Worthing Museum’s Summer Dress blossoming thanks to green-minded visitors

Forget Paris, London or New York - eco-minded fashionistas have only one destination on their minds this summer, as Worthing displays a unique piece of horticulturally-themed haute couture.

As the days get longer, the Summer Dress in the garden of the town’s Museum & Art Gallery in Chapel Road will gradually start to blossom - thanks to eco-minded members of the public who are creating colourful flowers from things they would throw away.

The unique and completely ‘green’ dress features as part of the wider Worthing Museum and Art Gallery’s costume trail, which is a changing series of displays hosted in showcases at local businesses across the town.

Councillor Heather Mercer, Worthing Borough Council’s executive member for customer services, said:

“It’s wonderful to see such a creative way to use waste materials and put them to use in a new and exciting way.

“The costume trail has been a big hit with thousands of people across the region as the museums and theatres team take the exhibits to the masses.

“I’m delighted the spring dress is part of this and I can’t wait to see people’s imaginations blossom in the weeks to come.”

As part of a bid to encourage people to get crafty with their waste, staff at the Worthing Borough Council venue are calling for people to let their imagination blossom and create flowers from things they would throw away. The colourful additions will then be attached to the dress before being put on display all summer.

Among those already created are beautiful blooms created by cutting into empty used soft drink bottles. Other elaborate flowers have been made by stenciling and embroidering used plastic bags.

The lifesize summer dress has been created by local artist and museum education officer Anna Twinam-Cauchi.

Anna has used PVC-coated garden fencing and garden windbreak to create the crinoline frame for the dress.

Anna had previously created a winter dress as part of the costume trail from evergreen foliage and is known for creating artworks from recycled materials and found objects.

Anna said:

“The Summer Dress has been a great opportunity to create a collaborative artwork outside in the museum garden. We are inviting all ages to be inspired by the idea and to participate in creating something beautiful.”

Flowers for the dress can be donated via the museum front desk for addition to the garden-based work of art.

The Summer Dress will be on display until Autumn 2017.