“Curiouser and curiouser!”
I have finished revising my Manifesto – and you can read it here now. One of the reasons I decided to re-write it is that in my first attempts I felt I was climbing on a soapbox and telling everyone what to do. And I don’t like sounding bossy even though I’ve got strong opinions. I thought it would be ever so much more acceptable to people if a little girl could do this – someone about the age of Alice. She was a precocious child and I think she is a much more charming way to present my opinions. When I decided to make the Manifesto a journey which would include a number of travellers, I knew I definitely wanted a young person. Alice came to mind because, as I’ve said to you previously, Pinocchio and Alice are two of my favourite books and should be at the top of any list.
Alice Lidell
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by the English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson – better known as Lewis Carroll. It was originally written as a gift for Alice, the daughter of fellow deacon, Henry Liddell.
How old is Alice Liddell in this picture, dressed as a beautiful beggar child? I think she’s about 9 or 10. As Carroll was a photographer – and there weren’t many around in those days – mothers were pleased to have him take photos of their little girls. They obviously thought of photography as art. When people discuss Lewis Carroll today, they sometimes have a problem with his interest in young girls but that certainly wasn’t the case in his time.
I would like to say that, as a woman, I think little children, especially girls, of Alice’s age have something special about them – they’re so open to ideas and so curious about things. They’re the most delightful people to talk to and get involved with. It’s happened to me more than once but I do find, like Carroll did, that when they reach a certain age – 11, 12, definitely 13 – they start to get a bit boring. They’re really just interested in their friends, not in the world around them. They want to look grown up and get involved in all the things that make teenagers feel that they’ve got an advantage over everyone else. They’re not looking at the world or trying to be unconventional or willing to stick their necks out in any way. The hope is that they’ll come out of this way of thinking when they’re older.
Why do I like this story? Remember, Carroll was a mathematician. And fifty years before Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, he was very much aware of the idea of relativity because Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are seen from this point of view. A wonderful example is when Alice is playing croquet and hits the ball which happens to be a hedgehog, with a mallet which happens to be a flamingo. I remember reading once when I was trying to understand this theory, Bertram Russell’s explanation that it was just as useful to measure something with a live snake as it was with meter rule – everything is relative. Another example is in Through the Looking Glass, when the Red Queen is running full speed with Alice holding her hand. They are going so fast that Alice’s hair is pulled almost off her head. And then you find that they haven’t moved at all and you have to run fast just to stay on one spot.
Perhaps my favourite idea is revealed at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. It shows that “Time” is a man-made invention. “Time” and the Mad Hatter have quarrelled and now that “Time” won’t co-operate anymore, the time stays at 6 o’clock – and that is why they have to stay at the tea-table.
–
The importance of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is that things are never what they seem. They can have their own strange logic which has nothing to do with any kind of conventional logic but yes, it is just as real. I think this is a very good attitude or lesson for a child to have – so they’re not always so complacent about believing what they’re told. Of course it’s also terribly, terribly amusing – the logic of Wonderland compared to our conventional logic. The Mad Hatter’s tea party is the gem of the story. I love the bit when the Dormouse tells the story of three little sisters who lived in a treacle well. Alice wants to know what they ate and the Dormouse answers, “Treacle.” Alice says they couldn’t live on treacle because they’d be terribly ill. And the Dormouse replies, “Oh they were – very ill”.
When you read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you’ll see the original drawings by Tenniel which also help to make the book so sensational. They are how we normally think of Alice – a little girl with a band holding her hair back. Because they are so brilliant, the drawings are an important part of appreciating the story. Books are much more interesting than films on the subject – quite different to a film or a cartoon.
In sum, I think Lewis Carroll is a genius who had a fantastic rapport with kids. The Alice books are so stimulating to read. They make you believe you could be in a parallel world – or that the world we think we know reflects the way we are programmed to see it. Maybe! It’s not like that at all.
Dear Vivienne, I know the manifesto is available to download but will it be available as a hard copy like the last one? I really hope it will be as its brilliant to be able to sit down and read it properly rather than having to rely upon technology
Comment by Hugo on 20/12/2010 at 3:38 pm
The Manifesto will be available as a hard copy soon.
Comment by Vivienne on 20/12/2010 at 5:32 pm
Once again I am enjoying your manifesto! I have literally been rereading it again and again. I think your insight into society is truly inspirational and it is an absolute pleasure to read!
Comment by James Emmett on 20/12/2010 at 5:55 pm
Once more reading your Blogs, I liked this entry alot, what you placed in here well makes me think alot of how I am.
Many people get confused of how I work, but its not that hard, I just use, what could happen if this…. (in both ways the good one & the bad one) Logic, could be? Yes indeed.
But at the same time when using logic, sometimes in life surprised, doesnt amuse us at all.
As talking with a friend, I made him a question, he asked why you want to know? I said, Im curious like a child, he said indeed you are a child, I said yes one without childhood, after that answer of mine he answered to me what I ask, after that I was like fine, he said arent you happy? I said why should I be? He said, your curiosity has been satisfied, I said no Im not happy, but my curiosity about you has grown more, also if you died, my curiosity will be never pleased. I guess for that reason I like kids, they are curious for everything in that curiosity if they get the right answers they are growing well, that its something I like of life.
“We never die knowing it all, there is always something we ignored.” ~VKAPD~
Thats true.
I loved this entry of yours Dear Vivienne.
About the Manifesto, as I always say Im always in seek to learn & know new things, so this is the first time Im going to read it, I know about you since more or less a month & for what I have seen you are someone to admire, Im sure I will find very good things at the Manifesto.
Expecting to read about you soon.
Take care & thank you for sharing your mind & arts with us.
~VBloce-sama~
Comment by VBloce-sama on 21/12/2010 at 6:31 am
-Manifesto Read-
Dear Vivienne, this reminds me a discussion I had with a Manager of a Channel from here I talk about him to help me searching sponsorship, I had kinda serious fight with him because of his words, I was asking something kind, his answer was something I never thought I could recieve from someone who is on the Media, he said: No one lives of arts (Nadie vive del Arte) Honestly that made me mad, trust me for me to get mad its kinda impossible but this attitude of him, made me realize he is just a machine of this Era, he wasnt also thinking, when he saw my serious face he said, dont think Im abusing of you, its just what Reality is, I just said to him, you who are in the Media dare to say that & also being someone older than me? If no one would live of arts where would be Musicians, Painters, Designers, etc? Are you mocking at me or what, if you dont think I have the talent just say it, he said: No its just Media its hard to handle, I said I know about it, I can look like a kid but I have never been one, he said I will call you when I get time, I took my work & said to him, if you want to call someone call my Manager or my mother I dont want to talk with someone ignorant as you.
Honestly what you placed in your manifesto, I would have loved it to have it in my hand to show it to him, to show him better what I was saying.
For this reason because I felt your words, I would like to ask you, if I can make a Spanish translation of your Manifesto, I could send you a Copy of it, of course will have the same name & the name of who primely wrote it & my name just will appear as the translator, because I dont want to steal any of your words, I guess you understand my words perfectly.
This manifesto its something I would like to have as something special & as something that marks in letters what I am & to where I am going, so I would appreciate alot, if you allow me to do it.
Expecting to read of you soon.
Take care dear Vivienne.
~VBloce-sama~
Comment by VBloce-sama on 21/12/2010 at 7:13 am
Vivienne,
I have been a great admirer of your work as both a fashion designer and cultural critic. The most recent incarnation of your manifesto reminds me quite a bit of the great Adorno-Benjamin debate. I would like to ask, which side do you fall on? Do you believe art must remain autonomous, separated from reality so as not to be consumed by the culture industry, or do you believe that integrating art into life has the potential to cause great social change?
Comment by Alexander on 22/12/2010 at 6:43 am
Dear Alexander
Thank you for your letter of 22 December. As you can see, I’m just catching up on my correspondence! I had never heard of the Adorno-Benjamin debate but I can see immediately that these are Marxist thinkers. That means they select their facts to fit their theories. They have no idea of what culture is.
How can you talk of a ‘culture industry’? You cannot separate culture from art; art gives culture. Culture, when it occurs, is a genuinely elitist activity and it is imposed upon the general population by virtue of its prestige.
Culture in a society is in direct relation to the number of thinkers and artists. And certainly, at the moment in the visual arts, I don’t think there are any artists practicing. Remember, there is no progress in art, just different points of view.
My position is very clear and it is set out in the AR Manifesto; it is the main tenet of ‘l’Art pour l’art’ – art has no responsibility to society. Art seeks truth. It’s up to the art lover to discover the truth of the work.
Comment by Vivienne on 07/02/2011 at 10:50 pm
Alice in Wonderland
Yes, I agree, girls of 9 or ten do have something special and are open to new ideas. I have spent my life creating beauty, as I see it. firstly in jewellery then corsets and gowns followed by shoes. recently I have really taken to teaching and found I have a flair for it. I feel the need to pass on my knowledge, having no daughters or family member interested in design or, as I prefer to say – creating. I started to visit local schools and collages. i offer work placement for girls wanting to work in design or the artisans world and started an evening class. (Hard work as I run my business along side all this.) I found it very up lifting especially when I look out at the class and see the enthralled look on the students faces. Yesterday I met my sisters new 10 year old step daughter for the first time. She could not believe I had made a bracelet I gave to my sister. So, as I always have my beads on me I showed her how to make it herself. I saw the realisation on her face that she could do this and really felt I had stirred something in her, although she had never made anything before I could see her ability emerging had she been a teenager she would have been happier for me to make it for her as that would be easier. I am a dying breed of designer as I still make everything in my own workshop, using British materials where possible but, although I know I am good at what I do and as a perfectionist my quality is second to none, (I have no formal training, I have taught my self in fact.) my customers think I am over charging them. As the ONLY independent boutique in Milton Keynes I am fighting a losing battle against the multi nationals. My potential customers can see my work is a higher quality and different to the mass produced competition but can’t understand why I have to charge more. as I barely earn £6.00 an hour I am severally undercharging them . I fear that when my sisters step-daughters generation is ready to enter the work market there will be no British designers to gain her work experience from, no hands on or creating other than on a computer screen for Chinese worker to make.
Oh gosh I have rambled on I must sound like a mad old lady…I’m not, just passionate about British creativity that appears to be slowing sufficating.
Thank you for reading this
linda
Comment by linda johnson on 28/12/2010 at 6:41 pm
Dear Vivienne,
I had a “eureka” moment this morning; why not see if Vivienne Westwood could help, after all she has been there and may understand. Having had the thought, I then realised there was no way I could just pop in and see you so this is the nearest I could get. What am I going on about you may well ask? I having been building a site to help fledging designers to get their work showcased and if they can, sell through their own little boutique window. All costs are free to fairly nominal for the designer and they also benefit from working within a group of “friends”, from photographers to cheap places to get their stuff made…
All very inspiring but getting the word out is soooo difficult. So any help or advice you can afford me would be gratefully received. Any acknowledgment actually, even f off you dreamer, will do.
Thank-you Denise
Comment by Denise on 03/01/2011 at 4:36 pm
Dear Denise
It’s very nice what you want to do – I think your problem is going to be finding good people. You’re dealing with 2 things: you need really strong talent and that talented person has to have a ‘hand’ – a whole feeling of how they want to execute an idea. And then, of course, this can be built through experience.
I think this is probably going to be the problem – don’t get carried away thinking there’s so much talent around. Find your talent; make sure you have at least one talented person to work with. Then try it in any which way, e.g. persuade a shop to take it on sale or return. Joan Bernstein from Browns used to be very helpful in this way. Or take it to World’s End and we’ll see if it’s any good!
You need to test the market before promoting it on the web.
Vivienne
Comment by Vivienne on 31/01/2011 at 3:19 pm
Wow, I never looked at life like Alice in Wonderland before. The thought of measuring things with different items is so logical and that you can use different things to achieve the same means. Pure genius. I work voluntarily in a primary school and will use that train of thought when teaching children maths. I will also make an attempt to read your Manifesto.
On books, another good one is Peter Pan – I found Year 1 children engrossed and the quietest I have ever seen them. Not the slightest whiff of boredom.
Although loathesome to admit it, you are right about children and their behaviour as they grow older.
Anyway, enough ranting. Thank you for helping me to see life from a different dimension.
Mark
Comment by Mark Jayatilake on 06/02/2011 at 8:41 pm
I have always been fascinated by Alice and Wonderland…I insisted on having the pop up book but decided it was too beautiful to be hidden away on a bookshelf…I carefully cut out the pop ups and spent hours displaying the ‘mad hatters tea party’ on my ceiling…most people think i’m simply bonkers but I loved it…As i’ve said elsewhere I lost faith in the world many months ago and was diagnosed with chronic depression. the only things that interested me were Alice and Wonderland and Vivienne Westwood and what joy to realise your similar fascination…this led to me reading the manifesto and your other political and cultural idea’s all of which in my little bubble world at the moment make perfect sense. If there is one person that makes a difference then you do..your inspiration and idea’s are helping me move on from the days where I felt like Alice falling down the dark tunnel which was black and bottomless with idea’s from medics that this or that drink me potion ‘would work’…never did..
Thank you for your amazing insight and inspiration and perhaps the only person who’s political idea’s at the moment actually make sense
Comment by VICTORIA on 07/02/2011 at 6:10 am
Thank you, Vivienne! Much appreciated.
Comment by Alexander on 18/02/2011 at 7:27 am