Knitting, drawing, sewing…

During 2010 many community groups from both East and West London were involved in projects which have created exhibits which are on display as part of the ‘Enchanted Palace’ experience.

The ‘Enchanted Palace’ weaves together the stories of seven princesses associated with Kensington in a bizarre, beautiful, fantastical experience which combines theatrical and fashion installations.

Community groups worked with the sewing organisation ‘Stitches in Time’ to create a knitted throne for the Presence Chamber – people are allowed to sit on this throne and say what they would do if they were king or queen for a day.

Young people created superb silhouettes for the Cradle Walk outside the palace, inspired by fairytales and real stories of princesses. This ten week project with a Pupil Referral Unit saw the group visiting the palace, working with an illustrator to interpret their designs, and seeing the finished products installed at the palace ready for the opening day.

Children’s groups were given the chance to draw on the walls of the palace, getting to show their ideas of what a princess would dream of on the staircase leading from the ground floor into the heart of the ‘Enchanted Palace’.

Groups created paper ‘story map’ dresses and an embroidered map for the Cabinet of Curiosities in the ‘Room of the World, the World in a Room’ which tell of their life journeys.

Children have created an enchanted Christmas tree for the ticket hall for 2010, inspired by the story of ‘Peter the Wild Boy’ (the tree has ears and feet…!).

Children, teenagers and adults all got the chance to learn about the past as well as to make their stories part of the objects they created. We love being able to blend historic and contemporary stories, showing the links between past and present and the relevance that Kensington still has in today’s society. The Enchanted Palace projects have given many people the chance to have their work viewed by thousands of people, and see it viewed as being of equal importance to historic items and the work of professional artists and fashion designers.