NGV Vivienne Westwood & Rei Kawakubo Exursion 

Student input from Emma Dong & Ellee Hurt

The Vivienne Westwood exhibition was a very interesting and fun exhibition. We got to explore many of Vivienne’s world-class art collections which would differ from time period to time period. There were many punk pieces but there were also some very elegant pieces. My personal favourite collection was those inspired by Rai Kawakubo. After we finished the exhibition if we had extra time, we were allowed to explore the rest of the NGV. It was a very self-paced and was a very captivating exhibition and it was a wonderful opportunity.

Vivienne Westwood was revolutionary designer. She was known for her punk rebellious style playing on activism. She was famous for using materials like crinoline, bustle, a lot of linen and bringing back corsets in the 1970s. Her Fashion could be crazy, fancy or even a mix of both. Her fashion will forever be remembered for her artistic, punk, and political expression.

Rei Kawakubo. A fashion Designer who is always testing fashion with her ground-breaking, abstract concepts. Her Designs are always experimenting on whether they are clothes, sculptures, or paintings. She plays with fabric creating ruffled textures, using a mix of fabrics, colours, and patterns, creating unique and creative designs. Rei Kawakubo modernized the Fashion industry always changing the idea of what fashion is.

One of my favourite parts of the exhibition was the beginning of the exhibition with all the quotes, clocks, and the audio. It really enhanced the experience and just made it a lot more entertaining.

The photography experience was a fun, creative workshop celebrating international women’s day. We were toured through the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, learning about its history, and what is now used for. We then did a photography workshop which was hosted by Suzanne Phoenix, where we would get a polaroid photo taken and would write what international women’s day meant to us.

The history of the Queen Victoria Women’s centre is very historic. Melbourne’s women broke the gender barrier by opening the Queen Victoria Hospital for women and children in 1899 which allowed women to study and practice medicine. It was the world’s third hospital for women run only by women and run by women doctors. It is in the heritage listing, and it was built by the renowned Melbourne architect JJ Clark.