Ms Kerry Meakin

Contact

Email: k1631195@kingston.ac.uk
Location: Kingston School of Art, Knights Park
Faculty: Kingston School of Art
School: School of Creative and Cultural Industries
Department: Department of Creative Industries

Research project: The Professionalisation of Window Display in Britain (1919-1939): modern styles, associations, training and education

Abstract

In the past 30 years retail has been the subject of much research, particularly regarding the fields of consumption, sociology, anthropology, and the histories of business and retailing. However, there has been less research undertaken by design historians, particularly in window display. This thesis uncovers the neglected subject of the professionalisation of window display in Britain between 1919 to 1939. The research addresses three key developments that impacted display throughout the period: its shift in display styles, the emergence of a professional association, and the provision of education and training. These developments ran concurrently throughout the twenty years under investigation.

This thesis took a qualitative approach, deducing and inferring data and ideas from primary sources - archives, journals, and books. Critical examination of these previously under-researched resources aided in piecing together the evidence, visual and written, about people, events, organisations, exhibitions, and dialogues. The overarching aim was to consider, the following questions: what enabled window display to become a professional practice in Britain? How did the practice develop during the period of 1919 to 1939? This thesis identified significant patterns and trends in the available data, leading to three specific themes., modern display styles, a professional association, education, and training. Trade journals and conventions enabled transatlantic and continental conversations, where display tactics were analysed, shared, and contested, encouraging a truly transnational approach to the development of techniques, and teaching and learning. By focusing on the analysis of transatlantic and international activity, this project uncovered the influential interchange and exchange of practices, models, techniques, ideas, and teaching methods.

This research offers the first narrative and comprehensive insight into the professionalisation of window display in Britain. It points out that a significant shift in aesthetics, the emergence of an association, and the provision of focused training and education were crucial in the professional development of window display between 1919 and 1939. A key event impacting 1920s British display was the arrival of American open display methods, together with a renewed realisation of the importance of art and design knowledge. Open display methods aided the foundations for modern-style techniques, as developed in Germany, to impact on British display aesthetics in the 1920s. The founding of the British Association of Display Men 1919 was crucial to the growth and success of window display as professional practice. The Association ran exhibitions and Conventions, allowing for a community of practice. This thesis examines the Associations growth, impact, and internal schisms. The third pivotal event was the introduction of training and education through books, correspondence courses, international schools, Arts and Crafts schools, and the two dedicated schools of display, the Arundell School of Display, and Goldsman's School of Window Display launched in 1928. The schools further spread German display practice in Britain.

Research degree: PhD
Title of project: The Professionalisation of Window Display in Britain (1919-1939): modern styles, associations, training and education
Research supervisor: Dr Patricia Lara-Betancourt
Other research supervisor: Professor Penny Sparke

Biography

Having started off as an 'apprentice' window dresser at the tender age of seventeen, I now find myself teaching and developing the practice in a third level institution as the Programme Chair of the BA Visual Merchandising and Display at the Technological University Dublin. This has led to an interest in discovering why there is a dearth of available historical material regarding window display. It is hoped that my research will lead to a bank of knowledge that can be used by design historians and those interested in the subject matter to enable teaching and promote awareness of the history of the professionalisation of window display in Britain.

Areas of research interest

The Professionalisation of Window Display in Britain (1919-1939)
History of Department Stores
Modernity and Modernism
British Display Association
Art Deco
Surrealism
Natasha Kroll
Selfridges
Arthur V. Fraser
Edward Goldsman

Qualifications

BA (Hons) Interior Design and Furniture, College of Arts and Tourism, Dublin Institute of Technology
MA in Higher Education, LTTC, Dublin Institute of Technology

Funding or awards received

Research Fellow RAFT project, Dublin Institute of Technology
Research Fellow IdeaCamp, Dublin Institute of Technology

Publications

‘The Bauhaus and the Fundamentals of Window Display.' In Bauhaus Effects in Art, Architecture and Design, edited by Kathleen James-Chakraborty & Sabine T. Kriebel, 58-79. New York: Routledge, 2022.

‘Window Display – Irish influences and influencers 1922-1939.' Encounters and Collaborations: Ireland and the World. Visual Culture and the Nation State 1922-39 Symposium, January 14, 2022.

‘Irish Diaspora and the World of Window Display: The international impact of Irish men and women in the early days of window display professionalism.' Tour Donas Exhibition, Temple Bar Galleries. September 9, 2021. Available at Templebargallery.com/whats-on/watch-listen/irish-diaspora-and-the-world-of-window-display-the-international-impact-of-irish-men-and-women-in-the-early-days-of-window-display-professionalism

‘Surrealism and the Everyday.' Surrealism in England: 1936 and After Revisited Conference. June 9, 2021. University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury.

‘Women in Display in Britain 1920-1935.' CHORD Online Seminars, May 25, 2021.

‘Women in Display.' Modern Interiors Research Centre Symposium, Kingston University, January 2020.

‘The Bauhaus and the Business of Window Display.' British Display Society Annual Convention, London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, London. September 30, 2019.

‘The Bauhaus and the Business of Window Display.' Design History Society's Annual Conference, University of Northumbria, September 5-7, 2019, https://costofdesign2019.com/ conferenceprogramme-3/

‘The Bauhaus and its Effects on Window Display.' Bauhaus Effects Conference, National Gallery of Ireland, February 7-9, 2019. https://bauhauseffectscom.wordpress.com

‘The West-End Window War.' Modern Interiors Research Centre Symposium, Kingston University, January 2019.

‘Edward Nathan Goldsman: The Selfridges Display Man.' Modern Interiors Research Centre Symposium, Kingston University, January 2018.

‘Idea Camp – An Chroi.' IJADE Conference (International Journal of Art and Design Education), NCAD, November 2017.

‘The German Connection.' Modern Interiors Research Centre Symposium, Kingston University, January 2017.

Presented joint paper at Higher Education in Transformation Symposium, Dublin Castle, March 2015, The Tri-Party Partnership: An Investigation into the Existing Support Structures within a DIT Work Placement.http://arrow.dit.ie/aaschadpcon/16/

Presented paper at IJADE (International Journal of Art and Design Education), Chester, November 2013: Redesigning Studio Apartments for Sheltered Accommodation using Colour Theory. http://arrow.dit.ie/civpostbk/22/

Verbal presentation at LIN conference, Dublin Nov 2013: 1st week of term creative class ‘The Wallet Project'.

Verbal presentation at CUMULUS conference in NCAD, Dublin Oct 2013: A Digital Learning Experience in Tertiary Design Education.

Presented joint paper at ELIA Teachers Academy Amsterdam, June 2013: A Digital Learning Experience in Tertiary Design Education. http://arrow.dit.ie/aaschadpcon/8/

Presented paper at ELIA (European League of Institutes of Art) Teachers Academy, Porto, July 2012: Developing and Nurturing Creativity in First Year Design Students. http://arrow.dit.ie/ltcdis/18/

Presented paper at INTED (International Technology, Education and Development Conference) Valencia, March 2011: The Benefits of Work Placement in Tertiary Design Education. http://arrow.dit.ie/ltccon/5/

Conference papers