ASMR at the museum | Humidifying a ballet tutu | V&A

// Listen with headphones for best experience //
Follow Senior Textile Conservator Susana Fajardo as she humidifies a tutu worn by Belinda Wright in the ballet 'Harlequinade' Pas de Deux.
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 carefully places acid-free tissue paper between the layers of the garment, and steams it to relax the folds in the tulle which have developed as a result of being in storage.
Steaming process: 00:19
Inserting acid-free tissue paper: 00:35
Layered triggers, four screens of simultaneous steaming: 03:38
Read more about the tutu in Explore the Collections: collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1...
Find out more in our Theatre and Performance collection: www.vam.ac.uk/collections/the...

[@randomperson9702]

For the people in the comments saying (to a professional) that she's doing it wrong bc the steam isn't touching the tutu, READ THE TITLE!!! It says HUMIDIFYING, not STEAMING!!!

[@Sarahswims82]

Honestly the museums asmr is the best thing ever ! The best one was the clown costume and the sequin beads dress! The audio and soft speaking was just out of this world! The best asmr video ever ! Please do more like that !

[@lozw2645]

Watched that clown video so many times as a way of relaxing!

[@blammela]

Yes! That’s dress and costume clean was amazing. These women are brilliant

[@infallibleblue]

I appreciate those who preserve these pieces of history as those who have made them. Simply amazing.

[@infallibleblue]

@@atmakali9599 I guess so.

[@Anyox17]

Not sure how it’s possible but seemingly EVERY conservator at the V&A is an asmr god. Love this content, thank you! 💙🙏🏼

[@littlesparrowwitch]

Which makes it all the more disgusting that so many have just been made redundant!

[@mawmawd627]

The bubbling of the steam, the crinkle of the paper, her lovely accent. Love it!😘 #asmr

[@purplemylolipop]

Y’all are getting so good at the intentional, unintentional ASMR. The layered steamer sound and quad screen. In love!

[@modtomodern]

My mother used to stiffen my tutu's by ironing using wax paper with brown paper on top of of both sides of the wax paper. Of course the wax would melt and stiffen the tulle after cooling. The tutu would keep its shape.

[@Bleeding_Art]

oh to be a museum worthy dress handled by such delicate and caring hands 😔

[@Lenayification]

She’s fantastic, I wish they were longer. It’s a bit too short. 30+ ish minutes would be great, however I do appreciate this!

[@morgan5794]

That tutu wouldn’t even fit over one of my thighs, let alone both 😳 So beautiful and delicate though!

[@lgannawa]

I could listen to this all day, everyday. It relaxes me all while teaching me fantastic conservation and cleaning tips. My OCD is in HEAVEN!

[@Emma-nb5vo]

Yessss. So glad the museum is uploading more of these videos. Would love to see something longer too!

[@zedecatz]

Constant tinnitus makes sleep so hard but your ASMR videos are such a help! Thank you so much!

[@KelBel10]

I have tinnitus too. It sucks hard. Thank goodness we have modern technology to help mask it! Can't imagine how people dealt with it before white noise videos/ASMR/electricity for fans.

[@xxkissmeketutxx]

Can we talk about how tiny the ballet dancer's waist was? 👁👄👁 🧚‍♀️

[@Travis-li2mz]

I’m thinking it was from a child or younger dancer

[@justkelly2]

@@Travis-li2mz She was in her early 20s.

[@JVanProduction]

Exactly!! I wanted to know the measurements

[@COSTUMECREATIONS1]

Belinda Wright was extremely tiny - I saw her in class in the 60s.

[@xxkissmeketutxx]

@@COSTUMECREATIONS1 You have worked with a woman whose tutu is preserved in a museum?? Oh my goodness, the stories you could share...Congratulations to your blessings 😀💃💕

[@littlewingedzebra]

this series restores my faith in humanity. ;-)

[@Kajal_J]

So glad it was uploaded just when I was about to hit the hay. I love it. Informative with relaxation is amazing. I wish they came more frequently. Great work. Thank you! ❤

[@jstan626]

this museum asmr series is such a cool idea! im loving all of them

[@stayforthepeelpronpls4774]

Please never stop making these videos. I watch the Charlie Chaplin and Henry Irving every night.

[@londonhodnet4079]

Love textiles, more clothes please

[@iridescentchick3133]

Ever the night owl and always looking for ways to fall asleep, these videos have become my “go to” for falling asleep. Thank you V&A and your conservators for sharing ASMR videos of this fascinating work. This is my absolute favorite, but I love them all. ❤️

[@askmitch]

Please, more of this. I love the mixture of museum pieces and ASMR sounds. 👍👍

[@usserinprise]

I wish these videos were an hour long 😭

[@princesslisamarie7860]

These are so delicious! Thank you so much, please make them longer!

[@darlingicarus]

thank you so much for these videos! they're so relaxing and also very informative about the process of conservation!

[@anngranger7369]

I am LOVING these videos.

[@Asuka_Sora]

Please, do longer videos 🙏 I would love to sleep to the paper and steam sounds 💞

[@lozw2645]

I could watch this woman for hours

[@suesanasmr]

YASSSSSS NEW ASMR VIDEO!!!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

[@strayfreckles]

the bubbling sound, thE CRINKLES! this is heavenly, thanks a lot ❤️ wish these were longer~ 😭

[@vanessarayfox]

These are the BEST!!!

[@marsbeads]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@niellahell]

really good sounds!!

[@asiamartello3774]

I LOVE THIS VIDEO SERIES

[@IOnlyFlyBlueAndWhite]

This woman is a national treasure 🙏🙏

[@DeboraCristina-ej2xg]

I need more of theseeeee

[@mackenziemclean6731]

yes yes yes yes.. i have been waiting for this and i LOVE this woman’s voice.

[@serenac.r.3904]

this video should have been at least an hour long 😍

[@Yuyu99000]

We need longer videos 🖤🖤

[@Marina.Kudrevskaya]

I love it!

[@isabela1960]

these are my favorite

[@joaquinribeiro2941]

Amazing !!! Thanks .

[@peachradvan5807]

Her voice calms me better than the snuggliest hug

[@ppparis1210]

Amazing 🥰

[@SilverDawnArrow]

Is the frayed edge a feature of the design or a consequence of the object's age?

[@cry1991]

To me it looks like part of the garnment since all the edges are like this

[@pheart2381]

Probably a combination of age and being danced in. Nylon doesnt fray but I think this might be an earlier fabric.

[@mizjaynec]

It’s most likely stiff cotton or silk tulle, which you can create this sort of edge finish on. It’s very hard to come by this tulle now & very expensive. I found some vintage silk tulle to use for a range of bridal headpieces a few years back.

[@nenee009]

dream job tbh

[@cohorrescentcorporea]

I'd totally watch a livestream of clothes conservation ;u;

[@emilinebelle7811]

Oh, this is good.

[@Nono-hk3is]

A good result.

[@EdwinAr]

Agua hirviendo, papel sonando. Lo máximo.

[@sherryshelton199]

This is gonna take a minute!

[@klaziks5048]

This is done so the tutu won't break? Bc I've seen some fabrics when they're not properly treated which look like a thin foam paper somehow, and if you bend it it will just break apart easily. Is this the case?

[@michellephillips8035]

It would have been nice to see the finished tutu on the mannequin! 😐

[@janefitzgibbon4312]

Well that was a bummer. Would like to have seen how it looked when finished.

[@policeofficercat1486]

Kool

[@princesslisamarie7860]

Ive watch this 100 times and it’s so funny because the steam looks like it’s going straight up and not even getting anywhere near the tutu.

[@kimberlymartin5369]

I wanted to see it on the mannequin. Darn.

[@teslaandhumanity7383]

Smooth of creases while creating frizzy hair . Tumble drier low setting 1 min sorted .

[@bookywooky2259]

Not with old stuff...

[@harpodjangorose9696]

Just don’t put it in with a red T-shirt.

[@midnightsmichael]

:)

[@Jiorjiina]

Just a warning, the four way split screen at 3.40 sent my auditory processing haywire!

[@winechan4161]

We need a quieter voice for asmr but everything else is amazing

[@lualncol]

I am very interested in restoration and I love the V&A videos but this was like watching paint dry.

[@amfla3787]

me: nope still can't stand ASMR you : then why are you here? me: just making sure (didn't dislike, y'all)

[@FLyogadance]

Cool 😍but too loud specking

[@cammerations]

She needs to speak softer please 🙏💖and do more 😂

[@bookywooky2259]

She speaks just fine.

[@mawmawd627]

I thought she was ok but softer would be ok too.

[@prgslovesmj]

I know she’s the pro here but gosh the steam doesn’t even touch the garments!

[@g1ng3rsn4ps]

It does very gently. Part of it is that there's vapors so small we cannot even see them, but also that the air around the steam becomes more humid as well; she doesn't want to expose the textile to direct moisture. She's more in essence creating a humid environment for the garment to relax in than applying steam directly, like climate control.

[@paulwright9749]

She should just stick it in the washer - it would be perf with surf.

[@pheart2381]

You cant wash tutus,they shrink! Or it might just dissolve to bits due to age.

[@rachelstone632]

All I can see is the steam going up, up and away from the tulle. A more intelligent approach would be to steam from the bottom. Is this really the best the V&A can do???

[@cry1991]

I'm quite sure they know what to do and what's the best for that fragile garnment...

[@cry1991]

Also, it's more about humidity than direct steam

[@stardresser1]

I am a professional, and I almost always steam from underneath the fabric...much better results, zero damage. (So far...in 30 years of working with costumes).

[@Lara-vo6rp]

seems like your reading/writing comprehension has failed you, the title says humidifying not steaming...

[@markgoddard2560]

It’s a little like homeopathy....the belief that not even touching something with a remedy will make a cure. That steam was nowhere near that fabric. A conservator would surely be aware that steam rises? It the tutu was suspended over the steam and then dried with a current of dry air, the job would have been done. All that handling and making the atmosphere wet would have had a severe impact on other precious items in the vicinity. I doubt if Belinda Wright would have wanted her tutu steamed anyway.

[@stayforthepeelpronpls4774]

If you’re such an expert you go and work in her field. Also she would have had her tutu steamed all the time because it had to look it’s best on stage

[@markgoddard2560]

@@stayforthepeelpronpls4774 . It is not possible to maintain an artificial material such as this tutu by steam, even if it were touching it. It would only serve to make the material all the more ridged and inflexible.

[@lunchbagrodriguez9740]

Not asmr she not whispering

[@strayfreckles]

asmr can be any sound that you find relaxing / or makes you feel asmr. It doesn't necessarily have to be whispering. For some people, soft talking does the deal ❤️

[@danielperez5388]

I love these videos so much! The asmr is good, and it’s educational and so interesting. Thank you so much !!