Remember Biba?

And how it's associated with the one thing about ageing people are not quite so keen on exploring...

Hi there

Excitedly, I told my friend that my husband and I were going down to Edinburgh on the train last Monday, to visit the Biba exhibition.

“Who’s Biba?” she said.

Gulp.

Here was our age difference, starkly highlighted, not something that normally occurs to either of us; but the fact is, I am 18 years older than her and she’s never heard of Biba.

I caught my husband’s eye, both of us giggling as we started to explain, not making a very good job of it.

(Just in case you don’t know, Biba was a fashion and lifestyle brand created by Barbara Hulanicki in the Sixties. It had arguably as much impact in the world of fashion as The Beatles had in the world of music).

But back to age, and one of the aspects of it that many simply shy away from, if not put their heads in the sand about .

It’s highlighted in this Biba story because of what happened at the exhibition. Held at the Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh (a world-renowned tapestry studio and vibrant centre for contemporary art, craft, and design), I was somewhat disappointed to see that the Viewing Balcony where we could see weavers at work was closed. The stairs up still looked tempting though, especially when our eye was caught by a sculpture.

The building in which the Dovecot Studios has it’s home was once a Victorian Bathhouse, and this is a core sample of the concrete used.

Walking up the forbidden stairs, we paused in front of it, imagining how lovely it would look in our garden (not that it was for sale). Turning around, we saw an extraordinary piece of weaving curling up the stairwell:

This installation is titled Stairwell Weave-In and was created in 2010 in collaboration with Nick Duxbury for the exhibition Taking time: Craft and the Slow Revolution. Nothing to do with Biba but fascinating nonetheless.

As we were admiring this, a man came towards us, letting us know the balcony area was out of bounds. Nodding our heads that we knew this, he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

“Wait a minute – are you something to do with Before I Go?” popped out of his mouth.

And my mouth dropped open in response.

“Yes, I wrote the book of that title”, I replied, with a look of surprise.

“I thought so! I’ve a great memory for faces and I recognised you! That was a wonderful book, your work in that area is so important” – and off he went, effusing about how crucial end of life planning is, how he used to work in the Moray Arts Centre near where I live, and had regularly come across what I’ve been up to in this last decade or so.

I, meanwhile, was still dealing with being flabbergasted.

What an extraordinary turn of events, to get us to bump into each other! How lovely to have my end of life planning work so appreciated (it’s not everyone who can see how important this kind of thing is; I’m more used to people turning their backs when they hear what I’m up to in this field).

We left and went downstairs into the main Biba exhibition, which was wonderful.

Several of the outfits; Ian standing next to one like his late wife had worn (see pic below)

I never had any Biba clothes; during that era I was a young teenager, obsessed more with ponies than fashion, insistent that I was going to wear knee length white socks forever and never go near a pair of tights. Living in Belfast then, we were another lifetime away from London and the hot fashion scene.

That time had an impact on me though, and my husband’s first wife had had a Biba dress, so we were keen to explore more.

Linda, Ian’s late wife with the Biba dress she had sent for via mail order

Admiring this dress, a tap on my shoulder brought me face to face with the young man from upstairs again.

“Here”, he said, and handed me his business card, “please stay in touch, there’s lots more discussions we can have, I’m sure”.

I was touched, all over again.

Who knows what might come of this connection? If it’s just talking shop about death with someone, that’s fine by me. If it’s something more, that’s fine too. Watch this space!

This story leads me into letting you know that after a break, I am working again privately with a couple of people who want to get their end of life plans done (but by themselves are just not getting around to it).

Yes, I know.

This is not part of ageing that many want to admit to, especially with the emphasis so often in the Western culture on how to postpone ageing (and therefore death) for as long as possible, whether by manufactured products or sensible life-advice.

But I’ve been working in this field for over a decade now, I keep being asked about it, and as I’ve never been afraid to talk about death, it often comes up in conversations with me.

And here it is again!

These people have hired me to be their (well-informed) companion along the way. As I’m also known for being able to help people take action, it’s a good combination. (If you’re someone who could do with some support in this area, then let me know, or take a peek here for more info).

In the meantime, ask your children and younger friends if they’ve heard of Biba. And if you have any Biba outfits or items, let me know in the comments. Add your pics, I’d love to see them!

Love

PS My Conscious Ageing Circle is being opened up again in August, look out soon for more info if you’re interested in joining us in monthly live, online, conscious conversations, with laughter, insight, (and droll wit occasionally), all on the subject of getting older…