The installation features a series of specially designed flags that bridge the worlds of high fashion, theatrical history and the museum’s own radical origin.

Meg Fletcher’s practice is rooted in the art of character creation. While her work sits firmly in the realm of fashion rather than costume, Fletcher explores the transformative power of clothing and examines the idea that we dress to manifest different versions of ourselves.

Titled Character Studies – 3 Acts, Fletcher’s installation features three specially designed flags displayed on the museum’s terrace from 1 March 2026. These flags creatively link the rebellious spirit and visual legacy of Dame Vivienne Westwood (1941–2022) with the pioneering vision of The Bowes Museum’s founder, Joséphine Bowes (1825–1874).

Each flag reimagines Joséphine Bowes as a contemporary figure, blending elements from her iconic pink-dress portrait (c.1858, attributed to Louis William Desanges) with silhouettes and motifs drawn from Westwood’s groundbreaking fashion archives and the museum’s historic collections:

Rebel: Inspired by Westwood’s Pirates Collection (1981), this flag combines striking silhouettes with decorative influences from 16th and 18th-century porcelain vases housed at The Bowes Museum.

Storyteller: Drawing on Westwood’s Mini-Crini (1986) and Harris Tweed (1987/88) collections, this flag reinterprets Bowes’s portrait details through a lens of historic and textile references.

Visionary: Referencing Westwood’s Anglomania (1993/94) collection—famously worn by Kate Moss – this flag incorporates classical art from the museum’s collection, including The Birth of Venus by Pierre-Jacques Cazes.

You can experience Character Studies – 3 Acts from 1 March 2026 on The Bowes Museum terrace, where fashion, history and art converge in a vibrant celebration of creativity and identity.