From March 3 until April 15, Melbourne’s Hellenic Museum presents Haute Couture in Ancient Greece: the Spectacular Costumes of Ariadne & Helen of Troy; featuring Dr Bernice Jones’ research outcomes through costumes inspired by ancient images from the Minoan civilisation (2000- 1250 BCE).[1] Alongside showcasing innovative research, Haute Couture aligns with the Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival, the Benaki museum partnership and the museum’s mission to promote ancient and contemporary Greek culture.[2] The exhibition engages diverse audiences with ancient Greek fashion in a contemporary format with drawbacks in accessibility, transparency and design.
The exhibition promotes the historic significance of ancient Greek fashion. It displays Jones’ academic research in a clear format for a public audience: recreated ancient costumes of Homer’s heroines.[3] Jones, a specialist in Aegean and the Near East during the Bronze Age, has lectured and published extensively.[4] Her focus on Minoan and Mycenaean dress was explored through recreating costumes after analysing limited sources, including ancient wall paintings, frescoes and sculptures.[5] Through exhibiting her research, the exhibition focuses on Jones’ aim to reverse the, “least understood among the major artistic achievements of the Minoan civilisation.”[6]
Beyond presenting research, the exhibition’s partnership with the Melbourne Fashion Festival provides a contemporary, aesthetic approach. The exhibition complements the resurgence of ancient Greek motifs in major fashion house collections and is a reminder of historical influences in contemporary fashion.[7] Thus, the exhibition presents multiple perspectives, which, according to the museum’s aim, present a, “holistic experience of […] Greek culture and the contribution it has made and continues to make to contemporary society.”[8]
The design is succinct and intriguing. Haute Couture is located in a small, square room, easily found on the ground floor near reception. It presents an installation of three repeated components: garments on mannequins, copies of the original source and contextualising wall text detailing Jones’ analysis and rationale.[9] The costumes complemented by their ancient sources flaunt the accuracy and detail of Jones’ research- even hair-styles and tassel-trimmings are duplicated.[10] The additional content provided by the wall text, including pattern drawings, draws the visitor further into the historic exploration.[11] Despite containing no original artefact, the image (ancient artefact), recreation (ancient costume) and wall text (research) create an intellectually and aesthetically engaging exhibition.
The trio-installation is evenly paced along the four walls where the visitor can closely inspect the captivating details or stand back to admire the whole display. Hovering lights highlight each component of the exhibition, rather than central or natural light drawing attention to only certain elements. Painted-blue walls with decorative finishes contribute to design aesthetics. While wall text content is dense and inconsistent, ranging from technical details to general history, the viewer can simply compare similarities between painting and garment to grasp central concepts. The contrasting design components successfully communicate Jones’ research and enlighten visitors on Aegean costumes while also being visually appealing.[12]
Nevertheless, the design is inadequate in contrast to other Hellenic Museum exhibitions which feature fashion. For instance, Gods, Myths & Mortals, containing highly valued artefacts from the Benaki Museum, effectively display textiles with higher quality mannequins and glass cases. [13] On the second level, Bill Henson’s photographic installation, ONEIROI, is similar to Haute Couture through contemporarily documenting ancient fashion, such as a model wearing a 4th century necklace from the Benaki.[14] The exhibition’s dim lighting composition and soundtrack starkly compare to Haute Couture’s simple lighting and lack of sound. As it accompanies rich and multifaceted exhibitions, Haute Couture is underdeveloped in contrast.
To explain these design downfalls, the exhibition could be evaluated within the museum’s partnership with Athens’ Benaki Museum.[15] The collaboration launched through the 2014 large-scale exhibition Gods, Myths and Mortals, which exhibits an elaborate 8000-year narrative of Greek history.[16] When the visitor leaves God, Myths and Mortals, where they “immerse themselves in history,” its broad narrative is narrowed in the smaller, more intimate Haute Couture.[17] Hence, the visitor can benefit from how the exhibitions complement each other. Additionally, exhibitions are pragmatically designed for their lifespan; as a ten-year exhibition, God, Myths and Mortals is better developed compared to its one-month Haute Couture counterpart.[18]
Haute Couture strategizes to engage with the interests and motivations of Greek Australians.[19] Since opening in 2007, the Hellenic Museum has aimed to develop programs which promote ancient and contemporary Greek culture to the public.[20] The museum segments “the public” culturally, focussing first on Greek Australians, as Melbourne is home to the largest diasporic Greek population, before other Australian communities.[21] For instance, the introductory text outside the exhibition’s entrance commits several hundred words honouring ancient Greek civilisation achievements, hardly noting Jones’ research or the Festival.[22] Moreover, focussing on ancient Greece’s contemporary relevance shapes the exhibition as an ode to Greek cultural heritage.
However, the exhibition’s place within Melbourne Fashion Festival’s 2018 Arts program expands audiences beyond Greek communities[23] The Festival’s website, visited by its audience, notes the exhibition will increase understanding of the value of fashion in ancient times.[24] Another source hails how Australians have the opportunity to admire the dress of ancient Greek women.[25] Thus, collaborating with the Fashion Festival expands audiences beyond those invested in Greek history and culture to those interested in women’s fashion. The collaboration is reciprocal; while new audiences are drawn to the museum, the Festival will benefit from museum visitors who seek information from the arts-inclusive program.[26]
Unfortunately, ‘fashion,’ as a point of interest led to creative-content not being accessible to all audiences. Media communications around the exhibition reported an “exclusive exhibition launch party.”[27] The event’s guests were able to “indulge” in “free-flowing” champagne, cocktails and canapes while enjoying runway models displaying the costumes and an installation projection of the ancient frescoes.[28] Unfortunately, this spectacle was not available to the general public. Arguably, the exclusive event’s runway show could have been filmed to be exhibited later to all audiences and assist the exhibition’s absence of audio-visual material.[29]
Concerns around funding dispersion and policy arise when analysing the opening event of Haute Couture and how it contrasts to other exhibitions. The exhibition travelled from the US, debuted at the museum and will travel to Athens’ National Archaeological Museum, forms part of a prominent festival and had an extravagant opening event.[30] However, the exhibition’s simplistic design does not reflect its significant background. Could this be due to poor budget management? This cannot be answered as there is a lack of supporting context, such as a catalogue, exhibition policies and annual reports, to clarify decision making procedures.[31] Other exhibitions don’t suffer from this problem. Published information advises ONEIROI was commissioned through the Benaki collaboration and funded by benefactor Robert Buckingham.[32] The Benaki collaboration, costing $5 million, received financial support from the Victorian state government and Greek state.[33] While Haute Couture is conducted within the Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival’s program, whether Virgin contributed financially is unclear. The Hellenic Museum’s funding structure is elusive with no public annual reports and much data presented through newspaper journalism.[34] Unfortunately, lack of management transparency blurs the clarity of the exhibition’s administration and background.
Overall, Haute Couture fruitfully achieves Jones’ aim to present the “concurrent ancient, contemporary and eternal significance” of the Bronze Age costume. Aesthetic and intellectual, the 3-tier installation is engaging and has the ability to draw multiple audiences. However, its strong design and audience engagement is decreased through cross-exhibition contrasts and its own opening event. This could be explained by construction priorities, as short exhibitions require simplicity, or by misled budgeting and management. Nevertheless, these extraneous details compromise the exhibition’s underlying effectiveness.
Find more information on the exhibition here
References
[1] Opening text for exhibition: Haute Couture in Ancient Greece: the Spectacular Costumes of Ariadne & Helen of Troy, Melbourne, the Hellenic Museum, visited 7 March 2018.
“Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne, accessed March 19, 2018, https://www.hellenic.org.au/haute-couture-in-ancient-greece.
[2] “Hellenic Museum,” CAN – Collections Australia Network, accessed March 19, 2018, http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/100602/20110120-1007/www.collectionsaustralia.net/org/1870/about/index.html (website archived by Pandora).
[3] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[4] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[5] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[6] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[7] Kyra Agathos, “The Report: Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, February 20, 2018, accessed March 19, 2018, https://vamff.com.au/news/the-report-haute-couture-in-ancient-greece/.
[8] “Frequently Asked Questions,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne, accessed March 19, 2018, https://www.hellenic.org.au/faq.
[9] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[10] “Haute Couture from Ancient Greece on Show at the Hellenic Museum,” Neos Kosmos, January 18, 2018, accessed March 19, 2018, https://neoskosmos.com/en/110992/haute-couture-from-ancient-greece-on-show-at-the-hellenic-museum/.
[11] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[12] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne.
[13] The Hellenic Museum, Communications, “The Hellenic Museum to Present a Major Collection from the Renowned Benaki Museum, Athens,” News release, Melbourne, Victoria, 2014.
[14] Premier of Victoria The Hon. Daniel Andrews MP, “Ancient Greece Meets Modern Melbourne with New Benaki Museum Display,” News release, December 10, 2017, Victorian Government, accessed March 19, 2018, https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/ancient-greece-meets-modern-melbourne-with-new-benaki-museum-exchange/.
John McDonald, “Art and the Ancients,” The Age (Melbourne), August 4, 2016. August 4, 2016.
[15] This partnership eventuated after the Benaki Museum suffered from devastating government funding cuts and also wished to “rebrand” Greece (as the economic situation has damaged national ego) through an exchange-based friendship with an international museum. The ‘under-utilised’ Hellenic Museum, on the other hand, used the partnership to become a greater “cultural, artistic and educational resource” within Melbourne and increase appeal to Melbourne’s Greek community. (Victoria Kyriakopoulos, “A Travelling Treasure Trove,” The Age (Melbourne), November 1, 2014).
[16] The Hellenic Museum, “The Hellenic Museum to Present a Major Collection.”
[17] The Hellenic Museum, “The Hellenic Museum to Present a Major Collection.”
[18] Philip Hughes, Exhibition Design: An Introduction (London: Laurence King Publishing, 2015), 202.
[19] “Hellenic Museum,” CAN – Collections Australia Network.
Hughes, Exhibition Design, 36.
[20] “Hellenic Museum,” CAN – Collections Australia Network.
[21] “Hellenic Museum,” CAN – Collections Australia Network.
[22] Opening text for exhibition: Haute Couture in Ancient Greece.
[23] Opening text for exhibition: Haute Couture in Ancient Greece.
[24] “Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival, accessed March 19, 2018, https://vamff.com.au/event/haute-couture-in-ancient-greece/.
[25] Philip Chrysopoulos, “Ancient Greek Chic Goes on Show in Melbourne,” Greek Reporter, February 27, 2018, accessed March 19, 2018, http://au.greekreporter.com/2018/02/27/ancient-greek-chic-goes-on-show-in-melbourne/.
[26] Personally, I did not know the festival was on until I saw this exhibition and became more interested in it as a result.
[27] Chrysopoulos, “Ancient Greek Chic.”
[28] Chrysopoulos, “Ancient Greek Chic.”
“Haute Couture from Ancient Greece on Show at the Hellenic Museum,” Neos Kosmos.
“Haute Couture in Ancient Greece,” Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival.
[29] Hughes, Exhibition Design, 169.
[30] “Haute Couture from Ancient Greece on Show at the Hellenic Museum,” Neos Kosmos.
[31]This review aimed to overcome source limitations through visual assessments, press releases, museum websites and online commentary, such as newspaper articles.
[32] “ONEIROI: Bill Henson,” Hellenic Museum Melbourne, accessed March 22, 2018, https://www.hellenic.org.au/oneiroi.
[33] This funding supported the creation of new exhibition spaces, security and climate control However, how and where this supposed funding is spent is not publicly detailed and the budget of Haute Couture is a mystery.
Eugenia Pavlopoulou, “From Friends to Partners,” Neos Kosmos, December 22, 2017.
Kyriakopoulos,”A Travelling Treasure Trove.”
[34] The Age reported the museum was founded by businessman Spiros Stamoulis with a net wealth of $411. Following his death, his family has continued to support the museum with the State Government supporting a long-lease of the building. (Carolyn Webb, “Prominent Greek Family Bears Gift of a New City Museum,” The Age (Melbourne), July 11, 2008.).