Stories
Six Ways Work Is Worn
Ken Sakata traces two centuries of workwear through the Powerhouse Collection
Ken Sakata
Australian clothing designer and commentator, Ken Sakata, joins Powerhouse curators to explore the cultural and historical significance of key objects from the Powerhouse Collection.
From a Shōwa-period Japanese fireman’s uniform to a 150-year-old convict jacket and Burberry expedition trousers, the series highlights just a few examples from a collection of over half a million nationally and internationally significant objects.
‘Powerhouse Castle Hill is the collection store. It houses more than 40,000 textile objects preserved for public access and study, including by visiting researchers such as Ken.’
It was punishable by death to break this weaving machine
Object No. 91/135-1/1
A new type of machine in the 1800s made beautiful patterns affordable. Ken Sakata dives into how Joseph Marie Jacquard completely changes the economics and manufacturing of woven fabrics, making a slow, expensive and labour-intensive process into a rapid, accessible one.
