FRIDAY LATE: Bright Young Things

 

 V&A PRESENTS FRIDAY LATE with MasterCard

Friday 24 February
18.30–22.00

Step into the glittering world of Cecil Beaton – photographer to royalty and the stars. Don your tiara or pose in your top hat and tails to sip cocktails with the best of the Bright Young Things. From re-creations of Beaton’s theatrical sets, to readings from his diaries and explorations of his work for Vogue, this evening celebrates Beaton’s obsession with all things beautiful.

All events are free and places designated on a first come, first served basis, unless stated otherwise. Filming and photography will be taking place at this event.

MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

Live music by the Dixie Ticklers
Grand Entrance
18.30–20.00 & 20.30–21.30
Calling all fly-boys and flappers! Grab your dancing shoes for a special performance by Dom James and The Dixie Ticklers. Building on their fierce live reputation within the jazz and vintage scene, this six piece band revisits and transforms the classic sounds of the Twenties and Thirties.

Readings from Cecil Beaton’s diaries by Ian Bruce
National Art Library 
19.00–19.30, 20.00–20.30 & 21.00–21.30
Tempted by the journals and diary confessions of others? Listen in on frank and insightful readings from Cecil Beaton’s own diaries spanning the 1920s–1970s, in the intimate and atmospheric National Art Library.  Read by artist and muscian Ian Bruce.

Please note coats and bags are not permitted in the Library, please leave these items in the cloakroom on the ground floor.

Jazz and Ragtime Piano
Gamble room, Café
19.00–21.00
Enjoy jazz and ragtime piano in the sparkling elegance of the Gamble room, with pianists Donald Bradby and Holly Roberts.

Vile Bodies
Raphael Galleries
18.30–20.00 & 20.30– 21.30
Party like it’s 1929! You are invited to revel in the fabulous London high-life of the fashionable set known as ‘The Bright Young Things’, all beautiful, rich and senseless. Join in Warwick University for their production of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel.

Produced with the support of the Codpiece Society and the Freshblood Society.

INSTALLATIONS

Lightdrawings by Hugo Dalton
Grand entrance, Raphael Galleries and throughout
18.30–22.00
Look out for Hugo Dalton’s sumptuous floral lightdrawings referencing Beaton’s use of flowers in his portraits. Dalton has produced work for the Royal Horticultural Society and the studios of the Roundhouse, London - these striking floral images amplify the architecture of the Museum.

 

WORKSHOPS

Scavenger Hunt
Throughout – Pick up a museum map and use your programme cover
18.30–22.00
Follow clues and solve riddles around the museum in the V&A’s version of the elaborate London treasure hunts enjoyed by the Bright Young Things. The thrill is in the chase but don’t forget to pick up your specially designed badge when you’ve finished the hunt.  The first 50 victorious hunters can collect a free ticket to Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration from the ‘Hunt Desk’ in the Grand Entrance. How divine!

Illustrations by Katharine McEwen

Prop/accessory making workshop
Room 25
18.30–21.30
Are you ready for your close-up? Join prop and accessory maker Bryony Rumble and dabble in the art of fancy dress to transform yourself into a camera-ready siren or rake.

Beaton Photography studio
Rooms 32 and 33
18.30–21.30
Strike your best pose amongst balloons and cellophane for your very own Beaton-style portrait. Beaton’s photographic portraits of the young, the rich and the beautiful achieved high glamour using surprisingly humble materials. Download your photo from the V&A Facebook page after the event.


‘Beaton-esque’ Fashion Illustration workshop
Morris Room, Café
18.30 -21.30
Cecil Beaton once said ‘when we talk about fashion… we really mean the whole art of living.’ His famous illustrations for Vogue capture not only the shape and style of fashionable dress but also the character and poise of the wearer. Join fashion illustrator/stylist David Poole and models to try your hand at capturing the essence of beauty in a few carefully placed strokes.

Beautiful Badge Making
Room 24
18.30-21.30
‘How Shy Making!’, ‘Too too shameful!’ Au courant with 1920s slang? The Twenties were the first decade to popularise a manner of speaking specific to the youth of the day. Pin down your favourite 1920s saying or Beaton image and take home your own wearable memento.

FILM SCREENINGS

Silent film curated by the BFI
Grand Entrance
18.30–22.00
James Laver's iconic poem, 'Women of 1926' invites us to 'Come dance before the music stops' so here is your chance with a selection of films from the BFI National Archive. Invoke the wild dancing days of Twenties' youth – with scenes of a futuristic London, a Cambridge rag, dancing on skyscrapers and the Charleston. 

TALKS AND LECTURES

Beaton and Vogue : Collections Talk
Prints and Drawings Study room (meet at the Meeting Point Grand Entrance)
19.30–20.30
V&A Curators Susanna Brown and Anisa Hawes present highlights from the Museum's spectacular collection of vintage Beaton photographs, including glittering fashion studies for Vogue, portraits and war-time images.

Tickets are free and available from the Information Desk in the Grand Entrance from 18.30
Please note coats and bags are not permitted in the Study Rooms, please leave these items in the cloakroom on the ground floor.

Encountering the V&A: Cecil Beaton as Curator
Hochauser  Auditorium Sackler Centre
19.30–20.30
Join London College of Fashion Professor Amy de la Haye for an exploration of Cecil Beaton’s impact as a Curator. Beaton’s seminal exhibition at the V&A ‘Fashion: An Anthology by Cecil Beaton’ (1971), significantly changed the role and perception of fashion in a Museum context. He facilitated the acquisition of numerous fine examples of contemporary fashionable dress, personally collected with the help of his wealthy and fashionable circle of friends.

Beaton and the Theatre: Collections Talk
Prints and Drawings Study room 2 (meet at the Meeting Point Grand Entrance)
20.00–21.00
Jane Pritchard, V&A Curator of Dance, looks at Beaton’s work for the theatre, exploring his award-winning stage, lighting and costume designs as well as his relationships with the stars.

Tickets are free and available from the Information Desk in the Grand Entrance from 18.30
Please note coats and bags are not permitted in the Study Rooms, please leave these items in the cloakroom on the ground floor.

FOOD & DRINK

Drinks are available in the Grand Entrance and Sackler Centre Reception throughout the evening. Food is also  served in the Café until 21.00

CONTACTS

Dom James And His Dixie Ticklers
www.dixieticklers.co.uk

Ian Bruce
www.rubicane.com
www.thecorrespondents.co.uk

Donald Bradby  (pianist)
angelmusic@itbites.net

Holly Roberts (pianist)
hollyroberts@mypostoffice.co.uk

Warwick Arts Centre
warwickartscentre.co.uk

Hugo Dalton
hugodalton.com

Katharine McEwen
katharinemcewen.co.uk

Martyn Odell (photographer)
martyn_odell@hotmail.com

Bryony Rumble
bryonyrumble.co.uk

David Poole
www.SLASHSTROKEMAGAZINE.COM

Amy de la Haye
a.de-la-haye@fashion.arts.ac.uk

ALSO ON TONIGHT

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration
8 February – 22 April 2012
Featuring portraits of Queen Elizabeth II by royal photographer Cecil Beaton, this exhibition celebrates Her Majesty in her roles as princess, monarch and mother and coincides with the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
With thanks to Garrard.

Tickets are available form the main information desk (last ticket sold 20.45, last entry 21.00)

Golden Spider Silk
25 January – 5 June 2012
This display showcases the world’s largest pieces of cloth made from spider silk. It includes a brocaded shawl made from the silk of more than one million female golden orb-weaver spiders collected in the highlands of Madagascar, as well as a cape on public display for the first time. The display also features background material and a short film revealing the process.
Room 17.A
Entry is free.

COMING UP

FRIDAY LATE:  Night of Norouz
With MasterCard
Friday 30 March
Celebrate the ancient festival of the Spring Equinox, Norouz, at the V&A. Marking the Persian New Year, make merry with a programme of contemporary films, music and art, ancient poetry and songs. Try your hand at felt making and create your own geometric designs.

In collaboration with the Iran Heritage Foundation.

APRIL FRIDAY LATE
With MasterCard
27 April 2012
In celebration of British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age, join the new crop of British design talent for an evening of creative collaboration and problem-solving. Through making, doing (and perhaps a little mending) alongside a lively programme of talks and workshops, participate in some quintessentially British approaches to innovation, irreverence and inspiration from far and wide.

MasterCard is delighted to be partnering with Friday Late at the V&A, where each month we will be hosting the MasterCard Bar for cardholders who have registered in advance.  You can find out about all the latest London offers and special events, including the MasterCard Bar at next month’s V&A Friday Late, by visiting www.pricelesslondon.co.uk.

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