FINAL PRESS RELEASE - SPICEWORLD: THE EXHIBITION (29/06/2011)

Record-breaking Spiceworld exhibition coming to a close
The world record-breaking exhibition devoted to the Spice Girls on display at Leeds City Museum comes to a close this weekend. The collection of memorabilia and merchandise from collector Liz West devoted to the most successful girl band of all time finishes this Sunday (3 July) having been seen by almost 50,000 people since it opened in January.

The exhibition also played its part in setting a new Guinness World Record as the collection of 2,066 items related to the band on display has been officially recognised as the biggest number of Spice Girls items in a collection together anywhere in the world. The special free exhibition at the Leeds City Council-managed museum off Millennium Square shows off a range of outfits worn by the group as well as accessories, platinum discs, books, magazines and dolls sourced from all over the world.
Spice Girls memorabilia collector Liz West said:
“It has been absolutely fantastic to have my collection on display in Leeds City Museum and there are still a few days left to see it if anyone has been meaning to but has not come along yet. The great reaction from everyone who has seen it has made me really proud and the icing on the cake was securing the Guinness World Record.”

The exhibition is the first time Liz’s collection has ever been on display in its entirety in public. Among the items on show are the iconic Union Jack boots worn by Geri Halliwell in the group’s first-ever live concert in Istanbul, Emma Bunton’s blue sequin dress from the band’s memorable performance at the 1997 Brit Awards (where Geri made her show-stealing appearance in the Union Jack dress) and Leeds’-own Mel B’s trademark giraffe print catsuit complete with ‘Mel B’ crystal-studded belt. Other items include outfits worn by Emma, Geri and Mel B on their ‘Spiceworld’ tour, a gold and diamond-studded Chopard watch worn by Victoria, the director’s script from ‘Spiceworld: The Movie’ and the multi-platinum CD the band were awarded for selling over four million copies of the album ‘Spice’ in America in 1997.

Leeds City Museum curator of exhibitions Helen Langwick said:
“The Spiceworld exhibition has proved really popular and we are especially proud to have played our part in a making a little bit of history with the Guinness World Record for Liz which is well deserved for her amazing collection.”

Running until Sunday 3 July, ‘Spiceworld: The exhibition’ is free to enter and celebrates the success of the Spice Girls as well as examining what it takes to be a modern celebrity.

For further information on Leeds City Museum, visit the website at http://www.leeds.gov.uk/citymuseum/
Notes to editors:
The Spice Girls are Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham (née Adams) who quickly became known by the nicknames Scary, Baby, Sporty, Ginger and Posh.
Following the impact of debut single ‘Wannabe’ which topped the charts in 31 countries in 1996, the Spice Girls enjoyed phenomenal success selling over 80 million records worldwide, having nine UK number one singles, starring in their own feature film and creating the ‘girl power’ mantra which is credited with inspiring a generation of girls and women to achieve.
ENDS

For media enquiries please contact:
Roger Boyde,
Leisure media relations officer,
Tel 0113 247 5472
Email: roger.boyde@leeds.gov.uk

METRO Article (May 2011)

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Cast your mind back to the days of girl power with Spiceworld The Exhibition at Leeds City Museum until Sunday 3 July.
Plan your journey so you have time to take in everything on offer in this exhibition.

Whether you loved them or hated them, the Spice Girls were undoubtedly the most famous girl group in the world in the 1990s.

The girls may now have all gone their separate ways, but Spiceworld will bring them back together in an interactive exhibition celebrating the impact they had on the world.

Much of it has been put together with the help of local super-fan Liz West and her extensive collection of memorabilia.

The exhibition explores the group and how it was marketed, as well as looking into the BritPop culture of the time, from manufactured bands to the media furore surrounding the groups.

Items on show in the exhibition include the iconic Union Jack boots worn by Geri Halliwell in Spiceworld: The Movie and Mel B's trademark giraffe print catsuit.

If you ever sang along to Wannabe, or sang Two Become One, then this exhibition will be unmissable.

For tickets and more information visit Dig Yorkshire.

You can use Metro's Journey Planner to find out how to get to Leeds by public transport.

THE QUEER SPHERE Review (12/06/2011)

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Spiceworld The Exhibition at Leeds City Museum & Interview With The Creator, Liz West

A pop culture phenomenon and worldwide sensation, The Spice Girls now even have their own exhibition at the Leeds City Museum. Brought to us by Spice Girls super-fan and graduate of Glasgow School of Art Elizabeth West, the exhibition charts the rise and success of the fantastic fivesome through an impressive collection of memorabilia amassed over the years.

Ranging from Geri’s iconic union jack boots (right) to magazine covers from our friends over at Attitude Magazine the collection is truly impressive – though tragically missing Geri’s famous Union Jack dress (which sold for over £40,000 at a charity auction).

However, what really makes Spiceworld worth a visit are the interactive features such as speakers you pull a cord to make play your favourite track and a stage with a karaoke machine and costumes to dress up in if listening just isn’t enough for you.

Running 28th January – 3rd July there’s a only a few weeks left to go and visit Spiceworld The Exhibition, we heartily recommend a trip to this alternative collection for a slice of pop culture nostalgia and an insight into the still biggest selling female group of all time.

At TQS we were lucky enough to catch up with exhibition creator Liz West to ask her a few questions about her collection:

When did you first start collecting Spice Girls memorabilia?
I didn’t start collecting their merchandise immediately. It wasn’t until the release of their second album in 1997 that I started buying all the different versions of the singles.

Do you have the world’s largest collection?
Yes, I have the official Guinness World Record for the Largest Spice Girls Collection in the world.

How many pieces are in the collection?
Just over 4,000 individual items (spice girls and solo spice memorabilia).

What’s the most you paid for any one item?
Around £2,500 for a Geri worn dress.

Do you have a favourite piece?
Any of the 65 items of clothing or stage wear owned by the girls that i have are pretty special to me. I couldn’t decide between them.

How did the exhibition come about?
After graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in 2007 I had no money and couldn’t get a job, so decided to write to museums all around the UK proposing an exhibition of my collection which I would curate. Leeds City Museum took up my offer in 2009 after delivering the idea to the exhibitions panel. I had had two exhibitions previous to the Leeds show. One at Cusworth Hall, Doncaster and one at Clifton Park Museum both in 2008.