Textile
Collection:Ballets Russes Collection
Classification(s):
Textile
Date: c.1909-1929
Medium: Silk
Object number: BRS.T.10
DescriptionLength of textile. The designer of the textile is unknown. The textile would have been worn or used on stage during a Ballet Russes production, c.1909-1929. The production is also unknown.
The silk textile is screen printed and hand painted. It features a repeat pattern of diamonds and polka dots, set on a pink background. The textile is semi-circular and has a yellow and cream border. The silk is extremely fragile and in a poor condition.
The silk textile is screen printed and hand painted. It features a repeat pattern of diamonds and polka dots, set on a pink background. The textile is semi-circular and has a yellow and cream border. The silk is extremely fragile and in a poor condition.
ProvenanceThe Ballets Russes was an avant-garde dance company, active during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The company was founded in Russia in 1909 by Sergei Diaghilev (1872-1979), and opened to audiences in Paris during its first season. The Ballets Russes revolutionised ballet, conceiving each production as art on the stage. Diaghilev embraced the Modern and bought together a notable staff of designers, costumiers, choreographers, composers and artists. The dancers embraced non-traditional movement and the company pioneered a visual aesthetic which impacted significantly across European theatre, fashion and interior design.
The collection comprises c.50 individual pieces including costume, accessories and textiles.
The collection was originally acquired at auction and was later donated to the Conservation Department at Camberwell College of Arts in the 1990s. At the time, the Department ran a number of conservation programmes including BA Conservation: Organic Materials. The collection was intended as a resource within teaching & learning. Conservation students practiced remedial conservation work on individual garments, as well as creating bespoke housing solutions. The collection was inventoried and indexed by Conservation staff, however this index has not survived and the collection is considered uncatalogued (until renewed efforts in 2020). Examples of student conservation work, as well as a historic numbering system, remain evident within the collection. The Organic Materials course was later closed.
Camberwell College of Arts underwent a major building redevelopment project over a number of years, leading to its eventual relaunch in 2018. Prior to this in 2017, it became necessary to decant and relocate a number of teaching collections. The redevelopment project saw a reallocation of the Conservation Department’s teaching space, which impacted on its artefactual collections. After an appraisal period the collection was transferred to the University Archives & Special Collections Centre (ASCC) at London College of Communication in 2017. A representative portion of the collection was digitised in 2018. All Conservation courses at Camberwell were eventually closed in 2019. In 2020, a collaborative display project between the ASCC and Chelsea’s MA Curating & Collections programme unearthed new knowledge - students research helped to identify costume designers and specific productions. This information is captured on individual object records where applicable.
The collection comprises c.50 individual pieces including costume, accessories and textiles.
The collection was originally acquired at auction and was later donated to the Conservation Department at Camberwell College of Arts in the 1990s. At the time, the Department ran a number of conservation programmes including BA Conservation: Organic Materials. The collection was intended as a resource within teaching & learning. Conservation students practiced remedial conservation work on individual garments, as well as creating bespoke housing solutions. The collection was inventoried and indexed by Conservation staff, however this index has not survived and the collection is considered uncatalogued (until renewed efforts in 2020). Examples of student conservation work, as well as a historic numbering system, remain evident within the collection. The Organic Materials course was later closed.
Camberwell College of Arts underwent a major building redevelopment project over a number of years, leading to its eventual relaunch in 2018. Prior to this in 2017, it became necessary to decant and relocate a number of teaching collections. The redevelopment project saw a reallocation of the Conservation Department’s teaching space, which impacted on its artefactual collections. After an appraisal period the collection was transferred to the University Archives & Special Collections Centre (ASCC) at London College of Communication in 2017. A representative portion of the collection was digitised in 2018. All Conservation courses at Camberwell were eventually closed in 2019. In 2020, a collaborative display project between the ASCC and Chelsea’s MA Curating & Collections programme unearthed new knowledge - students research helped to identify costume designers and specific productions. This information is captured on individual object records where applicable.