The Victoria and Albert Museum’s ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ in East London Will Open in May
Architects & Firms
This coming spring, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), the London-based institution focused on design and applied and decorative arts, will debut the V&A East Storehouse, a publicly accessible storage facility within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the site of the 2012 Summer Games. By allowing the V&A to put much of its vast collection on display, the 170,000-square-foot Storehouse, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DSR), “will transform the museum’s back-of-house into a cultural experience,” says the museum’s deputy director, Tim Reeve.
Rendering of internal view of the central Weston Collections Hall at V&A East Storehouse, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Image © Diller Scofidio + Renfro
DSR partner Liz Diller calls the Storehouse a “cabinet of curiosities,” with over 250,000 objects, a 350,000-volume library, and nearly 1,000 archives held there and with artifacts as varied as samurai swords, mid-century furniture, and Elton John’s costumes. The pieces on view—about 1,500 at any one time—will also include several large-scale architectural elements, such as Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s office for Pittsburgh business magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann Jr.; a 15th-century marquetry ceiling from the Altamira Palace near Toledo, Spain; and a two-story fragment of Alison and Peter Smithson’s 1972 East London social housing complex, Robin Hood Gardens.
Installation of a fragment of Robin Hood Gardens, a former residential estate in Poplar, East London. Photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Other institutions are making their storage facilities open to the public on a permanent basis, including the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, which opened MVRDV’s mirrored and bowl-like Depot three years ago. But Reeve says the V&A will “democratize” access to a greater degree, removing physical barriers between visitors and the collections. The objects, most of which will not be shielded behind glass, will be arrayed on four levels of open shelving. Bridge-like decks will span in between and define spaces for pop-up installations, workshops, and performances. V&A East Storehouse will also offer what museum officials say is the world’s first “order an object” service. It will allow anyone to book a personal appointment with an object, seven days a week.
Installation of the Torrijos Ceiling, made circa 1490 from the Palacio de Altamira in Torrijos, at V&A East Storehouse. Photo © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Set to open on May 31, the V&A East Storehouse, which has been built within the former Olympics media and broadcast center, is part of an emerging cultural district in Stratford, East London. It will include another V&A outpost: the V&A East Museum, designed by O'Donnell + Tuomey and slated to open in 2026, will focus on the act of making, says Reeve. Nearby, the Dublin-based practice is also creating a new dance theater for performing arts organization Sadler's Wells. Other institutions putting down stakes in the new quarter include University College London and the London College of Fashion, in buildings by Stanton Williams and Allies and Morrison, respectively.
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