Monthly Archives: December 2024

Exhibition Press Release: The Dark Truth Behind the Fairy Tales of the Brothers’ Grimm

Posted on by Standard Respond

Second year BA (Hons) Art History and Visual Culture students Ella Chalice, Ray Elliot Ling, Tiggy Mills and Martha Rabetts have curated a showcase exploring the dark undercurrents of Grimm fairy tales at St Peter’s House Library. 

Press Release

Discover The Dark Truth Behind The Fairy Tales Of The Brothers Grimm

 The Dark Truth Behind the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Supported by the University of Brighton

St Peter’s House Library Ground Floor

With thanks to the St Peter’s House Library Special Collection and Suzanne Rowland

Visit our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ahexhibition/

Fairy Tales, those cherished stories from our childhood, are often associated with magic, whimsy, and happy endings. However, the origins of these beloved stories are much darker. These tales, once rooted in the oral traditions of peasant communities, were full of cruelty, exploitation, and the grim morals of life.

Opening on the 3rd of December 2024

 The Dark Truth Behind the Fairy Tales of the Brothers’ Grimm is a display that provides an opportunity to remember not just the Grimm Brothers, but the voices they recorded and the cultures they preserved. This exhibition is a chance to see fairy tales not just as escapism, but as tools of understanding the darkness and resilience of the human spirit through these characters.

Fairy Tales are more than stories; they are cultural artifacts. In their earliest forms, these narratives reflected the fears, struggles, and moral dilemmas of the societies they came from. The Grimms’ adaptations, for instance, often addressed themes like poverty, greed, and the exploitation of children. These tales weren’t just bedtime stories—they were mirrors to society’s darkest truths and guides on survival.

Feature Spotlight

The Display will have a focus on the story and character of Rumpelstiltskin, with an exclusive look at objects from St Peters House Library’s special collection including:

  • Rare books and objects from Peter’s House Library’s special collection, including original copies of the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm.
  • A presentation of David Hockney’s Grimm’s Fairy Tales etchings, which visually explore the psychological depth of these stories.
  • Arthur Rackham’s iconic illustrations, contrasting beauty with the tales’ darker truths.

Both written and illustrated depictions of the tales of Rumpelstiltskin will be showcased. Through these works, visitors will see how the Grimms’ adaptations evolved over time—softened and reimagined for modern audiences, yet still preserving echoes of their original starkness.

Reclaiming the Raw Edges of History

At its core, Rumpelstiltskin is a story about greed, deceit, and the commodification of labor and children. The miller’s lie about his daughter’s abilities traps her in a perilous cycle of exploitation. And the goblin’s demand for her child could be seen as a metaphor for the toll of labour. Yet, this tale—deeply layered and universal—has never received the same cultural spotlight as, say, Cinderella. We invite you to look at what it says about the values we choose to amplify and why.

These objects are not just relics; they’re evidence of the evolution of storytelling. They demonstrate how the Grimms’ work was adapted, softened, and reimagined for different audiences. For instance, David Hockney’s etchings use visual abstraction to emphasize the psychological complexity of the tales, while Arthur Rackham’s illustrations add a layer of beauty that masks their brutality.

As time passes, we lose the raw edges of history. Stories like Rumpelstiltskin and Hansel and Gretel become fairy dusted, and we forget the real lessons they carried. This exhibition is an opportunity to remember—not just the Grimms, but the voices they recorded and the cultures they preserved. It challenges us to look at fairytales not as escapism, but as tools of understanding—tools that reveal both the darkness and resilience of the human spirit.

Event Details:

  • Exhibition Dates: December 3, 2024 – 5th Dec 2024
  • Location: St Peter’s House Library
  • No Tickets required- open to staff and students of Brighton University
  • Contact: ElliotLing1@uni.brighton.ac.uk

Step into a world where fairy tales are not merely bedtime stories but cultural artifacts. Rediscover the voices, struggles, and hopes of the societies that shaped them.

Join us this winter to uncover the dark truths behind the stories we thought we knew.

Curated by Ella Chalice, Ray Elliot Ling, Tiggy Mills and Martha Rabetts.

Exhibition Press Release: ‘An Ancestor to the Office Siren: Women’s Workwear 1940-45’

Posted on by Standard

Second year BA (Hons) Fashion and Design History students Daphne Chatterley, Amy Garrod, Amy Roberts, Jenny Stirling and Maggie Swan have curated a showcase on WWII Women’s Workwear at Mithras House. 

PRESS RELEASE

Issued 11/2024

An Ancestor to the Office Siren: Women’s Workwear 1940-45

3 December 2024 – April 2025

Mithras House

Launching on 3 December 2024, ‘An Ancestor to the Office Siren: Women’s Workwear 1940-45’ will be a short exhibition exploring the suits worn by women during a decade pivotal to society’s view of the working woman, on a backdrop of conflict and rationing of resources.

Eye-catching visual stimuli such as the dreamlike advertising fashion plates of clothing manufacturer Harella accompanies an ensemble of both authentic and replica/imitation 1940s garments to encapsulate the silhouette and lines of the popular style for women of the time, while period newspaper columns from British fashion journalist Alison Settle (Vogue editor 1929-36) illustrate the experience of dressing for the average woman in Britain, amidst rationing schemes in a conflict-torn political landscape.

The exhibition offers insight into the silhouettes of the era, with their accentuated shoulder and hip lines imitating masculinities, as women began to occupy previously male-exclusive workplaces, representing an assimilation through dress – but an empowering form of dress nonetheless.

Visitors will also be met with information on the rationing coupon scheme utilised during the Second World War, and gain an understanding of the value of coupons to garments similar to those displayed, while Settle’s writings describe the various make-do home methods of repurposing and recycling garments (often men’s) in a time of making little go a long way.

“In a few words, the war years in the U.K. meant coupon rationing, shortages, make-do and mend, and what came to be officially to be known as ‘Utility Clothing’.”

– Alison Settle

Two and three-dimensional objects loaned from the university’s Teaching Collection and Design Archives allow this exhibition to materialise and investigate the self-styling practices of the 1940s woman through dress in a time of austerity and political uncertainty while navigating the workplace, encouraging interest and engagement in a younger audience familiarised with the current micro-trend of the ‘office siren’, a seductive and hyper feminine character in the corporate style; presenting a predecessor to this in an era where imitating masculinities inspired major trends.

For high resolution images see below.

Further Information

Find us on Instagram by searching for the handle or scanning the code below, and leave feedback on the form accessible in the account bio.

Notes to Editors

Curated and presented by Daphne Chatterley, Amy Garrod, Amy Roberts, Jenny Stirling and Maggie Swan, students of BA Hons Fashion & Design History.

As a curatorial team we prioritise providing both visual and textual stimuli for visitors to enable fulfilling engagement with historical subject matter, while finding relevant links to style and popular culture today, such as internet trends and vintage revival. We aspire to bring women’s stories to the forefront of our historical studies as a group of queer and feminist students, challenging an art historical canon dominated by male figures.

This exhibition can be found in Mithras House, home to social studies at the University of Brighton, and the Teaching Collection founded by Professor Lou Taylor.

 

Mithras House

Lewes Road

Moulsecoomb, Brighton

BN2 4QX

 

Acknowledgements

With special thanks to the advisory assistance from Suzanne Rowland and Nicola Miles, help with the loan of objects from Sue, Sirpa and Jen at the University of Brighton Design Archives, and technical assistance of Arden Mccutcheon.

Fig. 1, Daphne Chatterley, An Ancestor to the Office Siren Exhibition Poster, Nov 2024.
image on poster: Artist unknown, Fashion magazine advert, c.1940s, UK, via The Advertising Archives, Bridgeman Education.

 

Fig. 2: View from the “An Ancestor of the Office Siren: Women’s Workwear 1940-1945” Exhibition, Mithras House, University of Brighton, Brighton. Personal photograph by Amy Garrod. 3 Dec 2024.

 

 

 

Grace Dowle reviews ‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ at the Experience Barnsley Museum (1st Apr – 16th Sep 2023)

Posted on by Standard Respond

Final year Fashion and Design History student Grace Dowle reviews ‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ at the Experience Barnsley Museum (1st Apr – 16th Sep 2023)

‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ at the Experience Barnsley Museum (1st April- 16th September 2023)

by Grace Dowle

‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ explores and celebrates the history of the textiles industry within Barnsley, South Yorkshire. The exhibition ran from the 1st April to 16th September 2023. Jon Finch, Head of Culture and Visitor Economy describes ‘Tailor Made’ as “a wonderful exhibition, offering people the opportunity to reminisce about those iconic people, places, and garments that hold special places in the town’s past”[1]. Located in The Experience Barnsley Museum in Barnsley’s Town Hall, the exhibition is accompanied by the Museum’s main collection exploring Barnsley’s past as an industrial town, industries such as coal mining and glass production. An emphasis is placed on celebrating the lives and heritage of the people of Barnsley, with the website describing the museum as “By the people, for the people, and about the people!”[2]

‘Tailor Made’ aims to highlight the people, processes, and products of Barnsley’s rich textile industry[3]. Spanning from the 18th century to the present day, the exhibition highlights the history and notoriety of the products produced. The objects on display included a late 19th century McLintock’s quilted housecoat, a McLintock’s quilted jacket and pantaloons and a more modern example from Lucy and Yak who started their business in 2017 and have gone on to produce their products in Barnsley[4]. Photographs of workers and factories at Corahs and Sugden’s were displayed.

Figure 1- McLintock’s Quilted Jacket and Pantaloons from the “Tailor Made in Barnsley” Exhibition, Experience Barnsley, Barnsley. Personal Photograph by the author. 27th July. 2023

It covers the evolution of linen production in Barnsley in the 19th century, originating from single looms in weaver’s cottages in the 18th century to bigger factories in the 19th and 20th century, Barnsley’s linen grew to be known for its quality [1]. The textile factories of the 20th century included McLintock’s, Wm Sugden & Sons, N Corah and Sons, and S R Gents. Most objects displayed were from McLintock’s. A variety of examples from a wider range of the companies mentioned would have refined the exhibition.

 Opening in 2013, Experience Barnsley was formed using objects donated by local people and is free to enter[2]. The museum relies mainly on public funding, grants, and donations from visitors. However, limited funding and the need for object donations explains the weaknesses of the exhibition that I have highlighted.

The exhibition space itself was small, located in a room off the permanent exhibition gallery. There is a lack of a route through the room, but limited exhibition space can make it more difficult to form an effective layout and to offer more physical examples. Public feedback and interaction are an essential part of the museum. The museum requested feedback regarding the space, and they also appealed for more photographs and information to be sent regarding the local textiles industry. A comment board prompted visitors to share their own stories, many who left notes worked locally in the textiles industry, offering personal accolades to accompany the information on show. There were a lot of interactive elements to the exhibition, with the center of the room dedicated to craft activities.

In a research project undertaken by the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester, it is shown that smaller museums are often a lot more centered around their community, but lack of funding hinders them. Staff resources are often stretched, and limited funding can impact the range of the museum[1]. While Experience Barnsley has some solid streams of income, it is often shared with five other museums in the borough, limiting the amount they receive and therefore limiting the scale and the variety of objects exhibited. As a relatively new museum, they do not have the masses of objects on hand that an older, larger museum would have, such as the V&A.

The V&A opened in 1852[2]  and has since amassed over 2.8 million objects[3]. The V&A are also able to generate a large amount of income from their ‘blockbuster’ exhibitions, which smaller museums would struggle to arrange. Collecting for Experience Barnsley started several years before its opening, relying on public donations to form the main collections. Smaller and newer museums could never reach the scale of a long-established institution such as the V&A.

‘Tailor Made in Barnsley’ is informative and sheds light on a more forgotten industry of Barnsley. It celebrates the town’s people, and its past; the community is at the heart of this museum and exhibition. As a local exhibition it is relatable to the local people who have connections to these places, but it also offers important information about the forming of Barnsley’s background as a proud, industrial town. While there are some drawbacks regarding space and the variety of physical examples, there are explanations that need to be considered before forming a final judgement.

 

Sources cited:

[1] Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, University of Leicester, “Small Museums and Social Inclusion: Data and key findings of a research project funded by Resource, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries”, 2000-2001, https://le.ac.uk/-/media/uol/docs/research-centres/rcmg/publications/small-museums-final-report-to-resource.pdf

[2]The V&A Museum, “The V&A Story”, www.vam.ac.uk, https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/the-va-story

[3] The V&A Museum, “About Us”, www.vam.ac.uk, https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/about-us#:~:text=We%20share%20a%205%2C000%20year,objects%20spanning%20every%20creative%20discipline.

[1] Barnsley Museums, “Tailor Made: Barnsley’s Textile Industry”, barnsleymuseums.art.blog, 31st March 2023, https://barnsleymuseums.art.blog/2023/03/31/tailor-made-barnsleys-textile-industry/

[2] Experience Barnsley, “Museum”, www.experience-barnsley.com, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/museum

[1]Experience Barnsley, “Bobbin to Experience Barnsley for their new Exhibition – Tailor Made!”, www.experience-barnsley.com, 28thMarch 2023, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/news/bobbin-to-experience-barnsley-for-their-new-exhibition-tailor-made

[2] Experience Barnsley, “Museum”, www.experience-barnsley.com, https://www.experience-barnsley.com/museum

[3]Experience Barnsley, “Tailor Made in Barnsley”, www.experience-barnsley.com,   https://www.experience-barnsley.com/digital/tailor-made-in-barnsley

[4] Lucy & Yak, “Our Story”, lucyandyak.com, https://lucyandyak.com/pages/our-story