The Ball - exhibition at Design Museum Holon

[Petra]

The current exhibition at Design Museum Holon in Israel is The Ball, and it is "concerned with fashion's ability to transport us into a magical world in which anything is possible, if only for one night." A lot like ballet, then 🙂

Besides the slightly OTT text, it's a truly outstanding exhibition which appeals on many levels and to a wide audience.  The first main hall is a display of authentic reconstructions of ball gowns in Western civilization through the ages from the 1600's to the 1980's, but the twist is that everything is in white. At first glance, the gallery looks very plain but as soon as you take another look, the immense changes in style and technique are even more obvious than they would be if the clothes were in colour.

The second main hall is a display of ball gowns and couture gowns by Israeli designers. Apparently a quarter of the designers at NY Bridal Fashion week are Israeli or former Israelis. This was the most lavish and amazing of the exhibits. The gowns are arranged by colours and it was fascinating to see the difference between one black dress and another. I loved a neoprene zebra stripe painted dress, a wedding dress made our of recycled old wedding dress and a filmy yellow Art Deco style gown inspired by Loie Fuller. In the middle of the hall stand a mannequin couple and every quarter hour the lights dim, music plays and the couple twirl around like Cinderella and Prince Charming or like a couple from a Busby Berkley musical. 

The third section was a collaboration between a local hatter and pastry chef, each one making artifacts inspired by the other ending up with a room full to the ceiling with a 'pastry' display. My daughters asked when anyone would wear a hat that looks like a plate of macarons with ants crawling over them, so I told them about horse racing at Ascot...

I don't know if this exhibition can or will travel, but if it comes around, it's highly recommended.

COVID-19 precautions - museums in Israel are obliged to Green Pass regulations, which means anyone over 3 has to show proof of vaccination or negative antigen test. Children ages 3-12 (who can't be vaccinated) are entitled to free tests. Masks are compulsory indoors. There didn't seem to be any issue with compliance. Not everyone agrees with these measures, but I think those people are not likely to come to venues where the rules are enforced.

[dirac]

Thank you for posting this, Petra. This exhibition looks intriguing and fun. I wish there was a photo gallery, but I clicked around and didn't find one. 

A story in The Jerusalem Post:

Quote

“On the universal level, I wanted to ask if escapism is here to tell us that we can’t handle reality, or if it is the most realistic way of survival. The first part of the exhibition is dedicated to the history of proms. They developed in the middle ages in Europe, and were closed to the aristocracy and the rich. Through fairy tales, proms became available for everyone to imagine, to dream and to become a part of the escapism,” says Keydar.