Last year Modemuze -the online platform for Dutch fashion and costume heritage- organised an exhibition at the OBA and this year we're back! In correspondence with the theme of the ICOM Costume meeting 2018, anything and everything that's got to do with fashion and innovation will be on display. Together with a fun packed programme of which a few events I'll be your (terrified) host. *immediately starts to panic sweat*

Last year as 'the intern' at both Modemuze and one of their fifteen partners, I had the privilege experiencing all the different stages of building the exhibition and subsequently knew all the in's and out's of what was on display (as I put it there myself). This time however I was kept in the dark. Although, admittedly, I was one of the first people to see the marvellous campaign image by Carin Verbruggen and Ferry Drenthem Soesman. But nothing more than that. So when the exhibition was officially opened last Thursday, I was in for a surprise.

Layers of innovation

The 21st century is self-consciously an age of change and innovation, led by the so-manieth Apple-whatever, Facebook-scandal and Twitter-rant. Innovation however isn't always electronic or left to digital nothingness programmed by angry teenagers. It can be as big as the Industrial Revolution and as small as a simple popper; changing how we go through life and more importantly what we wear when staring directly into our webcam asking the FBI-agent on the other side if they know when your cousins birthday is. Thanks Tom!

As you can imagine, the words 'innovation' and 'museum' aren't often paired together. And even though I believe that museums have come a long way since the late 18th/early 19th century and (re)innovated themselves as reflections of the present instead of the greatest misconeption ever representing the unchanged past, not everyone sees it this way. Just looking at the frowned faces of my fellow-students, dramatically sighing and rolling their eyes as I once again stutter the word 'museum' in whatever context, following their misbehaviour up with a proud exclaim of "I never go to a museum" as if it's a badge of honour that physically fights the patriarchy. Yes, museums are undeniably a space for conservative old white men with an expensive hobby, but perhaps that's why it's even more important to show up and actively demonstrate that their unchallenged reign is over and therewith open up all the unexplored notions of what a museum could be. ANYWAY...

Challenging change

Although museums are perceived as dusty ol' patriarchal practitioners, there are currently many amendments made to this idea. As the Modemuze@OBA exhibition showcases, there are multiple developments -how banal it sometimes may seem- that got us where we are now. And it's thanks to these kinds of displays that show us these unnoticed layers underneath our imposed normative mobile-phone-driven existence. Museums, with all the 'useless' and 'boring' stuff they've gathered, can show just that. Poking through the seemingly fixed idea of the past, the present and the future as the notion of innovation changes with time. Just think again about the brilliance of a popper and how underappreciated its innovativeness is compared to the newest Iphone. #justiceforpoppers

The exhibition is similarly build-up as last year. When entering the space you're greeted with the campaign image and a brief introduction of what to expect. Because the space is on the small side, there's unfortunately no room for rotating mannequins doing cartwheels, however there IS room for fifteen museums and four private collectors to show off pieces of their extensive collection that in some way is innovative. This can literally go from a wrestling mask to glow-in-the-dark thread and my personal favourite: a two-in-one costume of the caterpillar on the mushroom from the 1976 production of Alice in Wonderland. This costume is what nightmares are made of.


Modemuze@OBA: Innovation will be at the OBA (Oosterdokskade 143, the one next to Amsterdam Cental Station) until 2 September 2018. As said at the beginning of this post, within the exhibition space multiple events will be held. You can find the whole programme on Modemuze and Facebook. Let me know if I'll see you there!