In 18th century England, a group of mostly women named the Bluestockings attempted to replace social evenings playing cards with something more intellectual.

The term is said to have originated when one of the founders, the wealthy Irish-born poet and scholar Elizabeth Vesey, invited the botanist and publisher Benjamin Stillingfleet to one of her parties. He declined because he was not rich enough to dress appropriately, so she told him to come “in his blue stockings” – the everyday worsted stockings he was wearing at the time – and the Bluestockings Society was born.

Almost three centuries after the social and educational movement emerged, London-based designer Bethan Laura Wood has taken inspiration from it for a major commission at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Stay in the know with our free newsletter. The latest restaurants, must-see exhibitions, style trends, travel spots and more – curated by those who know.

SIGN UP

Now in its second year, the Mecca x NGV Women in Design Commission supports one internationally renowned female designer to produce an important piece of work for the NGV collection.

Announced on International Women’s Day, Wood’s commission will see her create an installation honouring writing from the first feminist icons of the 18th century such as Jane Austen, Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley – as well as contemporary female voices that have influenced her work – in an installation that combines furniture, textiles, scenography, and more.

“I’ve taken inspiration from looking at how women shared knowledge in the British 18th and 19th centuries,” says Wood. She’ll work with furniture designers in Italy and carpet makers in London to create newly commissioned pieces inspired by Regency furniture traditionally found in libraries such as bookcases, reading tables and fainting couches.

Since establishing her eponymous design studio in 2009, Wood’s bold use of colour and mixing of patterns, and her flamboyant furniture, objects, textiles and interior designs have garnered a cult following. She has presented work at Design Miami and Sketch London, and has work held in permanent collections across the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

For her NGV installation, she’s also collaborating with Italian artisans on a bespoke Alpi veneer to imitate her dreamy psychedelic works.

While Wood’s style is often described as "maximalist”, her work is layered with meaning, making it a perfect fit for Mecca X NGV Women in Design, which aims to bolster the NGV’s collection of works by women and advance the NGV’s ongoing efforts towards redressing historical gender imbalance.

“This commission series will have a transformative effect on the NGV Collection – strengthening our holdings of design by women,” says Simone LeAmon, NGV Hugh Williamson Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture. “It will help build a legacy of representation of women in design in the NGV collection for future generations to look towards and seek inspiration.”

Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao was the recipient of the inaugural Mecca x NGV Women in Design Commission in 2022 for her installation titled La Ropa Sucia se Lava en Casa (Dirty Clothes are Washed at Home), which draws on the notion of clothing as a symbol of protection for the body. Bilbao’s work is currently on display at NGV International until March 19, with Wood’s commission to debut by the end of this year.

The five-year partnership with the beauty retailer will culminate in a major exhibition showcasing the five bodies of work.

“I believe in the positive action that Mecca and the NGV has taken to increase the amount of work by women in the collection,” says Wood. “All artists face the challenge of balancing the need to create while also making a stable living [but] I think this is even more prevalent for women as in the past this has not been an easy thing to achieve.”

ngv.vic.gov.au