How did you feel when you were invited to be the production designer of this exhibition?
William Chang Suk-Ping: This exhibition is driven by imagination, creativity, and passion. K11 has also invited the V&A to collaborate and develop this project, which brings 200 years of couture to Hong Kong for the first time. On top, six emerging Asian fashion designers also have been invited to create new works and showcase signature looks, making this entire exhibition truly one-of-a-kind.
Seeing how these designers have reimagined centuries-old craft and techniques has been truly inspiring, and provided me with a wonderful canvas from which to create and design.
How does the lighting and scenography around the clothing create a cinematic experience here?
WC: When it comes to a movie or exhibition, it is about storytelling. How the story is told versus how it is interpreted/understood by the audience comes down to whether we have created the environment and setting for them to be able to immerse themselves as the character. In the case of this exhibition, it’s whether the audience can put themselves in the shoes of the young designers or the craftsmen from 200 years ago.
The environment that I wanted to build is one that illustrates how passionate these creative talents are. I was inspired by the poem Love After Love by Derek Walcott – tying it with the exhibition title Love of Couture: Artisanship in Fashion Beyond Time – how one can be immensely ‘in love’ with creating and designing over the centuries. Hence, you see the neon light wall with the words ‘made of Love After Love.’
Visitors also see an MRI scan of a human brain in the state of being in love, which is again a metaphorical expression of being addicted to creative work. These are elements that we incorporate into the environment that take visitors on a journey of imagination. But you would have to come see for yourself in order to fully capture the experience including a special soundtrack, other lighting and sculptures that I have designed from scratch.