Review: DIRECT FROM GRACELAND: ELVIS, Arches London Bridge

“Each one of these pieces captures a moment in time and they each have a story to tell”

Recently, I was invited to attend a special curator event at Direct from Graceland: Elvis at the Arches London Bridge. The event, hosted by Angie Marchese, Graceland’s Vice President of Archives and Exhibits, gave attendees a backstage look at some of the artefacts Marchese had brought with her from Memphis, Tennessee, with some even going on display in the exhibition that very night! There are over 1.5 million items in the archives at Graceland, and most of the artefacts in the exhibition were actually in storage, so it is a rare opportunity to see some things that you wouldn’t even get to see at Graceland itself.

After being greeted at the entrance by staff members, attendees are given some time to explore the exhibition before the event, getting some context for the talk that Marchese would be giving. The exhibition is set up as phases of Elvis’ life, starting from his childhood with artifacts like report cards and crayons and ending with his legacy, an exhibit featuring costumes Austin Butler wore in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie.

The exhibition is meant to tell the story of Elvis using artifacts, videos, photographs and audio to immerse attendees in what they are witnessing. While I did not spend much time in the exhibition itself before the event, I appreciated its open layout, given attendees the chance to walk around and not feel like they were trapped in a one-way journey through the space. The same music playing throughout is also quite nice as there are no overlapping sounds between each “room.” 

At the start of the talk, we were welcomed into what is usually the immersive space, a makeshift room with screens for walls that normally would be playing a film for the exhibition. After a brief introduction by the manager of the Arches London Bridge site, we began to hear from Marchese, the Vice President of Archives and Exhibits, and one of only a handful of people allowed in the restricted sections of Graceland that many only dream of seeing. As Marchese told us, “As archivists, we’re storytellers.” Indeed, Marchese told us dozens of stories that I could have listened to for hours, ranging from how the musical instruments are tuned twice a month to interviewing Lisa Marie Presley! As someone who only has general knowledge of Elvis and his life, it was fascinating to hear more about his personal life and his work ethic from someone who has worked with his loved ones and the objects that made up his life. 

Some of the objects Marchese brought included a leather guitar case that had been custom-made for Elvis, the last Grammy he won from 1974, a shirt designed by Bill Belew, the costume designer who came up with the idea for the iconic black leather suit and even Elvis’s gold Social Security card. There were also photos that were used to show attendees where they might have seen some of the artefacts when Elvis was alive, which were great for adding context to the experience as a whole, placing the objects into Elvis’s life. 

One of the highlights of the event was getting to have a “white glove” experience, where attendees put on a pair of, you guessed it, white gloves and were given the opportunity to handle some of the artifacts themselves. Some of these items included the Gold Key to Elvis’s 1973 Stutz, the last car he would ever drive, a pair of his aviator glasses from one of his many movies, and his deputy police badge.

We were even given the opportunity to hold Elvis’s iconic “TCB” ring, the very ring that had been placed on his finger by Priscilla during his funeral, removed before the casket was closed and placed in the restricted upstairs section of Graceland after the service. There is truly nothing like being able to hold a piece of history in your hand, and holding this ring was no exception. 

The Curator Event with Angie Marchese was a fascinating look into the personal life of Elvis Presley, with the different artefacts telling some incredible stories. With a price tag of £200 for one ticket, it is certainly an expensive experience, but definitely worth it for those with a deep love for Elvis, or even those who want to learn about the man from a fascinating perspective. 

The Curator Event with Graceland’s Vice President of Archives & Exhibits, Angie Marchese, ran on 29 and 30 March. Direct From Graceland: Elvis runs until 1 September at Arches London Bridge.

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