iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Sarah Blake

Beyond Shakespeare @handle.invalid · 05/09/2026

💰Latest Exclusive Behind the Scenes release, and it's a workshop/text session working through Gentleness and Nobility by John Heywood & John Rastell, as we return to our staging of the play from last year and look to take it out for another spin. #drama #theatre #BTS www.patreon.com/beyondshakes...

patreon.com

BTS Gentleness and Nobility | Workshop (21/07/26) | Beyond Shakespeare

Hello, As part of our ongoing development of certain small scale productions, we returned to Gentleness and Nobility which we staged during

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

Happy Summer Solstice! Which medieval sun are you today? I'm bottom left! #solstice #summer #sun #gettymuseum #illuminated #manuscript

Image shows a collage of suns, collated by the Getty Museum, from their collection of medieval manuscripts. There are eleven suns in total, all hanging in a mid-blue background, and each of them has a face and is wearing a different expression. Expressions range (only according to my own interpretation) from happy (bottom left), to suspicious (second row down, middle), shifty (second row down, right), superior (top right), surprised (fourth row down, far right), judgemental (bottom right) and hungover (top left).

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

I've finally seen The Wizard of Oz in a proper cinema on a proper big screen... and only just realized (having watched this film countless times throughout my life) that it features a live toucan! ❤️

Photo shows a still from the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, with Judy Garland as Dorothy and Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow. They are walking towards the camera along the yellow brick road, with a blue-painted scene background of hills and sky behind them. Above their heads are the branches of a (fake) apple tree, that bears bright red apples - and perched on one of the apple tree branches is a (very much not fake) live toucan.

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Beyond Shakespeare @handle.invalid · 04/02/2026

🎟️Another couple of tickets sold for The Book of Sir Thomas More - it's a small room, and there aren't many spaces, so book now to avoid disappointment! More (ahem) on the event and other exciting developments in this thread.👉 #drama #theatre #live #DeepDive #unique #events

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Rescue American Democracy: ❌👑 @radgreece.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

The language of modern political theory isn’t helping us describe what’s going on in the U.S. because it assumes rational actors. This is the kind of situation democracy is meant to prevent. Look to your premodern thinkers: we’re in Caligula country now.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

@muellershewrote.com - off the back of this article… could we cause some good trouble by asking all the Leguminati to apply for ICE? Once the Trump folks realized what was happening, their recruitment process would be gummed up for months… www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

the-independent.com

Journalist claims ICE offered her job after six-minute interview and ‘sloppy’ vetting

Slate reporter Laura Jedeed describes experience of recruitment process and concludes it is ‘so sloppy that the administration effectively has no idea who’s joining the agency’s ranks’

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

So I'm utterly hopeless at blowing my own trumpet on social media... but I have quite a nifty little line in ASMR cultural audio talks, to help people relax and fall asleep... so here's a link to a new one, on The History of the Tarot... youtu.be/BHDpOSZDwnE #Tarot #ASMR #History #Sleep #ArtHistory

youtu.be

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

Good lord, I’d almost forgotten what it was like to wake up to good news from the other side of the pond… well done America (or, to be more precise, the states that were voting yesterday)… what a relief!❤️🤍💙

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Happy Hallowe’en! 💙🧡💙

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

In honour of #DianeKeaton, I watched The First Wives Club. It's still so funny & joyful, but it struck me that the interior of Shelly's apartment - which is clearly meant to be a trashy joke - is emulated today by many designers, as well as a certain president. We live in such a bad taste era.

Image shows a still from the film 'The First Wives Club' and depicts a New York apartment interior, with a beige marble floor, a studded leather door on the left, slab wall-panelling in white and wood, and a hideous staircase with a metal frame, wooden slat stair risers and metal tubular banister rails. Mounted on the wall behind the staircase is a rectangular mirror in a heavy gilt, faux-rococo frame, underneath a pair of wall-mounted frosted-glass torchiere lamps - and to the left of these, an open door reveals a cloakroom with a ridiculous gold, Louis XIV-style lavatory, brown carpet and navy blue striped wallpaper.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

That rumba from Alex, tho 🔥🔥🔥#Strictly

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Lovely tribute to Singin’ In The Rain from Katya Jones and Lewis Cope tonight… even if absolutely no one on the actual dance programme seemed to spot it. #Strictly

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Beyond Shakespeare @handle.invalid · 14/10/2025

🚨One Week to Go! Have you booked your tickets for our Wyrd Revels yet? Five days, five shows, recording live for the Beyond Shakespeare Podcast. The Witch of Edmonton, The Wise-woman of Hogston, Thyestes, and both versions of Doctor Faustus! #Wyrd #Horror #Drama #AudioDrama #Demon #Witch #Halloween

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 10/10/2025

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight. Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

I don’t normally like to draw attention to my chronic illnesses, but this is too funny and brilliant not to share… 😆😭😆

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

You’ll have to excuse the pile of washing up by the sink, but when I walked into the kitchen this morning, the burnished creeper looked so beautiful hanging over the back door that I had to take a photo of it ❤️ #autumnglory #autumnvibes #autumnbeauty #autumn

Photo shows the back door of a kitchen, which is painted yellow and has a four-paned window in the upper half of it. To the right of the door is a low kitchen cabinet, also painted yellow, with a black and white stone worktop on top of it and a stone sink set into it. To the left of the back door is another, matching yellow cabinet and, above it, another four-paned window. Both windows look out over a garden, which is still very green, with a turf lawn and a high wall covered in dark green ivy. However, hanging down in front of both windows are several long strands of virginia creeper, which has taken on its autumn colours of bright orange and crimson. The orange tones of the creeper are picked up by a wooden bowl of satsumas and golden kiwis that are sitting on top of the kitchen cabinet on the left, in front of the window, and by the edge of a bright orange washing-up bowl that’s just visible in shot on the right. However, the scene is not enhanced at all by the pile of washing-up that’s sitting on the worktop next to the sink, on the right. Should I have done the washing-up before taking the photo? Yes. Should I have at least moved it out of shot, before taking the photo? Yes. Could I be arsed to do either of these things? No.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

I am excessively sad that Patricia Routledge has died at the grand old age of 96 - she was amazing ❤️ But the news comes so fast these days - and fuck me, we now have a female Archbishop of Canterbury! 😍 Amazing 🥰 www.bbc.com/news/article...

bbc.com

Sarah Mullally named as new Archbishop of Canterbury - BBC News

She becomes the first female leader of the Church of England, replacing Justin Welby who resigned over his handling of a safeguarding scandal.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

The Marie Antoinette Style exhibition at the V&A is stunning. Lots of original artefacts, plus a fabulous collection of couture designs that have been inspired by her legacy. Definitely worth a visit! #MarieAntoinette #MarieAntoinetteStyle #V&AMuseum #couture #fashion #fashiondesign #18thcentury

Picture shows a black headless mannequin wearing a pink and cream-striped Robe à la Francais, which dates from around 1775. It features an embroidered stomacher, decorated with pink and blue ribbon flowers, and a full crinoline skirt that is also embroidered with small pink flowers and red ribbon trim, and is looped up at the sides, in the style known as 'à la Polonais'. Underneath the dress is a white cotton chemise that is visible around the neckline and at end of the three-quarter sleeves, where white ruffles fall gently down the arms to where the wrists would be.

Photo shows a long, cream and peach-coloured striped silk gown, seen from the back on a black, headless mannequin. The gown dates from around 1787 and is in the Robe à l'anglaise style, with long sleeves, a tight bodice and a skirt that is gathered over the hips and has pleats to make it full, as well as a short train that trails on the floor.

Picture shows a front view of a floor-length, cream satin gown on a black mannequin. The gown dates from around 1780 and is in the 'Robe à la Francais' style, with a tight bodice, half-length sleeves and a very full skirt - designed to be worn over a crinoline hoop, or panniers. The bodice has a plain scoop neck and fastens down the front with a vertical, central line of concealed hooks, while the skirt is made up of a flat fronted under-skirt, which is then covered by a mantua, or split-front over-skirt. Both skirt parts are embroidered with sprays of pink and yellow flowers and are also trimmed with bands of pale blue ribbon and cream lace.

Image shows an exhibition gallery in the V&A museum, which has a plain cream background and floor, with six white mannequins displayed upon it. From left to right, the mannequins are wearing: a long dark pink gown with filly sleeves by Moschino; a blue and white toile-patterned ensemble made up of a short, belted coat with a full crinoline skirt, over matching blue and white toile thigh-high boots, all by Jeremy Scott for Moschino; a calf-length ruffled dress in shades of beige and pale green, with a ribbon-decorated bodice and heavily-flounced skirt, by Vivienne Westwood; a long floral chiffon gown featuring heavy pleating and a pattern of large pink roses and green leaves on a cream background, by Alessandro Michele for Valentino; and a lemon coloured mini-dress that is shaped like a tiered wedding cake and covered in structured white decorations that are made to look like piped royal icing, by Jeremy Scott for Valentino. On the far right-hand side of the photo, next to the lemon-colured 'cake' dress, we can see half of another mannequin, wearing another 'cake' dress, this time in pale pink. All of the Moschino mannequins are wearing high, Marie Antoinette-style wigs that complement the colour of the outfit they are wearing (dark pink, blue, pale yellow and pale pink, respectively). By contrast, the Westwood and Valentino mannequins are both bald.

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Ms. M @msmalarkey24.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

🧵 Gentleman in DC on the suspension of @jimmykimmel.com: “But you know who the real villains in this whole thing are? The 60-some percent of American voters who didn’t [vote].” LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK. 1/

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

It’s a sparkling Friday afternoon where I am… happy weekend, all! #Fridayfeeling #Seafever

$The picture shows a beach, with yellow sand on the lefthand side and soft waves coming in from the right across the centre of the picture. The sky is very blue, with lots of small, fluffy clouds, and at the top centre of the picture, there are refracted shafts of sunlight. The sunlight is also creating a sparking effect on the waves. In the distance, we can see the silhouette of buildings on the left, and a pier stretching over to the right, with a tower and a big wheel.$

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

I wrote this digital play 4 years ago &, post-pandemic & post-AI, I’m still really proud of it. Although it’s about UK politics, it’s scarily-prescient about the current US situation & contains beautiful, nuanced performances by the cast. @hcrichardson.bsky.social is right - art uplifts, art helps ❤️

m.youtube.com

Deepfakes - political satire by Sarah Blake

YouTube video by Sarah Blake

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Fiona Katauskas @fionakatauskas.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

ICYMI- Horses Changing Courses- yesterday's cartoon for @australia.theguardian.com

Scene is two people and four horsemen of the apocalypse in coloured robes instead of the dark ones. Instead of the normal "death, famine, pestilence" etc, they have banners saying "Hope", "Justice", "Empathy" and "Just basically not being a dick"
Horseman 1 is saying to the two people "THe whole apocalypse thing got too depressing so we've reinvented ourselves as the Four Horsemen of Working Together to Get Us All Out of the Mess We're in"

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Shakespeare - succinctly describing the problem with trickle-down economics all the way back in the early 1600s (Coriolanus, Ii)... #Shakespeare #trickle-down #billionaires #Musk #Trump #SNAPbenefits

Picture shows text from the Folger edition of Coriolanus, Act One, Scene One. The First Citizen is speaking and the speech reads: "We are accounted poor citizens, the patricians good. What authority surfeits on would relieve us. If they would yield us but the superfluity
while it were wholesome, we might guess they relieved us humanely. But they think we are too dear. The leanness that afflicts us, the object of our misery, is as an inventory to particularize their abundance; our sufferance is a gain to them."

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

From Rose Garden to Olive Garden.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Photo from the production of A Midsummer Night's Dream I directed 3 years ago. It never used to be one of my favourites, but my god, I LOVED directing this... so if anyone ever needs a director for a queer feminist version of Dream, I have the adaptation done already and will make myself available!

Photo from a 2022 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed in the Prinz-Emil Garten in Darmstadt Germany, and directed by Sarah Blake. The photo is taken outside, in the garden, and in the foreground, Oberon is leaning against a tree trunk with their arms crossed, looking defiant. They have short fair hair and are wearing a bright pink armoured breast plate, black shorts, fishnet tights and heavy laced black boots, under a vintage paisley dressing gown. Their face is made up with a bright pink triangle, outlined in black, over their left eye, a pink smudge on their right cheek, a small blue moustache on their upper lip and small pointed beard on their chin. Behind Oberon, on the righthand side of the picture, we can see Bottom and Titania in a blurry woodland background. Bottom is standing with his arms raised to his chest. He has a giant donkey head with long ears, and is wearing an olive green waistcoat over a black t-shirt, with a pair of blue, yellow and red-patterned trousers. Titania crouches before him with her hands on his chest. She is wearing a black vest top with a rainbow-coloured net skirt over black leggings, and she also wears a crown of leaves and berries on her head.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Following on from yesterday’s post on this subject… a few more of my cocktail fairies…

Pictures of two of my invented cocktail fairies. On the left: The Fairy Wista, who is based on an 1847 illustration by J.J. Grandville, from his ‘Flowers Personified’ collection. Wista is a white female who is wearing a white gown decorated with green leaves and lilac flowers. She has a lilac petal headdress and is holding a large spray of green leaves in her hands. Behind her are more sprays of giant green leaves — and in front of her is a grassy bank on which there is a large ladybird, who is standing on its back legs and waving its front legs at Wista. To the right of the ladybird are two cocktail baubles, one yellow and one orange. Wista’s caption reads: “THE FAIRY WISTA. Avid leaf collector. All the leaves. Frequently sued by ladybirds for destruction of premises.” On the right: The Fairy Philippe, who is based on an illustration of a ‘Faune’ by Jean-Baptiste Martin, from ‘La fête de Bacchus, et dans le Ballet du Triomphe de Bacchus, de l'opéra de l'union de l'amour et des arts’, c.1770. Philippe is a white male who is wearing a short, pink, long-sleeved gown that is decorated on the lefthand side with gold embroidery and pink ribbons. Beneath his skirt, he’s wearing tight pink satin breeches, white silk stockings and white slippers. He has a gold-embroidered headdress decorated with pink and white ostrich feathers. Also sprouting from his head are a pair of black antennae and he has very large pink and black wings, which are reminscent of monarch butterfly wings. His left foot is stretched forward and his arms are stretched out to the sides, with his right hand raised and his left hand lowered. In his right hand, he holds a yellow cocktail bauble and in his left hand, a pink cocktail bauble. Reaching up from the ground, towards the pink cocktail bauble, is a giant pink caterpillar that has blue spots and thick black hairs. Philippe’s caption reads: “THE FAIRY PHILLIPE. Brother to the King. Knows all the good bars. Caterpillar bestie.”

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

A few months ago, I threw a party where I hid clear baubles containing various colourful cocktails around the garden, then invented an elaborate set of fairy characters to go with them. The guests all got very drunk, but no one seemed to notice the fairies - so I’m sharing (a few of) them here…

Pictures of two of my invented cocktail fairies. On the left: a picture of The Fairy Louis, which is based on a 1683 sketch by Jean Bérain of Louis the Fourteenth of France, dressed in costume for the opera, ‘Phaëton'. Louis is a white male wearing a pink and white costume with a short skirt and matching hat, plus pink boots with white ribbon laces. He is carrying a wand in one hand, which has a miniature sun radiating from its tip, while his other hand is pointing upwards, towards a yellow cocktail bauble that’s hanging from a giant yellow flower. There are other giant flowers (blue and red) and leaves growing up behind Louis, and in the bottom righthand corner of the picture, standing next to Louis, is a giant (and very ugly-looking) brown flour mite. Louis’ caption reads: “THE FAIRY LOUIS. King of the Fairies. Flashy wand. Everyone hates his pet mite.” On the right: a picture of The Fairy Titania, which is based on an 1847 illustration by J.J. Grandville, from his ‘Flowers Personified’ collection. Titania is a white female wearing a long white skirt, trimmed with green leaves, and a pink bodice, with matching pink sleeves and a pink hood. She is carrying a sceptre made from a green rose stem — from which is hanging a pink cocktail bauble — and on her head, she’s also wearing a pink rose bud, nestled in small green leaves, as a crown. She is seated and in front of her is a semi-circle of green beetles, who are all bowing to her. Her caption reads: “THE FAIRY TITANIA. Queen of the Fairies. Always regal. Just about had enough of your shit.”

A picture of one of my invented cocktail fairies — which, in this case, is based on an 1816 portrait by Richard Evans, of Henri-Christophe, King of Haiti. The picture shows The Fairy Cil, who is a black male wearing a pair of white satin breeches, yellow leather knee boots and a navy blue frock coat with two rows of brass buttons. He is also wearing yellow gloves, a star medal on his chest, and he’s carrying a black bicorne hat in one hand, while his other hand is in his pocket. He has grey hair, from which a pair of antennae are sprouting, and he also has huge and magnificent wings, which are yellow and navy blue, with a red spot on each wing (and are based on the wings of a swallowtail butterfly). He is standing in front of a giant dandelion plant, which features one yellow dandelion flower — with a yellow cocktail bauble hanging from it — and one dandelion clock. Below the dandelion plant, on the lefthand side of the picture, is a large green beetle. Cil’s caption reads: “THE FAIRY CIL. Succesful theatre impresario. Organizes annual fairy revels. Friend to beetles.”

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

A turf maze in my local park - technically a labyrinth, not a maze, but I've never heard one referred to as a 'turf labyrinth'. Why is that? Anyway, I walked it & felt calm - & although looking isn't the same as walking, I'm posting a pic in the hopes it sends calm vibes to all who need them today.

A picture of a park lawn that has a turf maze, or labyrinth, set into the green grass. The labyrinth has a single path that's demarcated by curving rows of bricks, set into the grass in a classic, seven-layer labyrinth design that's hard to describe, but sort of winds around and in on itself, in a pattern that reminds me a bit of a brain - but not, because it's more regular. Sorry, this is probably not a very helpful description. In the background, at the top edge of the picture, you can see the bottoms of the trees that surround the labyrinth, and the grass is dappled with sunlight, especially on the lefthand side of the picture, where the sun has shone down through the trees onto the turf.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

How cool is this?!! You, too, can get a personal thank you from New Yorker cartoonist @lizadonnelly.bsky.social if you support the Women Laughing project. #kickstarter #Newyorker #womenartists #womenlaughing #funkychicken

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

My beautiful neighbourhood ❤️

A picture of a purple and pink bicycle, which is propped up against an old brick wall that has green ivy growing all over it, and several red roses in full bloom.

The Toussaintkade canal, in The Hague, seen from the north end, at twilight. On either side of the canal, there are streets with cars parked along them, and on the lefthand side there are trees lining the street, while on the righthand side, there's a row of 18th century buildings, with smaller trees planted in front of them. There are also glowing street lamps that are reflected in the canal water. At the far end of the canal, in the centre of the picture, is the bell tower of the Grote Kerk church, which has an illuminated clock face. This is also reflected in the canal water.

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Beyond Shakespeare @handle.invalid · 01/07/2025

🚨Early Bird Discount Season tickets for our #WyrdRevels are now available for our £1+ patrons, and will be made available to free subscribers and those on the mailing list next week. General release to follow in August, but remember, there are only 49 tickets! www.patreon.com/posts/revels...

patreon.com

Revels Early Bird Tickets + Round Up/Bonus (June 2025) | Beyond Shakespeare

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

I would just like to point out that if the Kennedy Centre does get renamed to 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House', then the acronym FLMTOH sounds a lot like "phlegm-toe" when you pronounce it phonetically. Which is not much, but it's something. #Melania #KennedyCentre #Phlegm-toe

abcnews.go.com

Democrats say GOP 'snuck in' renaming Kennedy Center Opera House for Melania Trump

House Republicans have advanced a proposal to rename the Kennedy Center's Opera House, one of the center's major theaters, the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.”

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

Loot From The Rainbow - Arthur Ferrier, 1928.

Image shows a 1928 magazine illustration of a flapper-style women in a soft blue/grey negligee, with her arms spread out to either side of her. Draped over both of her outspread arms are long rainbow banners that hang down to the ground. Behind her, in a purple, cloudy sky, we see an 'empty' rainbow - a simple white curve - which tells us the woman has somehow stolen the colours from the rainbow and is now wearing them herself.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

@clairebeadman.bsky.social - thank you! ❤️ And welcome to BlueSky! 🌟

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Dear @metmuseum.org, please send this exhibition over to the V&A or Louvre, when you’re done with it… I really want to see it, but there’s no way I’m travelling to America while the ‘Monstrous (orange) Ugly’ is in charge… www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

theguardian.com

The Met reveals feminist take on porcelain that ‘has always elicited a strong reaction’

In a new exhibition, the ‘monstrous’ history of chinoiserie is used to discuss ideas of women and femininity

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Reposted by Sarah Blake

Beyond Shakespeare @handle.invalid · 08/04/2025

🚨What's this? A pop up festival of drama from the reign of Henry the Eighth? Six plays and a host of history, live on stage? But what six plays? Well, give us a mo, and we'll tell you! #drama #festival #suffolk #theatre #Tudor #Tudors audioboom.com/posts/870177...

Image with text, a portrait of Henry the Eighth wearing sunglasses. Bright green background.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Highlights from Louvre Couture, no. 11 - a silk wedding dress and matching hat by Yves Saint Laurent, S/S 1997. The style of the gown draws inspiration from the painting The Two Cousins by Watteau (1716). #Louvre #couture #fashion #YvesSaintLaurent #fashionhistory #weddingdress #Watteau #18thcentury

A full-length, long-sleeved gown of ivory silk, with a pattern of large golden roses and green leaves. The gown is seen from the side and the back of it has two large pleats at the neck, which fall down in an 18th century sackback style. The gown is seen on a mannequin that is also wearing a matching hat with a high brim. The room the mannequin is displayed in features wall panelling painted in royal blue, with gold baroque decorative details. Against the back wall, there is a black and gold lacquered commode, on which is sitting a black and gold porcelain urn and a pair of white china birds. Above the commode, on the wall, is a tall baroque gilded mirror, flanked by a pair of gilded wall candelabras. Reflected in the mirror, there is a tall fake window (this room being a smaller, alcove room within a larger gallery in the Louvre), which is dressed in long white curtains that feature a repeating floral design in navy blue. On the left of the room are two damask upholstered armchairs, one in sage green, and the other, which is in the foreground, in a shade of deep duck egg blue. In front of this chair, there's also a little wooden table with a marquetry inset pattern, curvy legs, and gilded baroque details - upon the surface of which there is sitting a glass display box, containing a porcelain tray and two tea cups. In the background on the right, there is another blue and white floral-patterned curtain hanging down to the floor - and in the foreground on the right, in front of the wedding dress, the corner of a gold silk damask-upholstered chair is also just visible.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Highlights from Louvre Couture, no. 11 - a trompe-l’oeil ensemble in seersucker by Thom Browne, painted to look like a three-piece suit. Although reminiscent of pannier dresses worn by women in the 18th century, this design was for Browne's Menswear collection, S/S 2020. #Louvre #couture #fashion

A long dress with wide, padded hips and long sleeves, made from seersucker that has been painted to create an imitation three-piece-suit effect, with a jacket, skirt and waistcoat. The jacket and skirt have been painted on in thin blue and white pinstripes, which are edged with a wider combination of stripes in red, white and navy blue. Pocket flaps, jacket lapels and buttons have also been painted onto the front of the imitation suit, while the fake waistcoat is painted cream and also edged in wide strips of red, white and navy. Although the neck of the dress is plain and round, a white shirt collar and blue tie have been painted onto it. The dress is mounted on a headless mannequin that stands on a white marble floor inset with a pattern of black marble diamond-shaped tiles. In the background, there are two 18th century armchairs with gilded frames and red damask upholstery, and a mantlepiece made of carved porphyry stone. On the top of the mantlepiece is a gilded ormolu clock and a pair of blue and white vases - and above the mantlepiece is a gilt-framed mirror, flanked by a pair of gilded wall candelabras. The walls in the background are panelled and painted yellow, and to the left of the dress, above the armchairs, there's a wall painting that shows an 18th century man and two women who are watching a stag be chased by a dog, set in a pastoral scene of trees, grass and birds.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Highlights from Louvre Couture, no. 10 - a silk ball gown decorated with blue and white metallic paint. The huge embroidered golden sun, bronze shoulder piece and bronze helmet all evoke the French Sun King, Louis XIV. Christian Dior, A/W 2006-7. #Louvre #couture #fashion #fashionhistory #LouisXIV

A blue and white silk ball gown with a corseted bodice, painted in a royal blue metallic finish, and a very full, ruched and ruffled blue and white skirt that has a long, ruched white train. The skirt also features a painted metallic finish, this time in different shades of blue that fade out to white, and there is a large golden sun embroidered on the front of the skirt. The corseted top is strapless, but has one bronze armour piece on the right shoulder. The gown is displayed on a mannequin that is wearing a bronze helmet on its head, finished with brown ostrich feather plumes. The mannequin stands on a mirrored floor at the centre of a large room with red-painted walls, a highly-decorated ceiling and tapestries on the walls.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Highlights from Louvre Couture, no. 9 - lavishly-embroidered structured corset and skirt ensemble by Vivienne Westwood, A/W 2012-3 - inspired by the sumptuous decorative arts of the Louis XV era. #couture #Louvre #VivienneWestwood #18thcentury #fashion #fashionhistory #museums #Westwood #corset

A pale blue skirt and corset ensemble, richly embroidered with gold thread and beading, in a pattern of flowers and baroque-inspired decorative swags. The corse top has short sleeves and a front hook-and-eye fastening. Displayed on a headless mannequin in an 18th century-inspired room set in the Louvre, against the background of a marble fireplace, a single candelabra mounted on the wall above the fireplace, a gilt-framed firescreen in front of it, and tapestries on the wall behind.

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Sarah Blake @sarahblake.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Highlights from Louvre Couture, no. 8 — handbag by Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, S/S 2022, combining the surreal influence of Elsa Schiaparelli with baroque-inspired decoration. To me, it looks like something out of Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête. #couture #Louvre #Schiaparelli #baroque #fashion

A gold bag with a single, curved handle, a front flap and a gold clasp. Mounted on the front flap, there are a pair of resin eyes set into gilded brass baroque-style mounts, with one blue eye and one brown. The bag also also stands on four gilded brass legs. It is displayed on a rectangular mirrored stand, which is on top of an inlaid marquetry wooden table. Behind the bag is a backdrop of a tapestry curtain and an antique (1760s) mechanical table, made of wood, that features gilded brass baroque corner decorations and handles, as well as a glazed display cabinet.

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