BTB23 Opening Keynote

by Dr Gus Casely-Hayford

Dr Gus Casely-Hayford, OBE, the founding Director of V&A East gave the opening lecture to BTB23.

Previously the Director of the Smithsonian, National Museum of African Art, he is a curator and cultural historian who writes, lectures and broadcasts widely on culture. In his recent Radio 4 series, Torn, Gus unpicks the hidden histories behind what we wear by exploring ten key moments in fashion spanning the globe and five centuries; from the start of the global trade in cotton, to the accidental invention of artificial dyes, Casely-Hayford reveals the historical weight we carry through our clothes and the statements we make just by getting dressed in the morning. In this lecture he responded to some of the challenges and propositions posed by the 2023 biennial, asking can the making of textiles be a regenerative act?

Chaired by Dr Christine Checinska, Senior Curator of Textiles and Fashion Africa and Diaspora at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her work considers the relationship between cloth, culture and race.

This event was part of the Conversations in Creativity series in collaboration with Creative Lancashire.