Something Old, Something New - Discovery Museum

Recently, three class mates and I were asked to do a photo shoot of wedding costumes that were on display in the Discovery Museum to become part of their archive. I was really excited to have this opportunity to not only take photographs, but also to see and feel the different costumes from various periods of time.

It took a while to get the equipment carried to the museum and set up, we had to move a large number of mannequins out of the way just to have the space in the store to set up!

I learned a lot about wedding costumes and the cultures that they came from; we shot three wedding dresses and a grooms costume. The experience was amazing, I was able to visit the store where all the clothing is kept from the modern age to items that have been frozen and stored for many many years. They are frozen not only to preserve the various clothing items, but also to ensure there are no insects or living bacteria that could damage them. There was even a quarantined outfit wardrobe that looked rather scary! We had to wear white cotton gloves to ensure we didn't damage the clothing or put our DNA on to it. It was brilliant to be able to go behind the scenes and see what goes on in the museum that the public are not able to see.

Below is a bridesmaids dress we had the privilege of using in the photo shoot; along with a '70's brides dress, modern Indian brides dress and a modern Pakistani grooms costume.

Find out a little more about the exhibition and where to find it here: http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/discovery/whats-on/exhibitions/something-old-something-new.html