The Body Adorned: Dressing London

Exploring the question of why we wear what we do, this exhibition starts by providing an overview of the diverse functions that can be performed by clothes and other forma of bodily decoration (repeatedly acknowledging that during the height of the Empire early displays mounted by museums such as the Horniman disseminated theories that are now regarded as culturally insensitive). In the contemporary portion of the show, which investigates the way worldwide influences and historical functions are assimilated into the dress of Londoners today, a video installation by multimedia production company, The Light Surgeons – a series of portraits of people in the street in Chelsea, Bethnal Green and the City ?– makes compulsive viewing. The exhibition also includes a series of striking urban portraits that are the results of a street photography project for young artists and photographers, led by photographer and cultural sociologist Paul Halliday.