ASMR at the museum | Conserving an Adzido Pan African Dance Costume | V&A

// Listen with headphones for best experience //
Note: This is a longer video intended as a relaxation/study aid, which also gives a realistic insight into the painstaking conservation process.
Join Senior Textile Conservator Susana Fajardo as she works on a pair of raffia leg wraps - part of a costume worn by a dancer from the Adzido Pan African Dance Company. They would have been worn for the Adzogbo dance which originates from Benin, West Africa, and was used as the finale of their 1999 - 2001 show ‘Sankofa’.
Sound designer and performance-maker Julie Rose Bower has documented Susana’s steps using ambisonic sound, letting us get closer to the object than ever before.
Watch as Susana tidies up the strands of brightly coloured raffia. Separating the front and back sections, she gently untangles knots and lays the strands straight so that the costume is ready to display on a mannequin.
Conservation process:
Susana explaining the process: 00:14
Atmosphere of Textile Conservation studio, sounds of spatula and raffia: 01:22
End of stage one of separating the front and back raffias to expose knots: 07:08
No talking, only sounds as Susana works on the costume: 07:41
Find out more about the costume: collections.va...
See our Theatre and Performance collection: www.vam.ac.uk/...

[@brentonjoseph]

Finally they have blessed us with a long asmr video 🥰

[@msaditu]

So tingly! Loved it.

[@samanthakells]

@@atmakali9599 hot take boomer

[@ashsara9233]

It’s lovely 😊 but would be nice with more of her voice 🙏🏼😉

[@Flameysaur]

ikr? i hope they continue this trend

[@kingjml1]

Haha!! I just thought the exact same seeing the time! Lol 👌

[@murklins]

My dilemma is wanting to fall asleep but at the same time wanting to watch the entire video 😆

[@catbriggs8362]

Yup. 😁😁😁

[@sharonzotoff3975]

I've been listening to this as I sit and do some hand sewing. The gentle sounds have helped me focus on my stitches and I've felt like I'm in the workshop with her quietly working away 🙂

[@GiraffeLoverJen]

Same! I'm doing some hand sewing while listening to this. It's so calming and meditative.

[@pawshands9706]

It is so rare to see a person so happily immersed in such delicate works. This woman lives her specialty.

[@relaxbean9907]

I know asmr is probably niche but please keep making these 🥺 the few of us really appreciate it

[@Daniellehaunani]

I wish they’d do more videos with her 😩 she’s know knowledgeable and thorough and excellent at asmr

[@cherrypipari]

I love to watch this type of videos, Susana's voice is just perfection 💖

[@aharmonym24]

the camera work is always so stunning on these

[@lizardgutz9282]

Omg I watch these every night before bed thank you V &A!!!

[@princesslisamarie7860]

I love watching videos with this woman in it! I love how this was longer! Thank you!

[@Maryeet]

The patience and delicate hand she has is amazing.

[@vianerdss]

Omg they heard our call for longer videos :) ❤️

[@kristi.s9922]

This is the poshest way to get the knots out of anything. But how these hands and and this brain works, just amazing. Not sleep oriented, i got too excited while watching it.

[@annikanilsson6152]

Warmest thanks for posting these videos, V&A!!

[@dakotamarosi3470]

I live for these videos!! so glad this one is longer :))

[@ccaatthheerriinnee]

I wonder if she’ll steam the really bent pieces? Nice video 😊 reminds me of Baumgartner videos

[@aeong_bread]

beautiful piece, thank you for conserving it well. the asmr is so nice, susana is a staple of this channel now!

[@dianawhitcomb6132]

thanks for the long video besties

[@shereegrimes893]

Love the sound in this video, makes me relaxed and sleepy...🥰

[@gemmasalmon9667]

What I will now imagine when someone uses the phrase “needle in a haystack”.

[@juliettej293]

Thank you so much for a longer video!! Please do more of these! :)

[@vidihikakhanna]

i really loved this video! the length is great and I also liked how it was less talking and more the actual work! So nice !

[@zensasmr]

This is amazing. Hope you make more of these types of videos 👍

[@mariellouise1]

Reminds me of the fairytale Rapunzel and the woebegone princess spinning straw into gold! ✨🌟✨

[@kaiplue]

You mean Rumplestilskin

[@ashsara9233]

😂😂😂 that’s exactly what I thought

[@korean_foot_traveler8655]

It feels comforting.😀😪😪

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Interesting and worthwhile video.

[@ravenlovely]

I️ just came here for a good nap. 🥰🥰

[@audreyh6628]

Yes, more longer videos please! Also just for me personally the sound of the scraping of the spatula on the table is very intense and interrupts the relaxation quality of the video. Silicone, paper or fabric underneath the working area would be wonderful

[@mackenziemclean6731]

i am so happy oh my gosh. thank you!

[@paillette2010]

Next we need a video of her talking about...anything!

[@catherinejustcatherine1778]

Wonderful. Thank you

[@jgraves3114]

These videos are so good!

[@Silverity]

This is such a cool series!

[@zgurl94]

I love these videos!

[@julie5310]

All the V & A curators have great voices! I wonder if that is a job requirement (lol!)....

[@ClockworkASMR]

Loved this one!

[@alsasmr]

I love these videos! Please don’t stop hahaha

[@suesanasmr]

24 mins???? YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[@kathernharless6122]

When will the costume be on display?

[@minkaf4243]

Is the raffia dyed before or after it’s braided?

[@rebeccablacksfriday7582]

I like how well you guys try to preserve your items as best you can for display. Im not sure if display is the right word lol

[@p0stry]

AMAZING!

[@janetrally557]

When she gets done it looks exactly the same😃

[@summermire2743]

✨chef’s kiss ✨

[@BusinessOwl]

Wouldn't it be better to start at the bottom and work your way to the top like when brushing hair?

[@parryyotter]

Bruh she is a professional

[@Nickitopolis]

I have such an urge to pull a hairbrush through that

[@andreeadoria3637]

So the dance costume is made of...?

[@ashsara9233]

Rafia

[@RiichanTV103]

let's face it Susana. you have fans. lol

[@toastedrebi]

This is amazing🥰🥰

[@SledDog5678]

START AT THE BOTTOM ! It's like trying to smooth tangled hair; start at the bottom- less damaging!!!

[@therealdonnawagner]

My thoughts exactly! LOL

[@origprod2]

Can we see it after she finished?

[@RenewedSentiments]

I want someone to treat me as gently as this woman treats this garment

[@danielcassim2011]

😍

[@Fortheloveofagypsy]

Please do more ASMR 🙏

[@vladnickul]

securing then with some strigs (interlace) is not a option?

[@Liliandechanee]

Was this donated? Bc if not this just serves as a constant reminder that the crown has stolen cultural artifacts from different countries.

[@coco_sloth]

Maybe use some common sence (whats left of your lefty brain cells) and read the video description!

[@Ssiscaf]

Chill

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

That's all well and good they're attempting to conserve this garment. It's not a costume, BTW... That's not how we would untangle the strands of raffia. Why don't WP ask the Afrikan people/cultures the artifacts come from who know how to detangle/handle them???

[@coco_sloth]

The word costume does not mean fancy dress or Halloween costumes, In British English it means a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period.

[@bloodorange6713]

Black people sure do love being offended

[@bloodorange6713]

Looks like a child’s school dance costume

[@AnalauraOrrego]

Arruina el video el ruido de fondo que parece ser una máquina de algo...

[@Kajal_J]

Lovely. Wish her voice was a bit more lower and softer throughout. Thank you, keep up!

[@svizerana]

Beautiful sounds! But while I enjoy the close-up shots, I'd prefer a little more steady camera.

[@FS-mc3cs]

Really????? 😞

[@aserodriguez1425]

No final look 👎

[@charleschase1300]

Rastafari!

[@lalafunnys]

haha so fun....now repatriate it 😐

[@StepsKat]

Further to what @S Last Name has said, the company donated the costumes to the V&A. I helped sort through them a few years ago, figuring out which costumes were from which shows/dances when I was interning in the Theatre and Performance department.

[@parryyotter]

@@GW42329 your attempt at dismissal undermines the real issue that European museums house a lot of stolen history from African countries. This may not be one of those items, but the issue remains nonetheless. Your attempt at being flip merely shows your lack of regard or respect for autonomy of African nations in displaying their own history, and your ignorance regarding the paternalism that led to much of their history being taken from them.

[@bluezeffer417]

@@parryyotter Excuse me, we honestly don't know how this museum acquired this piece of historical garb and to deprive the UK citizens of color on the basis of your assumption is as offensive as attacking children of Africans who immigrated to the UK. But hey I'm just a dumb half Mexican indigenous half Sephardi Jew kid by your "Karen Standards".

[@bloodorange6713]

@@parryyotterCry more liberal

[@IDontKnow-pf6en]

maybe give it back to the tribe you stole it from....

[@evsalt33gummy]

It's from a performance done by the Adzido Pan African dance company, after a quick google I found they specialize in traditional African dance. They formed the company in 1984, oh and they're from the UK

[@coco_sloth]

Read the discription you m0ng!

[@dalhousiekid]

Not very ASMR - too little talking.

[@stayforthepeelpronpls4774]

Not all asmr is talking heavy

[@parryyotter]

ASMR is the bodily response. Triggers vary widely. Talking does not need to be present, as it is only one of them.