Kate Bush - The Dreaming (1982) A gallery

Back here again for which I make absolutely no apologies as the pretty pictures more than justify another look

These are a set of publicity images of Kate Bush and her dancers in the costumes they wore for The Dreaming video back in 1982.  You can follow the Ventilation Suit label below to get a pretty good history of where else these "Fairy Suits" have appeared and also their origins in the real world of aviation.

These are perhaps some of the best views of the suit's detailing that I've managed to find but really its OK if you just want to ignore all of that and spend your time admiring the goddess inside them... just so long as you absolve your sinful thoughts by going and listening to some of her beautiful back catalogue of music - you wont be sorry.

Steve

Kate Bush - The Dreaming (1982)

Ok I know we've been here before but these are a couple of my favourite things in one very nice and reasonably rare image.  Follow the Ventilation Suit link below to find out all about what Kate and her dancers are wearing but alternatively just admire the singer in all her perfection then go listen to some of her music. Then come back and consider where best one might sell one of these suits and add your thoughts to the comments below.  Its not me that has one, by the way, but I'm nothing if not helpful and you lot seem to be as well.  Lets have discussion and see if we can't help a fellow out.

 

 

Steve

Blake's 7: Traitor (1981)

That's Forbus from the Blake's 7 episode; Traitor.  He's wearing one of those nifty RAF ventilation suits, that are sometimes a spacesuit, sometimes a Cyberman and sometime nice to dress pop stars in to make a video more interesting.  I think Forbus is one of those crippled evil genius types, so here its being part life-support... which is new.

I quite liked Blake's 7 the first time around although it does get a little painful by the forth season which might be why I don't remember too much about this one or feel particularly inclined to sit through it again.


Steve

Quatermass (1979) - Part 2

This is Quatermass part 2 in as much as its the second spacesuit seen in the TV show but actually features in episode 3 of Quatermass IV, unless you are more familiar with the film edit which is known as Quatermass: The Conclusion.  Confused yet?  All you really need to know is it's very good.

These suits are on screen a little longer and seen much more clearly than the Russian Cosmonaut who dies in episode 1, as viewed through a TV monitor, and blogged previously.

Anyway, what we are looking at here is a "ventilation suits", as seen in various other films, shows and pop videos of the time.  This looks like its been lined and padded and has had a few extra details added such as silver cuffs and some forearm controls buttons.  It's an impressive job!

Steve

Starship (1984)

Every now and then I'll show you something that isn't a spacesuit but usually only because the costume has been a spacesuit in some previous life.  On this occasion I think this little fellow is pretending to be a robot, although somehow he comes more like Brick from The Middle than Twiki

 

 

Anyway, it's another appearance of one of those ventilation suits that we were looking at last month and a big thank you to Tim for finding me yet another buried treasure.

Cheers mate,

Steve

RAF Air Ventilation Suit (1950's)

I was never happy with calling this a G-Suit, even if that's what the man who helped source it for the Cybermen costumes was calling it when I quoted him in The Doctor Who - Earthshock post because, quite frankly, it doesn't look like its up to the job.

A G-Suit, or the more accurately named anti-g suit, is a flight suit worn by aviators and astronauts who are subject to high levels of acceleration force (g). They are designed to prevent a black-out and g-LOC (g-induced loss of consciousness) caused by the blood pooling in the lower part of the body when under acceleration, thus depriving the brain of blood

Where as, with their thin material and their network of tubes, these suits actually looked more like they might be used solely for the purpose of cooling  the wearer.  I spent a bit of time searching for clues but failed to make inroads.  So I did what I always do when I need help with a post, I ask for it. And that's where a blogger from Newtonphotographic.com stepped in to say those magic words;

They're actually 50s vintage Royal Air Force Air Ventilated Suits - as seen here about 2/3rd of the way down the page

 

http://canberratalk.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=print&num=1323711500

 

They were worn under flying suits in hot climates and the tubes are for cold air to be blown through them from the aircraft A/C system.

 

Well what do you know, I found this...

and a whole lot of history.  That's just a teaser section of a larger picture but as its not mine to show I'll let you follow the link and find it with your own eyes.

Anyway, once you know the name of what your looking for it suddenly gets a whole lot more interesting and fruitful.

That's from a clothing website called Frumpadelick

https://www.etsy.com/listing/206331345/vintage-1950s-raf-air-ventilation-suit

and although it has long since sold, they too describe it thus...

a vintage 1950's RAF issue air ventilation suit. It is made of parachute material and has all kinds of hoses attached to it. It would make a great Halloween costume for somebody. These were made to be skin tight so this would probably be most suitable for someone around 5'7" or so who is quite slim. Then it would not be so tight. It is not in perfect condition since these is a rip along the edge of the slit at the back

And provided further images

including one of the label which tells you so much more about them including the manufacturers.

Once you have that, you begin to discover all sorts of interesting facts such as the history of the company;

http://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/themes/subjects/industry/gq_parachute_company/

and from the comments section of that website, these little snippets;

The air ventilated suits were worn inside pressure suits used by air crew flying at high altitude.

Often nicknamed the ‘Fairy’ suit, the air-ventilated suit was produced to give relief from discomfort of high cockpit temperatures by moving cool air to the wearer’s skin via some 144 PVC tubes, with one larger ‘inlet’ tube.

Now you just know the ethereal Kate Bush would have been delighted to know the ventilation suits by that particular name.

Not sure what else there is to say really except that I would bet my last Rolo that everyone of these...

is either the very same ventilation suit or at least a version from the same manufacturer.


Steve

Doctor Who - Earthshock (1982)

I know that they're Cybermen not a spacemen but on this occasion there's a link.  Bear with..

Now I've spent far longer than I thought I would have to researching what these suits are and it keeps coming back to them being known as G-Suits. I was looking for something more specific than that as 'G-suits' is a bit of general term covering a number of different types and styles.  Rather than delay publishing any longer we'll adopt the general term for now and I promise to come back and revise the post if anyone offers me names, codes, dates etc.  For now I'll share this with you from the doctorwhoconcordance.wikia.com

 

"The new Cybermen costumes for this story were created by Richard Gregory of Imagineering, in collaboration with costume designer Dinah Collin.  Nine Cyberman costumes were made in total - eight full costumes plus the Cyberman seen fused to the door in Part Three. Previous Cyberman costumes had been designed around rubber diving suits, but Richard Gregory suggested basing the new design around G-suits. G-suits were designed for aircraft fighter pilots to help ease the rigours of flying at high speeds and encountering G-force. The suits had a network of connected pipes and tubes that could be supplied with pumped water to keep a pilot's body temperature steady and to press the skin inwards to retain the body's shape during periods of low gravity. More importantly, Gregory knew that his local army surplus store in Oxford sold G-suits. Another factor in the use of G-suits was that they looked slightly sophisticated and futuristic to begin with due to the in-built network of pipes and tubes and only needed spraying silver to complete the look."

 

I'm led to believe these suits are near impossible to get now and certainly not from the high-street.  It's possible that the materials have perished over time or simply that hundreds of Doctor Who fans all wanted to make their own costumes.

 

 

Steve

The Dreaming - video Kate Bush (1982)

We already had a quick sneaky-peaky at an image from The Dreaming video the other weekend but here are some more snaps of the divine Kate Bush and more importantly, for the purposes of this blog, that suit.

Is it a spacesuit?  Well in this particular case that would depend on understanding the meaning of the video and the song and we probably shouldn't try to pin either down too specifically because the real answers probably lies somewhere between the artist's intent and our own interpretation.  Suffice to say that the suit has at times been a space suit, or a spacesuit's undergarments, or a cybernetic skin, or served other equally none specific but suggestive roles.  Follow the G-Suit link for what those are but until then ponder upon this.....

Steve

Moon Zero Two (1969)

I'm not sure if we've looked at this particular film too many times before or if I've ever really expressed how good I think it is.

What I know for sure is that I've never really discussed what James Olson and Ori Levy wear beneath their spacesuits.

One of the earliest appearances of a G-Suit being used to look all futuristic and space-age.  Nice to see all the colours of the different tubes adding to the techy'ness of it all.  It's all just a little bit see-through as well, so I can understand why future users of this suit like to get them painted up.  That said, and while neither Olson or Levy do it for me, it now strikes me that the makers of MZ2 missed a trick by not getting Catherine Schell to be seen wearing one of these. 

 

 

Steve

Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie (1980)

Just a very brief image from what must be one of the finest 80's music videos by one of the most consistently inventive artists.  I could write lots about this video and I may well do so at sometime and in some other place but for now think not of silver clowns, black skies and JCB's and consider what Major Tom is wearing.


Steve

Alien (1979)

We've been here a few times before but not necessarily to inspect the content of the spaceship Nostromo's lockers and cupboards.  Ignore the bird in her undies gripping the big chopper and take a look at those emergency spacesuits.

That's the one on the right.  Looks familiar doesn't it and on this occasion its actually being a proper spacesuit

Here it is again, variation on a theme.

and here on the left a few times more

 

 

Steve