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A decade in the making, the V&A East is finally here. Located on Carpenter’s Road in Stratford on the same stretch as the BBC, Sadler’s Wells East and UAL, the V&A East Museum is the final piece in the puzzle of east London’s shiny new creative quarter.
This new edifying hub on a former brownfield site is also the V&A’s final opening in a flurry of developments that have arrived in London over the past few years – including the V&A East Storehouse, the David Bowie Centre and the revamped Young V&A – that have turned the museum group into a cultural megalith in the capital.
The museum officially opens this Saturday April 18. Time Out was lucky to get a sneak peek inside the new building ahead of its grand opening. Here’s what the V&A East Museum has in store.
What exactly is the V&A East?
Not the V&A East Storehouse and not the V&A in South Kensington, the V&A East sits somewhere in between these two museums. It’s sort of like the Victoria and Albert Museum’s edgy, younger sibling. Instead of a west London gallery packed with ancient items, which could be considered stuffy or boring to some, V&A East feels like a museum for the masses.
Its permanent gallery, called ‘Why We Make’, explores creativity in all its forms. Across two floors, more than 500 objects from the V&A’s collection are displayed, spanning art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion. The display is arranged by theme, with topics including identity, wellbeing, social justice and environmental action. It’s thoughtfully curated to highlight pieces from London, especially the city’s east – one item on display is an 1830s sketch of the original design for Victoria Park.
The top floor has a space for changing exhibitions, which opens with The Music Is Black: A British Story.
Zofia Trafas White, senior curator at V&A East, says: ‘V&A East Museum’s “Why We Make” galleries offer a new way in to experiencing the V&A’s collection. Topical and resonant, the galleries look at objects through a contemporary lens and explore themes and issues that matter to our audiences most.’
What’s the V&A East like inside?
Modern, bright and airy is the vibe inside Stratford’s newest museum. The calm interior feels like a blank canvas for the exhibitions, with white walls, tall glass windows, high ceilings and wide spiralling staircases. Designed by architects O’Donnell + Tuomey, who also created the nearby Sadler’s Wells East, the building’s unusual geometric shape was originally inspired by an x-ray of a Balenciaga dress displayed at the V&A South Kensington in 2017.
The permanent collections are spacious, with items displayed from floor to ceiling. There are interactive and sensory moments, like the opportunity to touch a recreation of a textured tile, alongside large video displays. Articles on show are bold, eye-catching and colourful.
The lower ground floor is home to a bright café run by Jikoni – the Asian, Middle Eastern and African fusion restaurant founded by Ravinder Bhogal and Nadeem Nanjuwany. Here you can fuel up on coffee provided by Workshop, Goan aubergine and cheddar toasties, mushroom congee and sweet treats.
On the top floor is a terrace with a balcony offering views over the East End.
What are the best things to see at the V&A East?
There are all manner of beautiful and fascinating things inside the V&A East, and while there are centuries-old items from around the world, from Japanese screens to Indian textiles, there’s a strong focus on community makers and the local area.
London-based artists and craft makers take centre stage, from Alexander McQueen to Yinka Ilori and choreographer Akram Khan. A Walthamstow FC football shirt featuring the William Morris ‘Yare’ print is displayed alongside other Morris prints. Fabulously camp and sparkly costumes designed for a Michael Clark and Leigh Bowery performance at Sadler’s Wells in 1987 steal your attention.
Fashion lovers will find plenty of gems. The very first thing you see is the traffic-stopping Molly Goddard ‘Daria’ dress, standing proudly in its voluminous, hot pink glory. Then there are delicate Alexander McQueen dresses, punky Vivienne Westwood ensembles and 18th-century silk gowns designed in Spitalfields.
Upstairs, galvanising displays are dedicated to climate activism (featuring Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace); revolutionary artworks, like an Egyptian textile made in secret by artist Hany ‘Abd al-Kader in response to the 2011 uprising; and posters made by community print collectives, like the Tower Hamlets Federation of Tenants and the See Red Women’s Workshop.
There’s tonnes more to get stuck into, too. The past merges with the future in this thoroughly modern museum, which feels like it wants east Londoners to know it belongs to them. The space has been co-designed with young people, creatives and locals – when it opens to the public this weekend, I think they’ll be pleased with the result.
The best museums in London, according to Time Out.
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