Flight
Costume Design
1999 (designed)
1999 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Costume design by Ali Pretty for Fall or Fly, a section of the Notting Hill Carnival band Flight, designed by Pretty for South Connections in 1999. The design draws its inspiration from the twelfth century Sufi poem, The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar. The design symbolises the migration of people across continents, highlighting themes of resistence to liberation and drawing upon the many cultural influences that such migrations and movements have brought to Britain.
Fall or Fly was intended to represent the dilemma in facing the unknown and overcoming fear to reach one's potential. The double-sided silk cape is intended to represent this dilemma, with an earth coloured cape revealing colourful wings at the point of decision making.
Flight won first prize for the Best Adult Band at Notting Hill Carnival.
Fall or Fly was intended to represent the dilemma in facing the unknown and overcoming fear to reach one's potential. The double-sided silk cape is intended to represent this dilemma, with an earth coloured cape revealing colourful wings at the point of decision making.
Flight won first prize for the Best Adult Band at Notting Hill Carnival.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Flight (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | |
| Brief description | Costume design by Ali Pretty for Fall or Fly, in Flight, Notting Hill Carnival, 1999 |
| Physical description | The design shows a performer with a large blue and gold patterned cape, with a dark reverse. The performer is front facing with their arms outstreched to illustrate the double sided nature of the cape. The patterns on the cape are abstract feathers with linear and diamond shaped designs. The performer is also wearing a blue feathered headdress, with a brown and gold patterned breastplate. The performer's long blue dress is accompanied by a brown belt with a square golden pattern. There is also a side profile design of the headdress on the top right corner of the page, without colour, showing the beak of the headdress and how it attaches around the performer's head. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | FALL OR FLY?
Ali Pretty |
| Credit line | Given by Ali Pretty |
| Associations | |
| Summary | Costume design by Ali Pretty for Fall or Fly, a section of the Notting Hill Carnival band Flight, designed by Pretty for South Connections in 1999. The design draws its inspiration from the twelfth century Sufi poem, The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar. The design symbolises the migration of people across continents, highlighting themes of resistence to liberation and drawing upon the many cultural influences that such migrations and movements have brought to Britain. Fall or Fly was intended to represent the dilemma in facing the unknown and overcoming fear to reach one's potential. The double-sided silk cape is intended to represent this dilemma, with an earth coloured cape revealing colourful wings at the point of decision making. Flight won first prize for the Best Adult Band at Notting Hill Carnival. |
| Other number | THM/426/8/1/7 - Archive number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.300-2016 |
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| Record created | May 23, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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