The Designer Gallery, Centrum Chodov, Prague
22.5. – 22.7. 2019
The Designer Gallery and producer Milosh Harajda are proud to present a new exhibition in collaboration with The Isabella Blow Foundation. Under the guidance of Profesor Liběna Rochová, MEMORY will display a carefully curated selection from the Isabella Blow Foundation’s preserved collection. For the first time, the Czech Republic will have the opportunity to see original works collected and treasured by the British muse and fashion stylist Isabella Blow, who discovered iconic talents such as Philip Treacy, Stella Tennant and Alexander McQueen.
The exhibition MEMORY, designed by the architect Magdalena Rochová, is installed in the heart of The Designer Gallery; a platform whose mission is to support the local fashion and design scene.
Marketing Director of Centrum Chodov, Petra Valentová has voiced her hope to ‘bring visitors a unique experience’ at the Designer Gallery, where they take pride in being open to ‘unconventional projects.’ The gallery shares a vision of supporting young talent with the Isabella Blow Foundation, which manages the archival collection of the legendary British stylist.
During the opening 14 models were selected by the show’s curator Libena Rochova. Producer Milosh Harajda said then of the exhibition’s conception:
“The idea of presenting The Isabella Blow Foundation collection in Prague was following me since 2013, when Daphne Guinness first showed the world a complete collection of Isabella Blow installed in London’s The Somerset House. The exhibition MEMORY was created in close cooperation with Daphne’s team, which gave us the opportunity to prepare an original curatorial concept, and it is a great honour for us to introduce to the Czech audience – also three models that were part of the legendary retrospective exhibition Savage Beauty,”
‘MEMORY is the latest in a long line of creative projects Milosh and I have partnered on. It is familiar but exhilarating territory. Collaboration with him is always a pleasure - truly it feels like a marriage of minds’, says Daphne Guinness
The Isabella Blow Foundation was proud to sponsor the Best of Rock Musical’s event. All funds raised at the show will go towards The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust; a charity that is closely aligned with our vision and objectives. The trust does amazing work equipping young people with insight and skills to combat mental health issues, and also trains employers and professionals working in medicine and education. Their team goes in to places of work, to schools and universities and shows them how to look for signs of depression, and how to offer constructive help to those in need. The charity provides training to therapists who are in turn better prepared to help people with effective coping strategies. It also supports research and teaching therapies through the Charlie Waller Institute at the University of Reading.
You can read more about The Charlie Waller Memorial Institute here: cwmt.org.uk
You can read more about The Best of Rock Musicals here: thebestofmusicals.com
This year, The Isabella Blow Foundation has had the privilege of working in partnership with Hospital Rooms.
Co-founded by artist Tim A Shaw and curator Niamh White, Hospital Rooms is an independent charity which brings extraordinary art to people who are cared for in mental health hospitals. They are the only organisation that commissions world class artists to work with mental health patients and staff to radically transform challenging clinical environments, such as Psychiatric Intensive Care Units, and make them imaginative, thoughtful and restorative. The work they do is close to The Foundation’s heart, and very much aligned with our central objectives. Through financial contribution, the IBF have been able to assist this important charity – and we hope to continue to do so in the future.
The Isabella Blow Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new partnership with Samaritans.
Samaritans is an iconic service, running in the UK and Republic of Ireland now for over 60 years. Last year, its volunteers responded to more than 5.3 million calls for help from people struggling to cope, by phone, text, email and face to face in its 201 branches.
The Isabella Blow Foundation is delighted to be able to support a service that is committed to creating a safe space, where anyone can talk in confidence, without being judged, in ways they feel most comfortable with. Sadly, a recent survey for Samaritans revealed that more than 1 in 5 people sometimes feel overwhelmed by their problems, with 1 in 9 feeling they have no one to share them with.
Founder of the Isabella Blow Foundation Daphne Guinness says, “Our Foundation is committed to supporting charities that make a difference to people’s wellbeing and mental health. We want to work with Samaritans to help give greater access to their support. Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year. It provides a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, whoever they are, however they feel, and whatever life has done to them. We would encourage anyone to talk to Samaritans about anything that’s worrying them.”
We are also honoured and grateful to announce that The Isabella Blow Foundation has been named as one of this year‘s ICAP Charity Day beneficiaries. In previous years, ICAP’s prestigious Charity Day fundraising event has seen support from the Royal Family alongside the likes of Meryl Streep, Jamie Oliver and Kylie Minogue. Last year’s event raised £8m and a total of £120m has been raised since it launched 22 years ago.
The funds raised at ICAP’s Charity Day will be used to fund a landmark new access service for Samaritans which it hopes to pilot in 2016.
For more information please contact primrose@daphneguinness.com
Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year, providing a safe place to talk for anyone who is struggling to cope, whoever you are and whatever life has done to you. Please call 116 123 (this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch.
This charitable Foundation seeks to honour the memory of Isabella Blow, to support aspiring art and fashion students and to facilitate further research in the fields of depression and mental health.
For further information or to make a donation, please email the Foundation at:
info@isabellablowfoundation.com
The Isabella Blow Foundation and Hudson’s Bay are thrilled to announce “Fashion Blows”, a fundraising event and exhibit celebrating the extraordinary life and wardrobe of the late British patron of fashion and art, Isabella Blow.
The Isabella Blow Foundation in conjunction with Somerset House and Central Saint Martins, presented Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!, a major fashion exhibition celebrating the extraordinary life and wardrobe of the late British patron of fashion and art.
Highlights from The Daphne Guinness Collection; Sold to Benefit the Isabella Blow Foundation, a spectacular single-owner evening auction took place on 27 June 2012 at Christie’s South Kensington saleroom.
Registered Charity No. 1147448