In a previous post we explored the celebrations for the 170th anniversary of Vlisco, the Dutch wax company dating back to 1846 when Dutch entrepreneur Pieter Fentener van Vlissingen established a textile company named P.F. van Vlissingen & Co in the city of Helmond, The Netherlands.
Fabric fans interested in exploring this anniversary further and from a historical and manufacturing point of view should check out the exhibition "Vlisco 1:1 Un à Un" (until 12th March 2017) at the Helmond Museum.
The exhibition is divided into four specific sections that look at the company's history, production and design processes, and use of the fabrics in fashion and art.
The various spaces include not just classic designs, but also completely new patterns, while the symbolism behind the fabrics is also analysed. Interactive video animations take the visitors behind the manufacturing processes and allow them to leaf through a virtual "Vliscopedia", a sort of dictionary of motifs, meanings and colours defining these textiles.
The museum also offers the chance to visit "Paradise Beyond" a solo exhibition of works (from 2004 to 2016) by Yinka Shonibare MBE that is closely connected to the Vlisco one: the British-Nigerian artist is known for his films, installations and sculptures that highlight issues of race, class, power and migration and that incorporate Vlisco fabrics.
Brightly coloured Dutch wax fabrics have become trademark elements in Shonibare's artwork such as "Adam and Eve" (2013), in which the textiles become a way to explore African identity from a cross-cultural point of view.
The captivating visual qualities of the fabrics are perfectly rendered inside the museum spaces through the installations that cover walls and floors, designed by Studio Harm Rensink. The practice collaborated for the occasion with creative partners Studio Lust, Daniel de Bruin and Grietje Schepers.
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