Polite Conversation by Jane Wildgoose

Society’s images of women have always fascinated Wildgoose. In 1992 she designed Middleton’s production of Polite Conversation, a neo-Gothic chamber piece based on writings by commentators such as Aphra Behn and Sheridan, which explore sexuality and social mores. ‘I wanted to show how easily gossip can label people - and in particular make or break a woman’s reputation - so I decided to have the actors wearing other people’s descriptions. I blew up a variety of texts and pamphlets from 18th-century books and printed them onto cotton sateen corsets.’ (via billyjane)