The Pearly Commandments.

Outside the Church of St Martin-in the Fields, Covent Garden.

I came across this on the web, The Pearly Kings and Queens must take their commitment very seriously by setting up "The Nine Commandments", Here they are:

• Thou shalt promote The Guild and the Pearly heritage and be fully familiar with our history.

• Thou shalt respect fellow Brother and Sister Pearlies and be faithful to The Guild.

• Thou shalt respect our honorable tradition and not misuse Pearly cloth for personal financial gain.

• Thou shalt try to attend all events for the good of The Guild (so get on ya plates of meat down the frog ‘n’ toad)

• Thou shalt try to attend all General Meetings (unless you’ve got a bloody good reason not to)

• Thou shalt hold his or her opinion with regard to public affairs whilst in Pearls and not bring disgrace to fellow Pearlies. (So don’t get Brahms and Liszt)

• Thou shalt always be fully dressed in your Pearly whistle & flute and badge of honor at official events. (So leave ya dicky dirt & Peckham Rye at home)

• Thou shalt help fellow Brothers and Sisters in times of ill health or any other problems and support each other at all times.

• Thou shalt always show in your public work in Pearls the cheerful Cockney spirit and adhere to the doctrine that Pearlies spell charity L.O.V.E.

Pearly King's and Queens attending the Harvest Festival.

The Pearly's: 125 Years of Tradition.

The founder was Henry Croft.

A Victorian Pearly Queen.

Pearly Queen's Collecting for Charity.

I have started to research into the history of the Pearly King's and Queens in order to gain an understanding into the origin of this tradition and whether it has evolved throughout 125 years of its existence. I thought the best place to start would be by browsing the web and I was pleased to discover that many sites exist, all helping to keep the tradition of what it means to be a true Pearly King or Queen in London. I discovered that the tradition hasn't actually changed since its origin started by Henry Croft in 1875 . Here are some facts that I found:

• The tradition of the Pearly Kings and Queens began in 1875 by Henry Croft.

• Henry Croft swept the market streets and started to collect all the pearl buttons he found that had fallen off the clothes of people visiting the market.

• He started to sew the buttons on his cap and then continued until his entire suit was filled which is now called a “smother suit”.

• This is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing.

• The bold shiny costumes were developed from the instinct to attract attention and raise money for genuine and worthwhile causes and charities.

• There are two types of suit - a Smother Suit and a Skeleton Suit, the former having very little cloth showing and totally covered in buttons, and the latter having far fewer buttons.

Today, The Pearly Kings and Queens collect for a variety of charities, often raising thousands of pounds. The tradition of collecting and sewing the Mother of Pearl button continues whereby most families choose or make up the pattern they wish to use. Each family chooses between creating either a Smother Suit, A suit completely covered in buttons, or a Skeleton, One which is just outlined in patterns with some small pattern. The suits often become smothered over the course of time as the buttons are collected and sewed on throughout the years.

A Pearly Family Today.

In terms of the direction of this project, I think one of the best ways of really getting to know the true tradition of the Pearly Kings and Queens would be to get in contact with a true Pearly. If I can get in contact with anyone of them I would like to document my visit through film and photography.

Research Development: The Pearly Kings and Queens

After visiting Taylor's Buttons and Belts I was interested when the shop owner said that they had previously sold Mother of Pearl buttons to the Pearly Kings and Queens. It was explained that the Mother of Pearl button was the only type of button the Pearly likes to use on their costumes. I already knew that the Pearly Kings and Queens are considered one of the eccentricities of being British, An Icon of London, mainly because of their costumes. I also knew that they are true Londoners or "Cockneys", born within the sound of the Bow Bells who collect money for charity and sew these buttons onto their clothes in order to attract attention. It seems the concept of collecting is an important aspect of the Pearly's work and therefore could become a development from "Collections", My initial starting point for this project. There is also a direct link between the button shop, A massive collection of buttons and the Pearly Kings and Queens costumes. So I think this would be an appropriate direction to take for my project, I'm not sure what I will discover but It will be worth trying to find out!

A Trip to Taylor's Buttons.

The Button shop was really inconspicuous and was difficult to find but my visit to Taylor's Buttons and Belts was definitely worth while. After going inside I couldn't quite believe just how many boxes of buttons this place had for such a small space. The place was literally crammed to the ceiling with boxes, some shelves buckling at the sheer weight of them.



I wondered just how many buttons there were, how many varieties and how they were cataloged. I spoke to the shop owner and she said that it was practically impossible as there were simply too many, claiming that there must be millions of buttons and thousands of varieties. I noticed that each box had a stitched button on the outside to indicate its contents as this must have been the only way. I noticed how some buttons were attached to separate pieces of card, laid out in an organized format depending on size and make.


The business was taken over by her late husband and she decided to continue with it, accumulating the collection over many years where the buttons, Most of which were hand made, were over a hundred years old. Even the boxes themselves were as old as the buttons, Some being the original packaging. The shop owner said that the collection was accumulated over many years of trade, often making buttons for theater groups and the Pearly kings and Queens.

Taylor's Buttons and Belts.

Taylor's Buttons and Belts,
22 Cleveland Street,
Camden,
LONDON.

I came across a really interesting article in Umbrella magazine about this Button store on Cleveland street, Camden. The Button shop called Taylor's Buttons and Belts is known for having one of the largest and most varied collections of buttons in London. I'm really interested in finding out more about this place, How big the collection really is and how the shop owners have organized a massive collection of such a tiny object. I found the address on the net so I'm going to take a trip to this place to find out more and take some photo's.

Stamps For Collectors.

A Collection of Mugs.

Genevieve Gaukler @ Big Active

Illustration By Nina Chakrabarti

Mark Dion and the Tate Thames Dig.

Mark Dion: Tate Thames Dig.
An interactive piece reminiscent of the Cabinets of Curiosity.

The classification and arrangement of objects.

I came across this work by Mark Dion known as Tate Thames Dig. The work, Displayed in the Tate Modern is reminiscent of the Victorian tradition of collecting objects and displaying the collection in purpose built cabinets often known as cabinets of curiosity. The layout is representative of Taxonomy, The study of collecting and classification. Each of the artifacts displayed here in a double-sided cabinet houses the artefacts retrieved during the Tate Thames Dig. One side of the cabinet contains items found at Millbank, the other those from Bankside. The random objects are classified according to where they are found, Size and type of object displayed in separate drawers. However, Dion has not labelled any of the objects, allowing the visitor to form their own ideas about them. I like the idea of maybe studying the classification of random objects further, Maybe by drawing objects that you wouldn't normally take any particular interest in, or by collecting objects and arranging them in a systematic order and photographing them. The work is interactive, Allowing the viewer to make decisions according to what part of the piece they wish to explore first, what drawer to open. I like the idea of a collection being contained within a collection, Maybe in the form of packaging.

Collecting, Archiving, Arrangement and Display.

I have decided to research some examples where a number of artists have used the theme of collecting and arranging objects as a theme throughout their work. The concept of display and layout has become a centralized concept within their works often displaying an assortment of found objects by using the cabinets of curiosities as inspiration.

A Cabinet of Curiosity.

A popular pastime throughout the 16th and 19th centuries, The cabinets of curiosities became part of home furniture which became a representation of a family's wealth and education. It is interesting how each artist has experimented and developed this theme within their works by adapting to a range of ways in which such objects can be displayed and manipulated, creating a new meaning to the objects themselves. The collection is represented in a number of ways of archiving its arrangement through the use of packaging and display. Here are some examples I foundAfter visiting the library:

The Artist and Title of each work starting from above:

• Joseph Cornell: Egypt Box and Museum of the Colour White.
  

• Cornelia Parker: Thirty Pieces of Silver.

• Damien Hirst: Forms Without Life.

• Susan Hellier: The Freud Museum.

Collections.....A Starting Point for Research?

Ive started thinking of possible starting points for this project....collect/collections/collected seems to be an interesting starting point. As I enjoy researching into various subject areas, The collection of research could lead to numerous directions. As a starting point I decided to visit the library. I found a few books based on the system of collecting, Cabinets of curiosity etc. I also searched the net. I have started to generate some of my own questions in regards to this subject area.

• Why do people collect? Sentimental reasons etc?
• What do they collect? Coins, Stamps, Magazines etc?
• How do they arrange and display their collections.
• Is it an obsession? A reflection of a person's character? Who they are as people?
• Is a collection a visual representation of someone's life?

Im not sure what direction this is going in just yet, I may even decide to develop a small idea further or change it completely. Its just an initial starting point that may develop into something. I like the idea of the arrangement of objects, The classification of collections, Labels. I like the way in which sticker books often have blank spaces to fill in to make up part of the whole collection. We all have preconceived ideas of what a collection could be , but I thought it could be interesting to challenge this notion and provide a collection of images that you wouldn't expect etc. I suppose a collection doesn't have to be something physical, Visual etc. I suppose it can be a collection of thought's and ideas, "Just let me collect my thoughts".

• I looked up the word collections and collectors in Wikipedia to find out some more information on the subject:

The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world. Others focus on a subtopic within their area of interest, maybe 19th century stamps, milk bottle labels, or Mongolian harnesses and tack.

Final Project

Ive started to generate some ideas for what I want to research and achieve for the final project as an end result. As the brief is an open one the possibilities for a final outcome are endless which really encourages experimentation and collaboration. I was thinking about developing the biographies project further as I enjoyed taking photographs, working with the public by asking them questions and getting feedback about themselves as individuals. It would be interesting to find ways of representing and communicating this research in a visual way. I am also interested in experimenting with film, photography and illustration.