The Red Gown Perpendicular
1996
Performance by Julie Laffin and Dolores Wilber. Front staircase at the MCA Chicago. All Photos this page by © 1996  Christine DiThomas. All rights reserved.

Julie Laffin and Dolores Wilber have had a working dialog since 1992. The collaboration Red Gown Perpendicular (1996) took place at the first anniversary of the opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago. Laffin is known for her work on female clothing and dresses and much of Wilber’s work involves “ties that bind,” literally and figuratively. In this piece, wearing a two-person red gown with a 75 ft. conjoined train, the pair served as a red carpet for the patrons who readily played their part. Wilber and Laffin sought to claim the public space in a way that raised questions about the museum’s relationship to artists and about the ownership of public space, about the use of public space in general and about women’s relationship to their own bodies and to each other. They aimed to present an arresting red slice of women and dress that would be powerful and disturbing, providing pleasure and contemplation for the public. Their dress collaborations also appeared in various forms at the Lunar Cabaret (1995) and N.A.M.E. Gallery (1996). 
(from www.doloreswilber.com)

In 2004 Laffin and Wilber joined forces to create Monument: Bodies on Foreign Soil at the Chicago Cultural Center. Laffin also has an important collaborative history with the photographer, Christine DiThomas, who created the images on this page. 

Photo © Christine DiThomas. All rights reserved.

Dolores Wilber's website can be found by clicking this link:
www.doloreswilber.com
Christine DiThomas' website can be found here:
www.christinedithomas.com

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