In a unique approach to showcasing art and history, London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has unveiled the V&A East Storehouse, opening its storage to the public. Unlike conventional museums where vast collections lay hidden in storage, V&A East allows visitors a rare glimpse into its expansive reserves. The facility, sprawling over a massive 16,000 square meters, houses an impressive array of more than 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives.
This gigantic repository is more comparable to a journey through an enthralling maze than a conventional museum visit. The collections housed within range widely, from ancient Egyptian footwear to Roman ceramics, Indian sculptures, Japanese armors, modern furniture pieces, and artifacts as varied as a colorful trash bin from Glastonbury Festival and a Vespa scooter.
“It’s 5,000 years of creativity,” stated Kate Parsons, who oversees collection care and access at the museum. It took considerable effort and more than 350 trucking excursions to relocate these treasures from the old storage site.
The establishment offers a groundbreaking visitor experience by enabling one-on-one appointments with objects, allowing up-close interaction. Whether it’s a Vivienne Westwood piece or a quaint netsuke, most items are available for handling, save for hazardous materials like arsenic-filled Victorian wallpaper. This innovative service facilitates a uniquely intimate engagement with artifacts, one notable request being a 1954 Balenciaga gown. The response from the public since the opening has been overwhelming, with diverse visitors—from art students to wedding planners—flocking for inspiration or research alike. Such interaction often sparks conversations among strangers, producing an enriching communal atmosphere.
Positioned in a revitalized industrial area that gained world-renowned status by hosting the 2012 Olympics, the Storehouse adds cultural value. It is part of an emerging cultural hub enriched with art schools and theaters, promoting local engagement by hiring young individuals from surrounding neighborhoods. The Storehouse’s ambitious mission is to display pieces often unseen due to their size, such as a colossal Picasso stage curtain and architecturally significant fragments from historical buildings.
Defying traditional museum quietude, this lively venue encourages dialogue amidst the backdrop of functioning equipment. Ongoing projects include the David Bowie Center, dedicated to the late icon’s extensive archives of artistic memorabilia, set to launch soon. Aimed at demystifying museum operations, the Storehouse invites the public into its inner workings. It showcases conservation efforts, revealing ongoing struggles like pest control and cataloging challenges while offering insights into the day-to-day responsibilities of museum staff.
This transparent model emerges amid increasing debates surrounding the origins of museum collections. British institutions now face calls for accountability over artifacts acquired under colonial rule. The V&A’s intent is to illuminate the journey these objects have taken to their current home, fostering worldwide scholarly and public access. “Typically, only a small percentage of museum collections are visible,” remarked Georgia Haseldine, a senior curator. “Here, we insist that all collections are publicly owned. Our mission is to ensure equal access to this national heritage.”