The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is set to launch a new exhibit titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”, which seeks to provide a multi-sensory experience for visitors. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibit features 250 items from the institute’s archive, some of which are so delicate that they will be displayed lying in glass coffins. The exhibit, which will be open to the public starting on May 10, aims to engage not only the eyes but also the nose, ears, and even the sense of touch. The exhibit will be launched with the star-studded Met Gala on May 6, hosted by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth.
The exhibit will be organized around themes of earth, air, and water, as well as the various senses. One unique garment in the show is a coat planted with oat, rye, and wheatgrass, which is currently “growing” in a tent at the museum with its own irrigation system. Viewers will be able to touch and feel the intricacies of embroidery on items like a 17th-century Jacobean bodice through the use of 3D scanning and recreated wallpaper. The exhibit also features scents connected to various garments, created in collaboration with Norwegian “smell artist” Sissel Tolaas to enhance the visitor’s connection to the items on display.
The exhibit explores the idea that garments also create sound, with items like an embroidered gown by Alexander McQueen with dried and bleached razor clams, which curators have recorded in an echo-free chamber to capture the movements. The exhibit also features a silk taffeta garment that makes a unique sound called “scroop,” which visitors will be able to hear in one gallery. The goal of the exhibit is to expand the viewing experience beyond sight, using animations to showcase details of the garments that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The exhibit is one of the most ambitious shows the Costume Institute has attempted, with Bolton hand-selecting 250 items from the museum’s archive of 33,000 garments and accessories. The hope is that the use of new technologies like 3D scanning will become a norm for the institute, allowing them to capture the sounds and smells of garments before they enter the collection. By capturing these elements in their “last gasp” of life before becoming museum pieces, the institute aims to create a more immersive and engaging experience for visitors. “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” is set to run from May 10 to September 2, 2024.
