This January and February Selfridges Exchange Square partners with the Whitworth, Manchester’s gallery in the park, to champion older designers and artists in a twist on the store’s famous Bright Young Things initiative.
The store will house an exhibition of artworks and talks by leading artists who found their success in later years, aptly named the Bright Old Things.
The campaign, which runs from 8 January – 28 February is curated by Dr. Maria Balshaw, Director of the Whitworth and Manchester City Galleries.
Highlights include:
• Figurines series (2014) by Andrea Zapp. A German-born artist and writer, Zapp gained an international reputation with her interactive media art installations yet has recently turned to fashion, applying her photography to garment and accessory design. Currently a researcher at Manchester School of Art, Andrea has lectured at Tate Modern and the ICA and has published several books on art and media.
• Heart Tube Hat (1997) by Helen Storey. Storey is one of Britain’s most successful fashion designers who turned to science later in her career. She has created the piece Heart Tube Hat (part of the Primitive Streak collection) with her developmental biologist sister Kate Storey and celebrated milliner, Philip Treacy. It illustrates how the heart develops from two primitive blood vessels above the developing brain, before descending into the chest cavity, at about 21 days after fertilisation.
• David Nicholls in conversation with Dave Haslam : Thursday 29 January, 6pm
David Nicholls, the successful author and screenwriter behind hit novel One Day, will talk to DJ and writer Dave Haslam, about career changes, music and his inspirations. The event will also see performances by Golden Voices, a choir open to anyone over the age of 50, and the all-female She choir. Tickets are priced at £10 and will be available from customer services in store.
Jane Sharrocks, General Manager of Selfridges Exchange Square, said: “Selfridges is a centenary-old department store so we certainly know something about reinvention and staying young at heart. It seems very fitting that we are starting 2015 by celebrating the creativity and talent of the ‘older’ generation in such a unique and innovative way. We’re particularly excited to be doing it in partnership with the Whitworth at the same time as it undergoes its own historic transformation.”
For further information, visit www.selfridges.com
