Variable Sheets/Optical Shift
Dress
1965 (made)
1965 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Dress with zipped panels of plastic (PVC). Geometric decoration, the dress is a shift shape, and the bodice is made of black PVC. The skirt section is made of large brightly-coloured square panels of PVC joined together with zips.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Variable Sheets/Optical Shift (manufacturer's title) |
Materials and techniques | Plastic (PVC) and metal zips |
Brief description | Dress with zipped panels of plastic 'Variable Sheets/Optical Shift', designed by Stephen Willats, Great Britain, 1965 |
Physical description | Dress with zipped panels of plastic (PVC). Geometric decoration, the dress is a shift shape, and the bodice is made of black PVC. The skirt section is made of large brightly-coloured square panels of PVC joined together with zips. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label | DRESS: VARIABLE SHEETS
Designed and made by Stephen Wilatts (British, born 1943), London, Great Britain, 1965
Plastic with metal zips
T.19-1991
This dress was one of a series of designs for furniture and dress that Stephen Willats made to express the concept of self-organisation. The zipped blocks can be assembled in a variety of ways. Stephen Wilatts used PVC because he felt it embodied the optimistic and futuristic spirit of the 1960s. The dress was made to be worn with a plastic helmet and was conceived as a work of art not for ordinary wear. |
Credit line | Purchase. |
Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 1990/2350. |
Bibliographic reference | Baker, Malcolm, and Brenda Richardson (eds.), A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 1999.
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Collection | |
Accession number | T.19-1991 |
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Record created | November 7, 2003 |
Record URL |
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