Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, V&A south kensington

Opening in 2022, this groundbreaking exhibition traces how menswear has been fashioned and refashioned over the centuries, and how designers, tailors and artists – and their clients and sitters – have constructed and performed masculinity, and unpicked it at the seams. Curated with beauty and integrity in equal measure by Claire Wilcox and Rosalind McKever, the exhibition features around 100 looks and 100 artworks and combines work by iconic designers and rising stars of fashion, with historical pieces from the V&A collection and beyond.

We worked with a talented design team led by architectural studio JA projects. Their spatial design sectioned the exhibition into three parts Undressed, Overdressed and Redressed. Collaborating with the creative team the lighting design was conceived as both a narrative and expressive tool. The first section is bathed in light with classical sculpture shown amongst design pieces of all ages concentrating on Body and Form. The diffused light expresses the artistry and understanding of form featured and also offers an open democratic light where the objects are in dialogue with each other and the visitor. In the second section the lighting supports more theatrical scenography where misc en scene worlds are created with tone, colour and texture to contextualise the work with mixes of whimsy wit and disruption. The third section introduces the visitor to the urban cityscape defined by mass production. The fabric curtain walls that we gazed from above with an integrated lighting channel in Undressed are reinterpreted here to evoke the hard lines of urban architecture and the lit channel is flipped to uplighting as in a modern facade. In the finale moment of the exhibition, the visitor themselves becomes part of the exhibit, immersed in vibrant video artwork which is reflected in mirrored walls with the 3 show stopping designs placed centrally. We synchronised both the environmental lighting and the object light to reflect the score and mood from classical pose to celebratory event.

Exhibition Design:  JA Projects
Graphic Design: Studio Hugo Blanzat
Sound Design: Pete Duffy
Finale Film Design: Quentin Jones
Contractor: Setworks
Installation images, Fashioning Masculinities at the V&A. Photo Ⓒ Victoria and Albert Museum, London