North Lincolnshire Museums have announced details of the exciting exhibitions coming to Normanby Hall this season.
While exploring the Regency mansion visitors will find a new ‘Fashion is Rubbish’ exhibition in the first-floor costume gallery.
In the UK, 10,000 items of clothing go to landfill every five minutes.
This topical exhibition examines the popularity and environmental cost of the demand for fast fashion, using examples from North Lincolnshire Museums’ costume collection to see what can be done to take fashion more slowly.
Displayed as part of the exhibition are handmade garments by Scunthorpe sewing enthusiast and finalist on The Great British Sewing Bee, Rebecca Grimbleby.
The new ‘Fashion is Rubbish’ exhibition features handmade garments by Great British Sewing Bee finalist Rebecca Grimbleby
The display includes two pieces Rebecca made on the show, as well as several garments from her own collection, to show that anyone can have a go at making their own clothes!
A second exhibition, ‘That’s Not My Name’, finds Normanby Hall Artist-in-Residence Tracy Satchwill reflecting on the role and identity of female domestic servants in her first major solo installation.
A selection of films, huge colourful collages and augmented reality combine to create an impressive multi-sensory experience.
Also launching on 4 March is ‘A Misremembered Household’.
In this exhibition, artist Barbara Melling uncovers the hidden life of the hall through the stories of mysterious creatures. These special ‘visitors’ are constructed entirely from scraps of waste materials and objects and can be found throughout the house.
‘The Stitcher’, one of the ‘visitors’ featuring in Barbara Melling’s ‘A Misremembered Household’ exhibition
Elsewhere across the mansion, newly donated objects will be displayed for the first time, helping visitors piece together the history of the Sheffield family, owners of the estate for more than 400 years.
In the Normanby at War gallery visitors can see the passport and special travel pass held by Sir Berkeley Sheffield’s manservant, Charles Harrison, who accompanied him on the allied mission to Russia during the First World War.
Other wonderful items include The Rev. Sir Robert Sheffield’s beautiful mahogany writing slope and specially adapted chair. Sir Robert held the title of 3rd Baronet for just three weeks before he died, and the slope now sits proudly in the study.
Cllr Carl Sherwood, cabinet member for safer, stronger communities, rural, said:
“These wonderfully creative exhibitions really bring the fascinating history of Normanby Hall to life.
“The impact of fast fashion is an especially timely and important issue. Across North Lincolnshire we are working hard towards our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
“We are prioritising this through various schemes, including tree planting and the rollout of e-scooters, but we all need to consider the simple steps we can take to help the environment and this exhibition does that brilliantly.”
“In the past couple of years, the ground floor of the hall has been refurbished and re-displayed, with visitors leaving fantastic feedback. If you have yet to visit the hall, or haven’t for some time, I’d urge you to come and see the transformation first-hand.”
The hall is open between 10am and 4pm every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in March and daily from 1 April. Entry is included in park admission.
Make the most of your visit by buying an annual membership. Passes start from as little as £19.69 and give visitors unlimited entry to the hall, gardens and facilities for a full year, as well as free access to many of the park’s fantastic events.
Keep up to date with all the exhibitions, events and activities at Normanby Hall by following the park on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or by visiting the Normanby Hall website.
The exhibition programme is made possible by funding from Arts Council England, through the Humber Museums Partnership NPO, of which North Lincolnshire Museums is a partner.
