DID YOU KNOW THAT TYPICALLY, ONLY 2% OF A MUSEUM’S COLLECTION IS ON DISPLAY AT ANY GIVEN TIME?

By Molly Hayes | Press Invite

Located in a section of the former London 2012 Olympics Media and Broadcast Centre, the V&A East Storehouse provides unprecedented access to the V&A’s entire collection. As I walked up the stairs of the central Weston Collections Hall, I was instantly amazed by the vastness and diversity of the objects before me. Designed by New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) with the cabinet of curiosities as the main inspiration, this eclectic combination of warehouse and museum holds over 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives, and is certainly impressive.

An integral aspect of the V&A East Storehouse is its unique opportunity to exhibit the large objects in V&A’s reserve, many of which have not been on display for decades. One standout piece was the Ballets Russes Le Train Bleu theatre stage cloth, the largest Picasso work in the world. Draped in its own gallery and standing over 10 metres high, this piece took my breath away. Another highlight was the Torrijos Ceiling, which was beautiful and immaculately reconstructed by the V&A team, and the 1930s Kaufmann Office, the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US. Along with the full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen, 17th-century Agra Colonnade, and Robin Hood Gardens, these large objects blew me away and were skilfully positioned to punctuate the visitor journey.

Something else that I appreciated about the V&A East Storehouse is its commitment to engaging with the local community in East London. A prime example is the Robin Hood Gardens, an architectural fragment of the former social housing estate in Poplar. The incorporation of audio recordings of people who lived there is a thoughtful touch that embeds the residents’ history into the exhibit and brings it to life.

Another new initiative introduced by the V&A East Storehouse is Order an Object, where anyone can request to handle any object for one to four hours, as long as it’s not currently on display. If that wasn’t enough of a draw, you can visit the Conservation Outlook, where you can view the conservators at work first hand. The emphasis on immersing the visitor is very engaging and an exciting innovation of the typical museum experience.

Overall, the V&A East Storehouse feels refreshing and is a credit to its team. Deputy Director and COO Tim Reeve’s goal of delivering more democratised access is a welcome redirection in how we think about museums. It is the perfect place to get absorbed into such a wide-ranging collection. With such a variety of objects on display, there is undoubtedly something for everyone to enjoy. I could’ve easily stayed in there all day.

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Photo Credit: David Parry/PA Media Assignments