October 30, 2020 - 11:15 AM to 12:05 PM
Virtual - Zoom
In the spirit of Halloween, the UNC Charlotte Department of Art & Art History is pleased to present artist, designer, and Director of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, Simon Costin.
Simon Coston studied Theatre Design and History of Art at Wimbledon School of Art. Since leaving college in the mid 80's, Simon has worked internationally as an art director and curator. He is known for the conceptually ambitious nature of his designs and collaborated extensively with Alexander McQueen both on McQueen's own line and Givenchy ready-to-wear and haute couture shows.
His client list includes Hermès, Lanvin, Kim Jones, Maison Martin Margiela, Gareth Pugh and Charles Jeffrey, and Molly Goddard. He has been a long-term collaborator with the photographer Tim Walker as well as having worked with Nick Knight, Steven Klein, Emma Summerton, Liz Collins, and Sølve Sundsbø.
Costin's artwork has been displayed in many exhibitions at venues as diverse as a forest in Argyll, the ICA in London and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. His lifelong passion for folklore has resulted in the launch of the Museum of British Folklore, which aims to establish the United Kingdom's first-ever center devoted to celebrating and researching the UK's rich folkloric cultural heritage. He has curated and designed a broad range of exhibitions for the museum at venues across the UK.
In 2015 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of the Arts London for his outstanding contribution to the creative industries.
In 2017 at midnight on October 31st, Simon became the new custodian of The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall.
Left: Simon Costin in the library of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic (MWM) in Boscastle, Cornwall. Photo by Crista Leonard; Middle: Mari Lwyd from the 2017 MWM's All Hallow’s Eve Dark Happening. Photo by John Isaac; Right: Design work by Simon Costin for Zara Home with photographer Tim Walker.