Fashion, the consensus would likely assert, is intended to be observed. Not heard, and definitely not smelled.
Nevertheless, Andrew Bolton, the innovative mind behind the acclaimed fashion exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, challenges this notion. His latest presentation, debuting alongside the prestigious Met Gala next month, aims to deliver a multi-sensory encounter, involving not only the visual aspect but also engaging the olfactory senses, auditory perception — and even tactile sensations, a conventionally restricted aspect in museum settings.
Accessible to the public from May 10 onwards, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” showcases 250 pieces that are being revived from years of dormancy within the institute’s extensive archive, some in such a fragile state of decay that they cannot be displayed on mannequins or hung upright. These garments will rest in glass coffins — reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty herself.
As always, VIP attendees at the May 6 soirée, hosted this year by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth, will receive the inaugural glimpse of the exhibition. With a specified attire termed “The Garden of Time,” imaginative interpretations with garden motifs are anticipated. But will anyone dare to don an actual living garden? Bolton revealed during the setup of the exhibit last week that such a garment exists in the showcase: a coat embedded with oat, rye, and wheatgrass.
Crafted by Jonathan Anderson of the LOEWE label (a key supporter of the event), the garment is presently "cultivating" within a tent at the museum, equipped with its own watering system. Initially showcased in its verdant splendor for the first week, it will later be replaced by a version, also cultivated for the exhibition, that has withered. Described by the museum as a garment that "will grow and perish throughout the duration of the exhibition."
“Sleeping Beauties” will be structured around themes of earth, air, and water — but additionally, Bolton notes, around the diverse sensory experiences. The garden display area, where the coat will be featured, is among four sections dedicated to the sense of smell.
This signifies that visitors will have the opportunity to experience aromas linked to various garments. However, it doesn't imply that a floral dress, for instance, will be accompanied by a floral fragrance. The reality is much more intricate.
“What we're truly presenting is the olfactory narrative of the garment,” Bolton explains. “And that encompasses the scent of the wearer, their natural body odors, what they smoked, what they consumed, where they resided.” For these sections, the museum collaborated with Norwegian "smell artist" Sissel Tolaas, who conducted 57 "molecular analyses" of garments, all to craft scents that will drift through the spaces and deepen the viewer's connection to the exhibited items.
Moreover, garments also produce sounds, particularly if they're embellished, as exemplified by a renowned gown from the late Alexander McQueen, adorned with dried and bleached razor clams.
Since the original dress is too delicate to capture the sounds it emits during movement, curators replicated it — using the same type of razor clams that McQueen gathered from a Norfolk, England beach — and then isolated and recorded the sound in a reverberation-free chamber at Binghamton University. The objective, Bolton notes, is “to capture the nuances of motion.”
The identical outcome is achieved with a silk taffeta attire, featuring a phenomenon known as “scroop,” a fusion of the terms “scrape” and “whoop.”
“I realize it sounds like a garage band,” jests Bolton, “but it’s a distinct sound produced by silk.” It can vary in volume, depending on the treatment of the silk. Taffeta produces the most pronounced scroop, hence that's what visitors will encounter in a specific gallery.
Then there's the sense of touch.
“It’s one of the challenges of museums, the inability to touch artifacts,” remarks the curator. The exhibition aims to alter that as well. For instance, consider an embroidered 17th-century Jacobean bodice. No, such a delicate item can't be handled. However, utilizing 3D scanning, curators have replicated the embroidery on wallpaper. “The entire space will be adorned with this wallpaper,” explains Bolton. “You can use your hands to perceive the shapes and intricacy of the embroidery.” The same method will allow visitors to experience the texture of a Dior gown.
Even through the simple act of sight, the exhibition aims to enrich the visual encounter with accompanying animations showcasing details of the attire that are imperceptible to the naked eye — akin to peering through a microscope.
In what Bolton describes as one of the most ambitious endeavors undertaken by the
Costume Institute, he meticulously sifted through the museum’s complete archive of 33,000 garments and accessories to select the ultimate 250.
He envisions that these diverse new technologies will become commonplace, and that the institute will be able to establish a repository of the sounds and scents of certain garments prior to their inclusion in the collection — capturing them in their living essence, in their “final breath” of existence before they transition into museum artifacts. Perhaps one day to rest in a glass casket, akin to Sleeping Beauty.
