This talk explores the significance of Annabel Nicolson’s seminal 1973 performance Reel Time, which drew an explicit connection between the technologies of film and clothing, conjoining a film projector and a sewing machine through a loop of celluloid. Curators Inga Fraser and Alistair O’Neill come together to discuss the legacy of the artwork, showcasing artists’ films and photographs of the late twentieth century that notably foregrounded textiles, clothing and accessories: Tanya Syed, Alia Syed, Alexis Hunter, David Lamelas and John Maybury.
Alistair O’Neill is Reader in Fashion History and Theory at Central Saint Martins. Recent curatorial projects include Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore! (2013), and Guy Bourdin: Image Maker (2014).
Inga Fraser is Assistant Curator of Modern British Art at Tate Britain. Most recently she co-curated the retrospective exhibitions of Barbara Hepworth (2015) and Paul Nash (2016-17), and contributed essays to their catalogues.