Discover Viet Nam | Lectures and Fashion show

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Viet Nam - UK diplomatic relations, the Embassy of Viet Nam and the Mayfair-based gallery, D Contemporary, are delighted to invite you to the 'Discover Viet Nam | Lectures X Fashion Show' collateral event. A lecture series will take place at the gallery at 23 Grafton Street, led by Dr. Sud Chonchirdsin, former Curator for Vietnamese at the British Library, Dr. Jessica Harrison-Hall, Head of China Section, Curator of Chinese Ceramics, Decorative Arts, and the Sir Percival David Collection, and Henry Ginsburg Curator for Southeast Asia at the British Museum, Dr. Alexandra Green. The lectures will be followed by a fashion show featuring Lan Huong's Thriving Planet collection and Jordan Nguyen's Vietnamese Power Dressing collection.

"Followed by a reception with drinks and Vietnamese canapes by: Cay Tre

FASHION DESIGNERS:

LAN HUONG

Lan Huong is one of the few designers who have achieved great success when sticking with the Vietnamese traditional costume - Ao Dai. She is also the first person to bring Ao Dai into famous museums such as the National Museum of Korea and the United States. She has been awarded the medal "For the cause of culture - sport" by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam and the prestigious award of 'Excellent Artisan' by the President of Viet Nam.

JORDAN NGUYEN

Jordan Nguyen is a Vietnamese-Canadian womenswear designer with an emphasis on designing with meaning, culture, and identity to foster connection. His Collection, "Vietnamese Power Dressing" explores the concept of power dressing through a Vietnamese lens, referencing a sense of ease found in the dress of Vietnamese common and working life.

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Sud Chonchirdsin was Curator for Vietnamese at the British Library from 2005 until his retirement in 2019. 2023 marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Viet Nam and the UK, but trading links between the two countries are much older, dating back 350 years to the 17th century. This talk will present some of the earliest Vietnamese documents in the British Library reflecting these diplomatic contacts, in the form of beautifully illuminated scrolls written in Vietnamese in Chữ Nôm (Sino-Vietnamese) characters.

Dr. Jessica Harrison-Hall, Head of China Section, Curator of Chinese Ceramics, Decorative Arts, and the Sir Percival David Collection at The British Museum Vietnamese Ceramics at the British Museum are able to represent Vietnamese ceramics manufacture from the Neolithic Phung Nguyen culture to the present day. V. ietnam has an outstanding tradition of producing beautiful vessels in clay, many of which were exported around the world to other countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and even the east coast of Africa. This talk will focus on pottery and porcelain and how the collections of Vietnamese ceramics were built.

Dr. Alexandra Green is Henry Ginsburg Curator for Southeast Asia at the British Museum. She has recently published 'Southeast Asia: A History in Objects' based on the British Museum's collection, and has acquired Vietnamese objects to expand the range of material in the collection.The British Museum's collection of Vietnamese material is eclectic, consisting of a few specific areas, particularly prints and drawings from the mid-20th century, ceramics, and currency. Between these large bodies of material, there are hidden gems ranging from basketry to shamanic objects to textiles. This talk will discuss some of these less well-known objects.