The Victoria & Albert Museum of Art & Design
This Friday I went to the V&A in London for the first time. Here are some facts and my thoughts about the museum and the experience.
Named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (normally abbreviated to the V&A) opened in 1852 and is located in Kensington, London.
The V&A's Mission statement
To be the world's leading museum of art and design. To enrich people's lives and inspire individuals and everyone in the creative industries, through the promotion of knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world.
V&A Website 2013
The building itself is massive and covers 12.5 acres (51,000 m2) you could easily spend an entire day there. Upon entering the museum I was surprised by its vast and richly decorated interior. As well as the clash of classical decoration and architecture with the modern pieces displayed in the entrance hall.
This made me think of the research we've been doing on the perceptions of power. The building is incredibly imposing and you certainly feel like a small person entering the huge "world of art". The architecture inside and out do a fantastic job of reminding you how much it must have cost to construct.
The V&A contains 145 different galleries and is one of the largest collections of artwork in the world. I briefly joined a tour and was surprised to hear the guide explain that a huge portion of the art/artifacts acquired were gathered as trophies of war, when England was still a massive empire. That more often than not items were sent back to England after battles and conquests "although we now use art dealers" he said.
Made me think of this;
Do you have a flag?
The experience definitely inspired me and I felt quite in awe for most of my visit, although I was rather sad to see so many craft items that we have lost the ability to create. Traditions and skills lost to machinery, mass production or loss of resource (people to teach or willing to learn the skill). There were so many beautiful items that I would love to know and learn how to create but so many artists,craftsmen and women are a dying breed.
Wandering around I particularly enjoyed the jewellery, ironwork, silver, gold and Asian galleries. Although was annoyed to see some areas cordoned off for renovation, the "no photography" signs in abundance, items on loan to other museums or items missing (with no explanation). I was intrigued by a sign in the Japanese exhibit on the first floor that was talking about a group of ceramics on the fifth floor. So I went to the fifth floor only to find that the sign is "at least four years old, and we don't have them anymore" said the staff member. Considering that admittance is free I guess its not a big deal, and the museum was generally fantastic.
Highly recommended, though maybe wait for them to stop building as the sound of drilling is unbelievably annoying whilst walking around a museum.
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