Miya Pearson
The 2024 Met Gala exhibition, 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion', showcases over 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries. The exhibition aims to bring these historic pieces back to life by appealing to the senses, including sight, touch, sound, and smell. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition employs a range of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, computer-generated imagery, and traditional formats like x-rays and light projections, to reanimate the sensory capacities of the garments and accessories on display. The exhibition received mixed reviews, with some praising its innovative approach to engaging with the garments and others critiquing its emphasis on technology over the garment wearers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Curator | Andrew Bolton |
| Creative Consultant | Nick Knight |
| Number of garments and accessories | 220 |
| Time period | 17th century to 2024 |
| Exhibition design | Leong Leong |
| Scent artist | Sissel Tolaas |
| Exhibition dates | 10 May 2024 to 2 September 2024 |
| Theme | Nature |
| Sub-themes | Decay, flowers, gardens |
| Technologies used | Artificial intelligence, computer-generated imagery, x-rays, video animation, light projection, soundscapes, ChatGPT |
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What You'll Learn
- The exhibition's use of technology, including AI and CGI, to bring the garments to life
- The exploration of decay as a theme, highlighting the transient nature of fashion
- The multi-sensory experience of sight, touch, sound, and smell
- The display of over 220 garments and accessories, including pieces from the 17th century to 2024
- The conversation about natural elements and emotions, and the relationship between a garment and its wearer
The exhibition's use of technology, including AI and CGI, to bring the garments to life
The exhibition 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion' uses a variety of technologies, including AI and CGI, to bring the garments to life. This includes the use of traditional formats like x-rays, video animation, light projection, and soundscapes, as well as more cutting-edge tools like artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery.
One example of the use of AI in the exhibition is a custom version of ChatGPT that allows visitors to ask questions to a 1930s New York socialite about her dramatic wedding dress from that era. The exhibition also features an AI-generated fairy-cum-beetle that jumps out of a picture book.
In addition to AI, the exhibition makes use of CGI to enhance the visitor experience. For example, Yves Saint Laurent’s famous ‘Iris’ jacket, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 painting, is showcased with a high-definition projection that recreates the jacket's intricate embellishments, which required 250 metres of ribbon, 200,000 beads, and 250,000 paillettes in 22 different colours.
The exhibition also employs other innovative techniques to engage the senses of visitors. For instance, researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas developed smells to accompany select objects in the show, incorporating the theme of decay. Similarly, the exhibition aims to recreate the auditory experience of the rustle of fabrics, known as 'scroop', through animation and soundscapes.
By utilising these technologies, the exhibition aims to provide a multi-sensory experience, allowing visitors to build an intimate connection with the garments and appreciate them as they were originally intended—with vibrancy, dynamism, and life.
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The exploration of decay as a theme, highlighting the transient nature of fashion
The exhibition "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" explores the theme of decay, highlighting the transient nature of fashion. The exhibition, curated by Andrew Bolton, the Curator in Charge of The Costume Institute, features over 220 garments and accessories from the 17th century to the fall 2024 collections. The "Sleeping Beauties" refer to the garments themselves, which are too delicate to be displayed on mannequins and are instead presented lying down.
The exhibition aims to reactivate the sensory capacities of these historic garments by appealing to a wide range of human senses, including sight, touch, sound, and remarkably, smell. By doing so, the exhibition brings these "sleeping beauties" back to life, allowing visitors to experience them as they were originally intended—with vibrancy, dynamism, and ultimately, life. This multi-sensory approach enhances the understanding of fashion as a living art form, dependent on its interaction with the human body.
The inclusion of scent in the exhibition is particularly notable, as it evokes the idea of decay and the passing of time. Researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas developed specific smells to accompany select objects, enhancing the exhibition's focus on the transient nature of fashion. The exhibition also utilizes cutting-edge technologies, such as artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery, to further enhance the experience and bring these rare historical garments to life.
The exploration of decay in "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" highlights the transformative power of technology to reconnect with the past. By animating these "sleeping beauties," the exhibition draws attention to the ever-changing nature of fashion and the importance of preserving and reinterpreting historical garments. The exhibition invites visitors to consider the intimate connection between a garment and its wearer, as well as the conversations and feelings about climate, landscape, and the natural world that are inherent to the fashion industry.
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The multi-sensory experience of sight, touch, sound, and smell
The Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is a multi-sensory experience that aims to bring garments from the museum's collection back to life through sight, touch, sound, and smell.
The exhibition features approximately 220 garments and accessories spanning four centuries, all visually connected through themes of nature. The ""Sleeping Beauties" refer to the garments themselves, which are too delicate to be displayed on mannequins and are instead exhibited lying down.
To reawaken the sensory capacities of these artworks, the exhibition employs a range of technologies, including artificial intelligence, computer-generated imagery, x-rays, video animation, light projection, and soundscapes. For example, Yves Saint Laurent’s famous ‘Iris’ jacket, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 painting, is showcased through a high-definition projection that recreates the intricate embellishments of the jacket in CGI.
The exhibition also incorporates the sense of touch by allowing visitors to interact with the garments and experience their textures and movement. For instance, visitors can view a full-scale British waistcoat from 1615–2020 and learn about its construction, as well as observe the sumptuous silk moiré of a coat, dress, and crinoline from Olivier Theyskens’s fall 2000 collection in motion, creating an auditory experience known as scroop.
Smell is another important aspect of the exhibition. Researcher and artist Sissel Tolaas developed scents to accompany select objects, incorporating the theme of decay into the exhibition. For example, the exhibition highlights that cloth buttons used to be constructed around bits of cotton wool to absorb and emanate drops of perfume.
By appealing to multiple senses, the exhibition aims to provide a dynamic and immersive experience, allowing visitors to build an intimate connection with the garments and appreciate them as they were originally intended—with vibrancy and life.
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The display of over 220 garments and accessories, including pieces from the 17th century to 2024
The exhibition "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" showcases over 220 garments and accessories, spanning four centuries of fashion history, from the 17th century to the fall 2024 collections. The exhibition aims to bring these historic pieces back to life by reactivating their sensory capacities and presenting them in a dynamic and vibrant manner.
The display includes a diverse range of fashion pieces, from a British waistcoat dating back to 1615-1620 to modern creations like a coat, dress, and crinoline from Olivier Theyskens's fall 2000 collection. The exhibition also features notable designs by renowned fashion houses, such as Alexander McQueen's razor-clam shell dress from the 2001 "Voss" spring/summer collection and the butterfly dress from Sarah Burton's 2011 line.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is Undercover's illuminated strapless cocktail dress filled with roses, which showcases a unique combination of fashion and technology. The display also includes an AI-generated fairy-cum-beetle that emerges from a picture book, adding an element of surprise and innovation.
The exhibition "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" goes beyond the visual, incorporating the senses of touch, sound, and even smell. This multi-sensory approach enhances the experience, allowing visitors to connect intimately with the garments. For example, the exhibition employs cutting-edge technologies like AI and computer-generated imagery, as well as traditional formats like x-rays, video animation, light projection, and soundscapes, to bring the fashion pieces to life.
The exhibition's theme of nature, represented through flowers and gardens, also serves as a metaphor for the transience of fashion. This theme is evident in Yves Saint Laurent's famous "Iris" jacket, inspired by Van Gogh's painting of the same name, which showcases intricate craftsmanship with its 200,000 beads and 250,000 paillettes in 22 different colours.
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The conversation about natural elements and emotions, and the relationship between a garment and its wearer
The exhibition "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" showcases a conversation about natural elements and emotions, as well as the relationship between a garment and its wearer. The exhibition features approximately 220 garments and accessories from the 17th century to the fall 2024 collections, visually connected through themes of nature, which also serves as a metaphor for the transience of fashion.
The exhibition aims to bring these garments back to life by re-activating their sensory capacities through a range of technologies, including cutting-edge tools like AI and CGI, as well as traditional formats like x-rays, video animation, light projection, and soundscapes. For example, Yves Saint Laurent’s famous ‘Iris’ jacket, inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s 1889 painting, is recreated through CGI, involving 11,200 frames. By using these technologies, the exhibition allows visitors to build an intimate connection with the garments and experience them as they were originally intended—with vibrancy, dynamism, and life.
The exhibition also explores the relationship between a garment and its wearer. When a piece of clothing enters a museum collection, its status changes, and it can no longer be worn, touched, or smelled. The exhibition endeavours to reanimate these senses, helping us understand how the garment was worn, what it looked like on the body, and how it moved. For example, the exhibition includes a British waistcoat from 1615–1620, which has been digitally rendered, allowing us to see how it was constructed and how it would have moved on the body.
Additionally, the exhibition highlights the importance of natural elements and emotions in fashion. Flowers and gardens are a recurring theme, with floral details and silhouettes expected to be prominent. The exhibition also explores the sensory aspects of fashion, such as the sound of fabric in motion, known as "scroop," and the use of perfume in clothing. For example, Christian Dior’s May dress from spring 1953 features flowering grasses and wild clover etched into organza, capturing the beauty of nature.
Overall, "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" invites visitors to engage with the garments on display through their senses, sparking conversations about the interplay between nature, emotions, and the intimate relationship between a garment and its wearer.
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Frequently asked questions
The exhibition "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" is about reactivating the sensory capacities of garments from the museum's permanent collection. It aims to bring the garments back to life by appealing to the widest possible range of human senses, allowing visitors to experience the works as they were originally intended—with vibrancy, dynamism, and life.
Some of the technologies used in the exhibition include cutting-edge tools of artificial intelligence and computer-generated imagery, traditional formats of x-rays, video animation, light projection, and soundscapes.
Some of the notable pieces featured in the exhibition include Alexander McQueen's razor-clam shell dress from the 2001 "Voss" spring/summer collection and the butterfly dress from Sarah Burton's first collection at the fashion house in 2011.
"Sleeping Beauties" refers to the historic garments that are too delicate to be displayed on mannequins and are instead presented lying down. The term also captures the idea of bringing these dormant garments back to life and reconnecting with their original vibrancy and dynamism.
