v&a - marie antoinette style
Inspired by Marie-Antoinette herself, her palace, the architecture she commissioned and her objects of possession the exhibition begins with an enfilade, bringing us directly into her world. The objects are placed in a way that they don’t face the visitors, inviting them to explore the corridors of the enfilade to see them up close. A small detail inspired by her chair decorates the plinths and is picked up in a colour/accent. This is something that is running throughout the exhibition, even in the last rooms, as a detail of her amongst the largest influence she has had in the world.
Entering the second room, and before we witness the decline and her death we are emersed in smells. The cases of those smells include gloves inside, inspired by the story of her personal perfumer, who infused her gloves with a perfume to win her over. Projections of the trapped smells are completing this sensorial room. Entering the second period of the exhibition, a red line set at head height reminds us of her death as we wonder around.
A dark red enclosure with neon lights incorporates all the erotic drawings and images that have been done about her. Moving on to the next room, art deco details inspire the setting. The final room is a celebration of music, projections, dresses, fashion and reflections, linking back to her boudoir with the mechanical mirrors. Her presence is visible throughout, even if just in details in the last two rooms.
A further detail of the lock is present in the exhibition from beginning to end, holding together the textured panels that are framing the artworks.
