V&A storehouse lets visitors explore 5,000 years of creativity
London, June 9: The V&A East Storehouse, a new branch of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, is redefining public access to cultural collections. Opened in East London’s Olympic Park, the 16,000-square-metre facility offers visitors the chance to explore over 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 archives—many of which are usually hidden in museum storage. Uniquely, the public can interact with much of the collection, and even touch items through a booking service.
Unlike traditional museums that display only a small portion of their holdings, the Storehouse embraces transparency and inclusivity. Through its “Order an Object” service, visitors can book one-on-one viewings of specific artifacts—ranging from a Vivienne Westwood mohair sweater to a 1954 Balenciaga evening gown. Most items can be handled, except those that are fragile or hazardous, like Victorian wallpaper containing arsenic. The initiative has drawn everyone from fashion students and researchers to wedding planners and casual visitors.
Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the architects behind New York’s High Line, the Storehouse also features space for oversized items rarely displayed elsewhere, such as a Mughal colonnade, a Picasso-designed stage curtain, and a Frank Lloyd Wright office. The Storehouse is part of a growing cultural district developed after the 2012 Olympics and has employed dozens of local residents from surrounding underserved neighborhoods.
The museum seeks to offer an open, working environment—conversations are welcome, forklifts beep in the background, and behind-the-scenes conservation work is on display through viewing galleries and exhibits. A David Bowie Centre, housing the musician’s archive, is also set to open in September.
In response to increasing scrutiny over the colonial origins of many museum artifacts, senior curator Georgia Haseldine said the Storehouse is committed to transparency. Exhibits address the provenance of items, museum practices, and efforts to democratize access to the national collection.
Haseldine emphasized the core principle behind the project: “This whole collection belongs to all of us.” By allowing greater access and interaction, the V\&A East Storehouse challenges the traditional museum model, turning storage into an immersive cultural experience and giving the public unprecedented insight into 5,000 years of global creativity. (AP)
