The War Boutique : Junior Collection : Metropolitan Peace

Created by Young People from Southwark Youth & Connexions Service’s Camberwell Detached Project’s Summer Programme

Initiated by ‘The Collaborators’ Art/Design Group

Private View [all welcome]: Monday 22.08.05 6pm – 9pm

The works exhibited are a product of Young People taking part in workshops run by the Collaborators to investigate forms of physical, psychological, and emotional protection and how fashion might be likened to a modern day suit of armour.

The War Boutique: Junior Collection explores the formal elements of uniform, components of style that precede and embellish the physical protective aspects of clothing and its relationship to style in street fashion. Looking at the vests and the young people as a group, as a peace force, we will be asking: What will they protect?

House Gallery, 70 Camberwell Church St. London. SE5.
Open: 20.08.05 – 25.08.05 10am – 6pm

Support Thanks to:Camberwell Youth Providers Network,
PAYP: Positive Activities for Young People, Into Media

Press Release:

The War Boutique @ The House Gallery Camberwell '05 : Protection.

The Collaborators Art/Design Group are bringing one of their current projects The War Boutique to The House Gallery in collaboration with Area 3 Youth Connection Services and young people from Southwark.

The War Boutique will be creating a Junior Collection of ballistic vests based upon the idea of urban camouflage and urban protection: Metropolitan Peace.

Week 1 Using the ballistic vests as a blank canvas the young people will work with the artists exploring different applied techniques, found objects, textiles technology, painting, printing and applique.
Week 2 The work will be exhibited at The House Gallery on wooden silhouettes of the young people involved.

The exhibition will also include key pieces from The War Boutique collection, including works by The Collaborators, the YBA artist Sarah Lucas and the graffiti artist Prime. The ballistic vest is a reflection of todays society; it physically protects the body from attack. Taking the ballistic vest as a symbol, The War Boutique will use the workshops to investigate forms of protection; physical, psychological and emotional, and how they might be represented as a modern day suit of armour. The ballistic vest is a piece of uniform. The War Boutique will be using the formal elements of uniform, the components of style
that precede and embellish the physical protective aspects of clothing and its relationship to style in street fashion. Looking at the vests and the young people as a group, as a kind of army or police force, we will be asking: What will they protect?

*The young people included have been attending Area 3 Youth Connections Services Events and activities, some will have attended the Collaborators Project @ The House Gallery last year. They are mainly afro carabean communities in Southwark and a large proportion of the group are female. The project is promoted through Area 3 Youth Connections Service (Project Manager: Sean Stones) and will be
attended by at least 20 youths from Camberwell. The nature of this years project; The War Boutique will engage the sartorial and social concerns of the group: We are keen to see this work opened to a wider audience than the friends and family of the youths involved in the project.