Eighth R.L. Shep Triennial Symposium on Textiles and Dress: Lee Alexander McQueen | Contextualizing Scanners in Art History

In conjunction with the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse, renowned scholars will explore imagination, artistic process, and innovation in fashion and art to further examine the interdisciplinary impulse that defined McQueen’s career, legacy, and sources of inspiration. 

McQueen’s Fall/Winter 2003–04 collection, Scanners, portrays a journey across Siberia and Tibet, destined for Japan, as illustrated by garment materials, construction, and decorative motifs that the designer borrowed from these regions. Although McQueen was not a textile scholar, Scanners affords a unique lens through which to consider notable cultural exchanges, such as the proliferation of Buddhism, ingrained into textile history. Co-curator Michaela Hansen discusses McQueen’s use of a woven silk pattern of interlocking octagons and floral medallions in Scanners; tracing the history of this distinctive pattern, Mei Mei Rado, Associate Curator of Costume and Textiles, explains its origins in China; Tushara Bindu Gude, Associate Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art, explores the adoption of the pattern in Tibet, particularly in Buddhism; and Sharon S. Takeda, Senior Curator and Department Head of Costume and Textiles, elaborates on the pattern’s use in ecclesiastical and theatrical dress in Japan.

In response to the global pandemic, the Eighth Triennial R.L. Shep Symposium is presented on YouTube as a free video series, released from May through August 2022 on the last Tuesday of each month.

Guests are encouraged to RSVP for a reminder email. 

R.L. Shep Triennial Symposia are supported by the R.L. Shep Symposium Endowment for Costume and Textiles, LACMA.