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Britain Creates 2012: Fashion + Art Collusion is the first cultural event to contribute to the London 2012 festival \u2013 the 12 week nationwide celebration running alongside the capital\u2019s Olympics. The exhibition is a collaboration with five bodies including the V&A, the Mayor of London and the British Fashion Council joining forces with top fashion designers and contemporary artists: Giles Deacon, Sir Paul Smith and Mat Collishaw are just some of the many individuals to take part. Sleek caught up with curator Susanna Greeves and artist Jess Flood-Paddock, whose collaboration with Jonathan Saunders materialised into 200 colourful screen prints on polypropylene screens.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
Sleek: Why is the V&A better positioned than other institutions to hold such an exhibition?<\/strong> Greeves: It\u2019s really the perfect setting. Not only have the collections here provided inspiration for both artists and designers but it\u2019s a place where fashion has a home and so does design, craft and art. At the V&A all of these things are shown together in a non-hierarchical way.\u00a0<\/p>\n What have you found unique about these artist-designer collaborations?<\/strong> I think what\u2019s different about this project is the way that people have worked together. Of course the fashion and art world have come together in a variety of ways for a long time and on many occasions but what\u2019s different here is the concept of co-authorship. Right from the original idea through to execution we\u2019ve asked two people to make one work rather than a fashion designer commissioning an artist to contribute a design to a bag or dress, or a fashion designer crossing over into the art world. Here, we were inviting them into a new space beyond the boundaries of their own sectors.\u00a0<\/p>\n How did you get involved with Britain Creates? <\/strong> Flood-Paddock: I was invited by the Fashion Council and asked if I would be interested to work with a fashion designer. The beginning was very open. They asked me if I had any interest in fashion to start with and which designers I\u2019d be interested in working with. I knew Jonathan\u2019s work and so I was hoping to work with him from the beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n