The eventual fate of us all is the inspiration for Kat Pengelly’s theatre piece Fashion for Funerals.
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Death – our collective yet often-ignored destiny, will be faced and embraced using a multi-media theatrical fashion parade, says Ms Pengelly.
The show, which opened originally at the 2015 Natimuk Frinj Festival to acclaim, features clothing designs by the Ballarat fashion designer, accompanied by a narrative of dance, song and film.
The show is a storytelling platform for writers, film and theatremakers, fashion designers, artists, musicians, psychologists and scientists, says Pengelly.
“It’s about bringing death to life by creating a cultural shift in the way we grieve, makings our inevitable end accessible and acceptable.”
Pengelly has assembled a crew of Ballarat’s creative minds to present the show.
She says her inspirations include blood cells, black diamonds and the danse macabre.
The show was born of her mother’s death from cancer.
The show opens tonight at Federation University’s Helen MacPherson Smith Theatre at 8pm and runs until Sunday. It is being presented in association with the Art Gallery of Ballarat’s exhibition Romancing the Skull.
Ten per cent of show profits are being donated to the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.
