Madeleine Porritt

Research Summary:

This project is developing through a durational internship with The National Trust Victoria, whereby this research aims to provide a contribution to the accessibility, funding and public engagement with The National Trust Victoria’s costume collection (Petrivnia, 2023). I propose the collection and associations as being compromised entities in contemporary culture, challenged in their accretion and ongoing significance. This problemetisation of the collection offers opportunities to challenge traditional fashion museology practice, offering alternative and more complex engagements with heritage fashion collections relevant to their socio-cultural setting. This research is guided by the primary question; How can more complex engagements with heritage fashion collections be facilitated through curatorial practice? This question is supported by secondary questions; How does the challenge of collection constructs affect collection significance and representation in contemporary culture? These questions will be addressed through a practice-led approach in fashion curation and visual representations of heritage fashion objects within the costume collection of The National Trust Victoria.

Biography:

Madeleine uses a multidisciplinary approach to formulate ideas around fashion and its associated motifs; often utilising collaborative approaches to translate across fields of research. Focussing with intention to create dialogue around the interaction between body and garment in performative states. Situating her practice outside the traditional fashion setting, Madeleine has created a series of films and curated exhibitions revolving around the subject matter of the body and its role in the Fashion System. Generating work through these relationships pushes the boundaries of ‘what fashion is’ and how it is interpreted, communicated and disseminated. Currently a candidate at RMIT University Melbourne studying a Master’s by Research in Fashion. This project is developing through a durational internship with The National Trust Victoria, whereby this research aims to provide a contribution to the accessibility, funding and public engagement with The National Trust Victoria’s costume collection. This project will develop as a curatorial intervention within heritage fashion collections.

Supervisors: Professor Robyn Healy & Associate Professor Ricarda Bigolin

Re-padding the silk dresses in the costume collection housed at Labassa, The National Trust Victoria. Image by Madeleine Porritt