Yay!
After just over a year of being closed due to Covid-19 lockdowns and
restrictions, MoDiP is now finally able to open up once again. And what a
better way to celebrate than with a brand-new exhibition: Beside the sea.
This
exhibition celebrates the fun of the seaside but also considers important
issues such as inclusivity, material value and pollution. It has been an
extremely interesting project to work on and we have acquired some amazing
objects.
Image ref:
Martin White telescopic swimsuit, AIBDC
: 008463 |
One of my favourites is this
lovely Martin White telescopic swimsuit (refer image above) in a gorgeous
cherry red colour. It is shirred with parallel rows of lastex yarn to provide a
stretch fit and is featured alongside a 1950s constructed
costume as well as an example from the 1980s in
lycra, all exploring the development of synthetic materials in swimwear.
Image ref: ‘Baited’ Hookpod, AIBDC : 008599 |
In researching on the theme of
‘working on the sea’, we came across some fantastic inventions that are using
plastics to improve the sustainability of the commercial fishing industry. One
such object is the Hookpod,
a polycarbonate capsule that covers the point and barb of hooks deployed in
longline fishing. It will open once the hook has sunk to a depth beyond the
range of diving birds, such as the albatross, thus preventing their incidental
capture. The lovely people at Hookpod
kindly put a demonstration baited squid on the hook to help explain how it all
works.
Image ref: A
Dacron sailcloth, AIBDC: 008508 |
We
have a case devoted to ropes, sheets and cleats (all things sailing), with a
full-sized storm jib
on display, made from Dacron, a polyester fibre with a PET waterproof layer.
You can’t miss it as it is huge and bright orange in colour! It was quite a
challenge to store because we don’t have a dedicated rolled textile storage
rack but we managed to improvise by adopting an unused clothing rail and hung
the sail over tubing wrapped in acid-free tissue.
 |
Image ref: A backpack from Prada's Re-Nylon
collection, AIBDC : 008417 |
A
particularly popular area of the collection involves those objects made from
ocean plastics and Beside the sea provided the opportunity for the museum to
develop this further. Sunglasses seem to be widely available as a product made
from these recycled materials, but as we had already acquired a pair back in 2018,
we were keen to see what else we could acquire. I love Prada’s backpack, made
from Econyl,
a nylon thread recycled out of ghost fishing nets.
Beside the sea is open 11 Jun 2021 - 3 Dec 2021.
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