On Monday, the Royal Academy held its first of a series of workshops, discussing the matters of adornment, fashion and the importance of colour and social background in the way we dress. The special guest – Grayson Perry and his Artist’s Robe were the central theme of the workshop. The artist revealed the troubles of a hard-to-shock world that opts for mass fashion and brands as the secure way to dress. From there on, the conversation went on to analysing the various reasons why black is so popular and whether or not its common use had something to do with the grey sky of London. Some of the other guests were Dr. Emma Tarlo, Professor Reina Lewis and Dr. Alison Bracker, who answered questions, but mainly tackled issues like the difficulty of fitting of creative or innovative people, the difference between trends, boundaries and rules. The best part of the discussion, I thought, was that each statement was supported by real life examples and situations from the successful careers of each of the guests. And, of course, the frankness, with which Perry admitted that yes, he gets spotted by a plane when walking down the street, but nevertheless, he won’t give up his Artist’s Robe. Especially in the modern world we live in today where, he believes, an artist has the liberty to be creative . . . at least as long as he avoids an eye contact when walking in dodgy areas at night. Read more about the workshop here and don’t miss the one next week, when the special guest will be Daphne Guinness. I won’t need tea to be convinced to attend this one, that’s for sure.
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| Grayson Perry in his Artist’s Robe |
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| Delicious cakes and tea are part of the experience at the workshops |
