Belinda Lai and Alice Wesley-Smith: To Have and To Hold

Wednesday 24 May, 2006

Fashion and art collide in a one-night only collaboration between designer Belinda Lai and photographer Alice Wesley-Smith, to be held at the Asia Australia Arts Centre (Gallery 4A).

The unique fashion pieces on display are originally sourced from clothing from the 1900s through to the 1970s:

“The concept is to reinstate the gentle tradition of keeping clothing as heirlooms, similar to other forms of jewellery and adornment. Clothes are no longer just ‘rags of the ragtrade,’ but keepsakes that can be treasured from generation to generation.” – Belinda Lai

The photography draws upon the extensive experiences of Wesley-Smith throughout Europe and, in particular, Asia where she constantly draws inspiration. The interaction of these displaced communities within the social context of Australia is of particular interest in her photographic work.

Belinda Lai was the winner of the Mercedes-Benz Startup Young Fashion Designer of 2004.

Alice Wesley-Smith is currently working on a solo exhibition of  her recent experiences in East Timor.