EXPLORING V&A EAST STOREHOUSE – LONDON’S NEWEST CULTURAL HUB OPENS MAY 2025

By Emma Carney | Bunny Pudding · Digital Coven · @bunnyscopes | Press Invite

I certainly had a treat this week as I was invited to V&A East Storehouse for an announcement and sneak peak inside the V&A archives… don’t mind if I do! 

The V&A East Storehouse announced that it is gearing up for its grand opening on May 31, 2025, in London’s vibrant Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, adding an exciting new dimension to the city’s cultural landscape. As part of the East Bank development, V&A East Storehouse is the Victoria and Albert Museum’s most ambitious expansion in over a century, offering a unique mix of accessibility and interaction with a half-million objects from V&A’s extensive collection. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am after hearing their panel talks about their recent updates. 

Visitors will enter a space unlike any traditional museum. Rather than viewing a selection of curated displays, V&A East Storehouse provides unprecedented access to over 500,000 historical artefacts, art pieces, and design objects, along with 350,000 books from the museum’s archives. Yes, you read that correctly…an ADHD gals absolute dream for sure. This move reshapes the museum-going experience, welcoming visitors to explore not just through curated exhibitions but also through self-guided tours, conservation labs, and hands-on creative spaces that put London’s creative and cultural history in their hands. Attendees to the launch event were offered a sneak peek into the warehouse and I cannot begin to tell you how excited and moved we were by seeing just a few of the items on display… and they weren’t lying. It truly is a museum displayed like nothing you have ever seen….I could’ve spent several days there happily. 

A standout feature is the “Order an Object” service, enabling visitors to request specific items from the collection. This level of personalized access has the potential to redefine the public’s relationship with art, letting people delve deeply into areas of interest and experience up-close items that might otherwise be inaccessible. The V&A East Storehouse is designed to be an inclusive, open space that fosters a sense of shared heritage, giving every visitor a unique opportunity to interact directly with objects from across history and cultures.

Moreover, the highly anticipated David Bowie Centre for the Study of Performing Arts will open in September 2025, adding a landmark destination for music and pop culture enthusiasts. This space will house an extensive archive dedicated to Bowie’s life and work, exploring his impact on music, fashion, and performance. This addition not only cements V&A East’s role as a place of exploration and learning but also as a site that celebrates contemporary cultural icons.

The East Bank development, which V&A East Storehouse is part of, is an ambitious cultural initiative aiming to unite institutions such as the BBC, Sadler’s Wells, UCL, and the London College of Fashion. With free admission to the Storehouse and a broad range of ticketed events, workshops, and exhibitions planned, V&A East is set to be a landmark destination for art lovers, students, creatives, and the curious alike.

Tim Reeve, Deputy Director and COO of the V&A, and Chair of the East Bank Board, said: “The opening of V&A East Storehouse next May delivers on our ambition to create a new standard for access to national collections, in an area of London with such a rich creative heritage and vibrant and talented creative community. As a key part of East Bank and the London 2012 Olympic legacy, V&A East resonates powerfully with our original mission to inspire creativity and support the creative industries. Through V&A East Storehouse, visitors will be encouraged to immerse themselves in the magical behind-the-scenes world of museums and empowered to make their own journeys through the V&A’s global collections. Our world-first Order an Object experience opens up the V&A’s collections to everyone on their own terms, and on a scale never possible before. We hope this will shift the dial in creating more transparent and personalised experiences, and for everyone to find their own inspiration in V&A East Storehouse.”

Roll on 31st May 2024, honestly! 

Photo Credit: Shahram Saadat