JAKARTA (JP): A few years ago, a short circuit caused a terrible fire in the South Jakarta home of fashion designer Harry Darsono. Many a precious possession was destroyed as the walls of the building caved in.
But in the midst of the ruins the eclectic designer discovered his entire collection of costumes peeping out of the debris. When he pulled the costumes out, some designed as long ago as 30 years, he found that not a stitch was singed.
For Harry the experience was like an omen.
He began immediately to rebuild the house with a grand marble staircase snaking up to the second floor, topped with a Saracenic baroque dome and in a style also inspired by Moorish Spain. This was to be a temple dedicated to crafts like embroidery and tailoring.
""I want to share everything with everyone. I don't want to lock away anything and leave it in the storeroom anymore,"" Harry told The Jakarta Post on the eve of his 51st birthday on March 15, that was celebrated as a thanksgiving gathering. His museum of textile design and contemporary costumes is still under construction but already open to the public.
Of course, the main exhibits are colorful examples of costumes designed and embroidered by Harry from way back in the 1970s to his latest creations. But to visit the museum is also to be transported back into time to the Italian Renaissance when European societies were not just a repository of tradition but also centers of innovation. What excites Harry about everything baroque is the grandeur involved in all aspects of creative activity of that period.posted by rahul.rabbani
No comments:
Post a Comment