Lela Jacobs of The Keep asked 60 makers around the country each for a collar, then hung the lot on twine for a single night on Karangahape Road.
The collars hung at the height they’d be worn, turning slowly on twine, spinning when a shoulder caught one on the way past. Pinned, tucked, beaded, threaded, cut, embroidered, woven: the method was in the making, and they were shown together for a single evening at Hardcore, a café on Karangahape Road, during New Zealand Fashion Week. Lela Jacobs of The Keep studio/gallery put the invitation out. We spoke to her after the show.
Sixty makers, one object. Where did the collar come from, and why a collar rather than a cup or a chair? The idea arrived one day as more of a solution, or a conclusion. It felt correct for the now: many different mediums and makers together under one topic, and a minute to forget about commerce and just be makers together.
The obsession with the collar has always been present in my own practice, so it was natural to open it up to my peers and celebrate the collar. Many of them had an instant idea, or something sitting in their brain waiting for the opportunity to hatch.
How long did makers have? Most had two months, although some only had a few weeks. I enjoyed the process of inviting them, and I decided to phone or visit in person, which made the forming of the collection feel close and personal from the beginning. I’ve lived all over Aotearoa, so I’ve been fortunate to meet many wonderful humans over time. Reconnecting through this project has been one of the most enjoyable parts.
What surprised you as the collars came in? How much time, thought and love had been given to them, and how different every single work was. Each collar was rich in its material choice and genetic memory.
How long had the show been in your head before that? Sometimes I wonder about this manifestation or gestation period, and the unconscious moments that bring such ideas to fruition. How long they go on for is unclear, and that’s the way some brains work. But these fruitions wouldn’t happen without The Keep, our extended community here on Karangahape Road, and the public for selling out the show.
What did you want someone to feel walking into that room? I wanted the viewer to travel through some of the great makers of now, and to see how their collars talked to each other, with a strong narrative and an immersion into otherworldliness. Funny story: I had the idea of everyone being silent in the space, but it turns out you can’t hush a fashion crowd so easily.
It was fully immersive. Jeff Henderson filled the room with live noise, there was Pegasus Bay wine and Wilder tinctures, and Helen Schnabel scented the space, while five models styled by Tom So were photographed by Matt Hurley.
Is the work going to have another life beyond the show? We’re touring the exhibition to Ōtautahi/Christchurch in October as part of the Spring Fashion Festival. We’re also planning to release a book next year, exhibiting each collar. It seems the show had more relevance and legs than anticipated, and that’s been a wonderful personal reward.
lelajacobs.co.nz, @thekeep__
Interview Alice Lines
Photography Madeleine Brighouse-Mayo & Emma Wallbanks
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