The Enchanted Palace, Kensington Palace - London
Date: 26-03-2010
till 30-06-2010
Location: London, UK
Venue: Kensington Palace
Url: www.hrp.org.uk
Kensington Palace is renowned for its famous architecture (Sir Christopher Wren, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Sir John Vanbrugh, John Nash, Colin Campbell and William Kent) and some of its famous residents (Princesses Mary, Anne, Caroline, Charlotte, Victoria, Margaret and Diana), and now it has become the home to a new multisensory exhibition combining fashion, performance, and dazzling spectacle to reveal Kensington's magnificent State Apartments in a magical new light.
The complex and mysterious world of the royal court will be opened up through spectacular installations, interactive theatre, intimate storytelling, soundscapes, haunting film projections, and a series of intriguing clues hidden throughout the historic rooms, revealing tales of love and hate, surprise and sadness, secrets and jealousy.
Whilst in the sumptuous State Apartments, fashion designers Vivienne Westwood, William Tempest, Stephen Jones, Boudicca, Aminaka Wilmont and illustrator / set designer Echo Morgan will all create spectacular installations in collaboration with leading theatre company Wildworks, each room will have a powerful story to tell about Kensington Palace's former royal residents and the life of the court - a world within a world, with its own time and rituals.
The Enchanted Palace is inspired by the £12 million major project that will transform the visitor experience at Kensington Palace by improving accessibility, introducing new education and community facilities, reconnecting the palace with the surrounding park through new public gardens, and enabling us to present exciting exhibitions inspired by the palaces rich past and unique collections. This project, Welcome to Kensington a palace for everyone, will be completed by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces in June 2012, in time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.
The palace is also home to the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection 12,000 items worn by royalty and courtiers from the seventeenth century to the present day, including clothing worn by George III, Queen Victoria, Princess Margaret, The Queen, and Diana, Princess of Wales. In September 2009, it was announced that the collection has been Designated as a pre-eminent collection of national and international importance by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA).
Installation for Enchanted Palace by William Tempest
Close-up of Installation by Willam Tempest
