J&C Joel was asked by Hayward Gallery, London, to manufacture stunning drapery to support the “Kiss My Genders” exhibition.
Hayward Gallery, London, is a “world-renowned contemporary art gallery and a landmark of brutalist architecture”. The gallery’s exhibition “Kiss My Genders”, running from June 2019 to September 2019, celebrates more than 30 international artists whose work explores and engages with gender identity.
The first set of drapes was required to be a projection surface, for artwork to be projected onto, whilst also looking luxurious, glamourous and artistic.
After careful consideration, J&C Joel’s white Trevira CS Silk fabric was chosen due to its lightweight and versatile properties, which allowed the drapes to flow and look stunning when artwork was projected onto them.
Three separate drapes were made from the Trevira silk (PT035), the first measured a width of 14.0m x 4.7m drop, the second measured a width of 8.0m x 6.5m drop and the third measured a width of 14.0m x 4.2m drop. Each of the drapes had the artwork of the Artist Victoria Sin, A View from Elsewhere, Act 1, She Postures in Context, 2018, projected onto them.
In addition, J&C Joel’s fabric silver Liquid Lamé (LL002) was selected to create a beautiful Austrian drape. An Austrian drape is traditionally manufactured with vertical swags spaced evenly across the drape; this worked perfectly for the gallery’s requirements as the swagged effect and metallic shine of the drape, reflected the red artificial light to create a luxurious, intense atmosphere amongst the gallery space.
The drape, which measured an outstanding 54.00m wide x 3.42m drop and was sewn with 50% fullness, was used as a vibrant walkway and to create an enclosed space, in the exhibition. The drape looked even more fantastic, featuring the work of the artists – Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hastings, Something for the Boys, 2018.
J&C Joel was thrilled that their drapery played an important part in the exhibition experience and supported the work of brilliant artists. The Yorkshire based company would like to thank Hayward Gallery and especially Thierry Bal for the beautiful photography.
