Behind this innovative event is the Cornwall-based international theater company Wildworks; they produce "unique landscape" theatre, working with offbeat partners like surfers, migrants, gospel choirs, hip hop types, and cake-makers in spaces including old quarries, derelict mines, fishing quays, a Napoleonic citadel, and royal palaces. Also helping to put a stylish spin on the palace will be an A-list roster of British fashion design talent: Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Jones, William Tempest, Boudicca, Aminaka Wilmont and illustrator/set designer Echo Morgan. In addition to a display of dresses worn by Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret, the designers' various installations will be inspired by the Palace itself and the princesses who once lived there, including Mary, Anne, Caroline, Charlotte, Victoria, Margaret, and Diana.
“We have found the stories of the palace incredibly inspiring, they’re like true fairy tales," says Wildworks Producer Bill Mitchell. "The rebellious princess who was so universally loved that, when she died in childbirth, London ran out of black mourning fabric; the little sickly
prince who played peashooters with his uncle, the king; the court that kept a wild feral boy as a pet; the young princess who wept for three days when told she had to marry a man twice her age; the two friends who had a quarrel that caused deaths, changed the fortunes of great families and the map of Europe. It’s such rich material for art and theatre - to be exploring these stories in the rooms where they took
place is thrilling.”
A variety of installations, interactive theater, intimate storytelling, soundscapes, haunting film projections, and a series of intriguing clues hidden throughout the historic rooms will open up the complex and mysterious world of the royal court, revealing tales of love and hate, surprise and sadness, secrets and jealousy. Each room will have a powerful story to tell about Kensington Palace’s
former royal residents and the life of the court - a world within a world, with its own time and rituals. Guided by the whispered voices of servants long gone, visitors will make their way into the palace via the private backstairs, and emerge into the splendor of Queen Mary II’s Bedchamber, a luxurious but dark room with a melancholy atmosphere that reflects the huge importance placed on producing a dynastic heir (Exhibit A: the upheaval caused by King Henry VIII in his increasing desperation at failing to produce a healthy male heir). Neither Queen Mary (reigned 1689-1694) nor her sister Anne (Queen Anne from 1702-1707) were able to produce heirs, and Aminaka Wilmont created a "dress of tears" for the room, based on the ancient tradition of collecting tears during time of mourning.In the Privy Chamber - an "airlock" between the private and public realms of the royal palace (and site of politics, power, intrigue, extreme etiquette, flattery,
and deception) - milliner Stephen
Jones will produce a number of hats for a stunning installation inspired by the historic 18th century busts of great philosophers and scientists, in particular Sir Isaac Newton and his law of motion, evoking themes of the universe, revolution and flights of imagination. In the Council Chamber, the historic room where the resident monarchs held their Privy Councils, dresses belonging to Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Margaret will be displayed in crystal-like cases surrounded by a birch forest. Diana and Margaret were both patrons of British ballet companies, and the theme for this room will reflect their love of dancing.
In the lavishly decorated Cupola Room, the principal state room of the palace, a spectacular clock on a dias once contained a musical box that played specially
commissioned melodies by Handel, Corelli and Geminiani. Four great ancient monarchies - Chaldaea, Persia, Macedonia and Rome - are illustrated by the painted scenes on the sides of the clock. Boudicca’s
dramatic installation imagines the lavish timepiece as the clockwork driving the palace and the machinations of court life. A soundscape of clocks ticking and chiming will be heard, whilst ‘dresses the colour of time’ circle the room. The King’s Grand Staircase is of true fairytale proportions, with its winding chequered stone stairs, and walls and ceilings lavishly painted with a vivid, life-sized depiction of George I’s court. Intriguing and
unexpected characters including the King’s Polish page, Turkish servants, Yeomen of the Guard, a giant Scotsman, a hairdresser, a ‘wild boy’, various mistresses, and a portrait of the artist himself, William Kent (1685-1748), all peer down at those who dare to ascend this grandest of staircases. In this dramatic space, Vivienne Westwood will display ‘a dress for a rebellious princess’ inspired by the spirited Princess Charlotte (1796-1817), daughter of King George IV and Caroline of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.
Princess Victoria was asleep when her uncle King William IV died at Windsor Castle in the middle of the night, and she awoke to the news that she was to become queen. The installation in this bedroom will represent Victoria’s life-changing overnight transformation from young princess to Queen of the United Kingdom. Inspired by Victoria’s new-found freedom and
independence as a result of her accession, William Tempest will create an avant-garde interpretation of a period dress that will incorporate origami and produce a trompe l’oeil effect whereby the dress will appear to vanish and merge into its surroundings. Echo Morgan will curate a "cabinet of curiosities" in the grand reception room known as the King's Drawing Room, inspired by renowned royal collectors Queen Mary III and Caroline of Ansbach (1683-1737), queen consort of George II. Both were famously keen on acquiring precious, special or intriguing artifacts including paintings, porcelain, exotica, textiles and curiosities. It will feature historic exhibits such as items from Princess Margaret’s shell and coral collection, alongside weird and wonderful contemporary creations. Echo will also create a ‘dress of the world’, in the style of an 18th century court dress, sculpted in paper and decorated with prints of antique maps.Other highlights of The Enchanted Palace include the opulent King's Presence Chamber where the monarch received petitions and granted favors to his subjects (from all walks of life) and visitors can sit on a special throne and record their own kingly desires; William III's gallery built in 1695 where he could consult the elaborate wind-dial and see which way the wind was blowing, where the navy would land, and when the posts might arrive; in the Duchess of Kent’s Dressing Room and Anteroom – believed to have been once used as a royal nursery - children’s clothing from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection will be on display, including a beautiful pair of fur trimmed red boots, Princess Beatrice’s kid gloves and tiny baby shoes belonging to Queen Victoria’s children. Queen Anne (reigned 1702-1714) had a terrible argument with her bestie, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough in the Queen's Closet about Sarah overstepping her authority in the private sphere of power, and the two never spoke again. And the tour finale awaits in the Queen's Gallery, where Wildworks will use music and film projections to conjure up the effect of a whirling ballroom.“This is an innovative ‘animated exhibition’, set against the backdrop of the magnificent State Apartments, and offers a truly unique opportunity to discover the hidden stories of Kensington Palace," adds Historic Royal Palaces’ Curator Alexandra Kim. "Featuring specially commissioned contemporary fashion installations woven into fascinating tales from the palace’s history, The Enchanted Palace will enable visitors to explore the extraordinary lives of Kensington’s former royal residents.”
More info at HRP.org.uk.
- Lesley Scott
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