Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 22 hours ago
In conjunction with the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, renowned scholars and artists explore imagination, artistic process, and innovation in fashion and art to further examine the interdisciplinary impulse that defined McQueen’s career, legacy, and sources of inspiration for the Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium on Textiles and Dress.
One of the most significant contributors to fashion between 1990 and 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen (London, 1969–2010) was both a conceptual and technical virtuoso. His critically acclaimed collections synthesized the designer’s proficiency in tailoring and dressmaking with both encyclopedic and autobiographical references that spanned time, geography, media, and technology. The first McQueen exhibition on the West Coast, Mind, Mythos, Muse contextualizes the designer’s imaginative work within a canon of artmakers who drew upon analogous themes and visual references.
McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2003-4 collection, Scanners, portrays a journey across Siberia and Tibet, destined for Japan, as illustrated by garment materials, construction, and decorative motifs that the designer borrowed from these regions. Although McQueen was not a textile scholar, Scanners affords a unique lens through which to consider notable cultural exchanges, such as the proliferation of Buddhism, ingrained into textile history. Co-curator Michaela Hansen discusses McQueen’s use of a woven silk pattern of interlocking octagons and floral medallions in Scanners. Tracing the history of this distinctive pattern, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles, Mei Mei Rado, explains its origins in China; Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Tushara Bindu Gude, explores the adoption of the pattern in Tibet, particularly in Buddhism; and Senior Curator and Department Head of Costume and Textiles, Sharon S. Takeda elaborates on the pattern’s use in ecclesiastical and theatrical dress in Japan.
In response to the global pandemic, the Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium is presented on YouTube as a free video series, released from May through August 2022 on the last Tuesday of each month.
R.L. Shep Triennial Symposia are supported by the R.L. Shep Symposium Endowment for Costume and Textiles, LACMA.
Filming and editing services provided by NightFlare.
---
About LACMA
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 140,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
Connect with LACMA
Subscribe for our latest videos: lacma.org/videos
Explore our collection online: collections.lacma.org
Plan your visit to LACMA: lacma.org/visit
Support the museum and become a member: lacma.org/support
Follow us on social
Facebook: facebook.com/LACMA
Twitter: twitter.com/lacma
Tumblr: lacma.tumblr.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/lacma
Instagram: instagram.com/lacma
In conjunction with the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, renowned scholars and artists explore imagination, artistic process, and innovation in fashion and art to further examine the interdisciplinary impulse that defined McQueen’s career, legacy, and sources of inspiration for the Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium on Textiles and Dress.
One of the most significant contributors to fashion between 1990 and 2010, Lee Alexander McQueen (London, 1969–2010) was both a conceptual and technical virtuoso. His critically acclaimed collections synthesized the designer’s proficiency in tailoring and dressmaking with both encyclopedic and autobiographical references that spanned time, geography, media, and technology. The first McQueen exhibition on the West Coast, Mind, Mythos, Muse contextualizes the designer’s imaginative work within a canon of artmakers who drew upon analogous themes and visual references.
McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2003-4 collection, Scanners, portrays a journey across Siberia and Tibet, destined for Japan, as illustrated by garment materials, construction, and decorative motifs that the designer borrowed from these regions. Although McQueen was not a textile scholar, Scanners affords a unique lens through which to consider notable cultural exchanges, such as the proliferation of Buddhism, ingrained into textile history. Co-curator Michaela Hansen discusses McQueen’s use of a woven silk pattern of interlocking octagons and floral medallions in Scanners. Tracing the history of this distinctive pattern, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles, Mei Mei Rado, explains its origins in China; Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, Tushara Bindu Gude, explores the adoption of the pattern in Tibet, particularly in Buddhism; and Senior Curator and Department Head of Costume and Textiles, Sharon S. Takeda elaborates on the pattern’s use in ecclesiastical and theatrical dress in Japan.
In response to the global pandemic, the Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium is presented on YouTube as a free video series, released from May through August 2022 on the last Tuesday of each month.
R.L. Shep Triennial Symposia are supported by the R.L. Shep Symposium Endowment for Costume and Textiles, LACMA.
Filming and editing services provided by NightFlare.
---
About LACMA
Located on the Pacific Rim, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of nearly 140,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of artistic expression across the globe. Committed to showcasing a multitude of art histories, LACMA exhibits and interprets works of art from new and unexpected points of view that are informed by the region’s rich cultural heritage and diverse population. LACMA’s spirit of experimentation is reflected in its work with artists, technologists, and thought leaders as well as in its regional, national, and global partnerships to share collections and programs, create pioneering initiatives, and engage new audiences.
Connect with LACMA
Subscribe for our latest videos: lacma.org/videos
Explore our collection online: collections.lacma.org
Plan your visit to LACMA: lacma.org/visit
Support the museum and become a member: lacma.org/support
Follow us on social
Facebook: facebook.com/LACMA
Twitter: twitter.com/lacma
Tumblr: lacma.tumblr.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/lacma
Instagram: instagram.com/lacma
