V&A Museum Revitalizes Design Galleries with 250 Exhibits Showcasing Modern Life
The Victoria and Albert Museum has unveiled its updated Design 1990-Now galleries, reopening to the public this week. These revitalized spaces bring together 250 objects, including 60 new additions, to illustrate how design profoundly influences and shapes modern life. The galleries span two rooms on the museum's upper floors, featuring displays organized around six distinct themes rather than a strict chronological order.
Diverse Themes and Historical Connections
The exhibits cover themes such as housing and living, crisis and conflict, and consumption and identity. This thematic approach allows for varied interpretations across decades. For instance, the women at work section includes a power suit from 1986, a plastic-lined bra used by factory workers in China to avoid searches, and fast-fashion jeans from the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh. The galleries also highlight how history repeats itself through design, with a poster protesting racist murders from 1992 displayed alongside one commemorating Eric Garner from 2014.
Public Contributions and Curatorial Insights
Eleven objects were sourced from the Rapid Response scheme, which invites public suggestions for contemporary items. Notable inclusions are Snake Island stamps symbolizing Ukraine's resistance, a "life medal" for environmental activists, and a Labubu figure. Corinna Gardner, the V&A's senior curator of design and digital, emphasized the galleries' goal to connect past and present, fostering a collective vision for the future through design. She noted that design involves material objects that help us navigate our world, from an Ikea lamp designed for transport efficiency to an Apple II computer from 1977, which foreshadowed the rise of remote work.
Fascinating Backstories and Innovations
The exhibits reveal intriguing origins of familiar designs. The first baby monitor, created by Isamu Noguchi in 1937, was inspired by the Lindbergh kidnapping. Plywood's commercialization traces back to Charles and Ray Eames' wartime splints. The burkini, designed in 2004 by Aheda Zanetti, emerged from her niece's struggles playing netball in traditional attire. Additionally, a carbon-fiber rope section demonstrates innovations enabling skyscrapers like Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower to operate efficiently.
Focus on Data and Disruption
The final section concentrates on data, communication, and design over the past 25 years. It features Edward Snowden's laptop from the Guardian's archive, symbolizing digital public realm contestation. The Labubu figure, placed among antique books, exemplifies how design can disrupt everyday environments, eliciting reactions like giggles from librarians. Gardner expressed that the galleries aim to be discursive and expansive, moving beyond celebrating excellence to explore what design truly means, engaging visitors from school groups to regular attendees with relatable items like football kits and smartphones.
