One Harrison Scholar took his research project to a new level in the fall. In addition to his required speech about his findings, Birmingham-Southern senior Matthew Torbett hosted a fashion show and exhibition, which was open to the public.

When the 2019 Met Gala announced camp as its theme, Torbett began to develop his research idea – a four-piece mini-collection titled, “se camper.”

“I was immediately drawn to the camp movement,” he says. “I decided that I wanted my research to define camp and my own vision of camp.”

During their senior year, students in the Harrison Honors Program complete an interdisciplinary research project on topics outside of their majors. Torbett often works with costumes within his theatre major, but his study of camp intertwined 3D design, art history, anthropology, and literature.

Each scholar is entitled to a $3,000 stipend for their research, which allowed Torbett to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibition on camp. While in New York City, he saw Broadway shows like “Beetlejuice” and “Moulin Rouge” with over-the-top costumes, took a class at the New York Sewing Center, and bought fabric for his designs.

Torbett also visited the Theatre Development Fund Costume Collection, which recently received a 1,000-piece Bob Mackie collection, including outfits made for Cher and Elton John. He was able to go through the collection’s research library and speak with the president of the fund about the costumes.

All of this inspired his research and the creation of four pieces in “se camper.” Each piece demonstrated an element of camp.

“It’s fun to have a physical output. Most projects don’t have that same potential,” Torbett says.

The first piece was inspired by Mackie’s Scarlet O’Hara costume, created for a “Gone with the Wind” sketch on “The Carol Burnett Show.” Torbett’s dress has the same transformative qualities of a dress made out of a curtain.

The second and third pieces show the inverse qualities of clothing – how things can be what they are not. One is a collection of flowers made up into a dress, and another is a presentation of fine dining, with a lace doily jacket, tablecloth joggers, and a silverware clutch.

The fourth piece, the piece de resistance, is based on the 1963 essay “Notes on Camp” that examines the movement’s relationship with gay culture. With that in mind, Torbett brought four gay icons into one piece – Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Cher, and Judy Garland.

Fellow BSC students modeled the pieces for the “se camper” show, and Torbett constructed each piece himself. He first learned to sew as a part of the theatre department’s costume team as a first-year student. From there, he learned more on his own and got his own sewing machine as he discovered an interest in costume-making.

During the show, Torbett gave his 20-minute speech and presented his research around the exhibition space. Along with the physical construction, this interdisciplinary research has also allowed him to explore an interest in visual arts, even inspiring him to take Drawing I this spring.

“The liberal arts experience has opened up so many doors for what I could do after college,” Torbett says. “What you see here is only the beginning of what I’ve done. If I hadn’t gone to BSC, I would not have been able to do any of this.”

On March 12-15, Torbett is directing BSC’s production of “35mm: A Musical Exhibition.” Read more about the production in Iron City Ink’s story, and purchase tickets here.

Applications for the Harrison Honors Program received after February 15 will be reviewed on a rolling basis.