, a creative artistic embodiment has been assembled suggesting how fashion can be harnessed to build a sustainable future.”

Utopian Bodies presents over 200 of the world’s most exciting, innovative and thought provoking ideas and objects. Over 11 galleries, the exhibition makers mapped out imaginable futures for the adorned body. The galleries were inspired by a variety of utopian ideas and were a firework of colour and imagination, creative ideas and new technologies.

The project has received plaudits from all quarters since its opening last year.  Professor Elizabeth Wilson said in her review for Disegno:

“All those interested in the present and future of fashion should take the next plane to Stockholm […] There has been no fashion exhibition as original as this for a long time; any individual seriously interested in the field would be mad not to make the effort to visit it. The catalogue is a valuable monument to creative fashion in Sweden and internationally and is on its own worth the trip.”
While Professor Christopher Breward called it: ‘A benchmark exhibition’.

Serge Martynov and Sofia Hedman, Curators and Exhibition Designer commented of the award: “Making an exhibition is always a huge group effort. There were so many exceptionally talented people from all over the world exhibiting and producing the exhibition and catalogues. This award is a testament to their fantastic ideas and work, and we are honoured to have had the opportunity to be a part of this unique project. A special thank you to the brilliant and inspiring institution of Liljevalchs with it’s director Mårten Castenfors!”

Quotes from Professor Elizabeth Wilson’s review of Utopian Bodies for Disegno.