Brexit Dress
Costume
2016 (designed)
2016 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
British pantomimes at Christmas are often subversive, poking fun at the year's events. In 2016, the results of June's EU Referendum - in which 52% of voters backed a 'Leave' result and 48% voted to 'Remain' - provided plenty of material for pantomime jokes. This costume, designed by Lotte Collett for 2016 Hackney Empire pantomime Sleeping Beauty, provides some commentary on the results. The headdress references the fact that the majority of voters in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and London voted to remain, whilst the majority of Leave voters lived in England and Wales. The costume went on to have a life beyond the pantomime season, worn on the 'Unite for Europe' protest march on the 25th March 2017.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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| Title | Brexit Dress (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Satin acetate backed with calico, synthetic net and satin ribbon (dress); foam, satin acetate, elastic, wire and plastazote (headdress) |
| Brief description | "Brexit Dress" pantomime dame costume designed by Lotte Collett for Sleeping Beauty at the Hackney Empire, 2016 |
| Physical description | "Brexit Dress" pantomime dame costume designed by Lotte Collett for Sleeping Beauty at the Hackney Empire, 2016. The costume includes a dress with a "Brexit" design: split down the middle, the left side of the dress depicts the red white and blue Union Jack flag, whilst the right side of the dress depicts the blue European Union flag with yellow stars. The blue headdress is topped with a map of the United Kingdom; Scotland, Northern Ireland, and London are shaded in with the EU flag, whilst the majority of England and Wales is shaded in with the flag of St George. The costume includes black Doc Marten boots. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Brexit stage left…
Pantomime is a British fairytale spectacle. Often parodying topical news stories and events, its Christmas seasonality makes it a living newspaper of the year. In Hackney Empire’s 2016 production of Sleeping Beauty, one of the Dame’s costumes referenced the EU referendum. With a map fascinator and dress made from the EU and UK’s flags, the outfit highlighted the country’s division in voting. |
| Credit line | Given by Lotte Collett |
| Summary | British pantomimes at Christmas are often subversive, poking fun at the year's events. In 2016, the results of June's EU Referendum - in which 52% of voters backed a 'Leave' result and 48% voted to 'Remain' - provided plenty of material for pantomime jokes. This costume, designed by Lotte Collett for 2016 Hackney Empire pantomime Sleeping Beauty, provides some commentary on the results. The headdress references the fact that the majority of voters in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and London voted to remain, whilst the majority of Leave voters lived in England and Wales. The costume went on to have a life beyond the pantomime season, worn on the 'Unite for Europe' protest march on the 25th March 2017. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.507:1 to 5-2018 |
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| Record created | November 12, 2018 |
| Record URL |
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