Do you have an old wedding dress hanging in your wardrobe awaiting the unlikely day when someone may want to re-use it? Of course these frocks hold special memories, but lets face it, most are worn once then put to rest forever. Some of the luckier ones do make it to the thrift stores hoping for a new chance at strutting their pearl and lace plumage… but how many of these actually find a new home?
Would you like your wedding dress to have an opportunity to be adored by a large audience once again? If so, the artist trio who go by the name of “Peculiar Annes” would be thrilled to take your dress to be part of an outdoor installation titled “Ethereal – Bodies, Ritual and Desire” to be exhibited as part of this years “Hidden” Sculpture Award at iconic Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney (September 14th – October 19th, 2014)
If you choose to kindly donate a wedding dress, one of the Peculiar Annes will happily collect it from you. ( and dont worry we are not that peculiar!) . These glorious frocks will take centre stage one last time, in the unlikely arena of a graveyard. That is to say, they will be out on display, hanging from trees, their imagined inner body created with loops of wire giving fullness and individual expression to each dress. It is true that in this context they will likely appear as ghosts, and indeed they are ghosts of their former selves, with a story to tell but no language to express it. We imagine their former glory, the ritual, the love and the bond they represented, and in this strange context, with an audience again, they can once more feel adored.
So who are the “Peculiar Annes”? We are a trio of 3 artists – Janet Parker-Smith, Cleo Gardiner and myself, Claude Jones. This group was formed as each artist engages with similar concepts, aesthetics and political concerns. The group collectively has a combined history of exhibiting nationally and internationally and their works are held in numerous public and private collections.
Please contact me if you would like to donate your wedding dress to this truly worthwhile artistic project. “Hidden” is an exciting annual art event and we hope you will join the hundreds of people and visit Rookwood graveyard during this exhibition.. Naturally there will be photo documentation on the “Hidden” website and I will post photos of our installation here on my blog too.Did I happen to also mention that this exhibition is curated by the Fabulous artist and brilliant curator Cassandra Hard-Lawrie!
We are excitedly awaiting your kind donations and hoping you will once again say “I do”
The eternally grateful
Peculiar Annes.
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