A visit to the V&A

A treasure house of art and design. I chose to see Fashioned from Nature, Art Jameel 5, Master of Colour Sachio Yoshioka and a Japanese Collection (Toshiba Gallery) and Rachel Kneebone’s porcelain sculpture 399 Days placed amongst the V&A’s Medieval and Renaissance collection. Some examples captured below of ingenuity, past and present, shifts in what is regarded as ethical and unethical as we use the world’s resources, sometimes to exhaustion.

Animal free leather like fabric made from waste grape products arising from wine making.
Inspired by feathers and fur these embellishments are made of blown glass, natural rubber and silk taken after the worm emerges from its cocoon
Manufacturers use gallons of water and horrible chemicals to make denim. Then we wash them even if they don’t need it and often have more pairs than we need.
Maybe we will grow frocks in the future?
Wooden handle of a parasol with a rose created from the seed found in the nut of a dwarf palm tree.
This embroidered Japanese gift cover (fukusa) is so beautiful 1840 – 70. Perhaps the idea might replace the wrapping paper we use.
Art Jameel Prize 5

An art event aimed at supporting Islamic art and design.
Honey Creeper heads used to make earrings 1875.
Feather cape satirised by Punch in 1892 see background left.
Extravagant muff made of 1,000s of feathers.

Rachel Kneebone 399 Days 5 metres high and pure porcelain
Detail from 399 Days – incredibly expressive, a chaos of writhing bodies, reminds me of Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights”