January 15th 2014-V & A Costume Workshop and Museum

The V&A costume workshop was one of my favorite activities in the trip.  I loved learning about an actual career in theater.  We learned practical applications and what is involved in designing costumes for a show.  It got me creatively stimulated.  We were told to take clippings and fabric and arrange them in a collage.  We were simply looking for creative inspiration.  I had such a great time with this.  I usually am not really artistic but I was inspired.  I loved how this project was open to any possibility.  We were told to design costumes for the three witches in Macbeth.  I always loved the idea of the witches being three innocent looking girls who always happened to be around Macbeth.  By seeing one piece of white fabric I was inspired to make them three maids.  They all looked innocent and pale.  I thought it would be cool if they would simply be working around Macbeth's house and influencing his decisions without him even realizing it.  I also loved hearing everyone else's ideas once we were all finished.  It is so incredible to find what creative ideas can grow from simple inspirations.

After the costume workshop we were free to explore the museum.  Like the British Museum, it was very large and overwhelming.  However, I did not mind it as much because it was so beautiful and unique.  I especially loved the theater section.  As a theater lover, it was awesome to see costumes and set pieces in a museum setting.  I also appreciated the fashion section because I was able to see the way clothes changed through time.  Theater and fashion are categories that you usually do not see in that much depth in other museums.