Diller Scofidio + Renfro Just Unveiled London's Most Exciting New Museum
TheV&A Museumhas unveiled its long-awaited Storehouse outpost in East London, which features a design by architecture firmDiller Scofidio + Renfrothat puts the museum's vast collection of objects on display.
Officially opening to the public on Saturday, May 31, V&A East Storehouse spans four levels and is the size of more than 30 basketball courts. The space was once a broadcast centre for the London Olympics in 2012, but has since been reworked by Diller Scofidio + Renfro to house the 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 Archives.
'Instead of the hard distinctions between storage and display, conservation and curation, back-of-house and front-of-house, V&A East Storehouse creates a new mixture,' said David Allin, Principal at Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
'To realize the project, everyone had to step out of their comfort zone: curators became storage experts, technical services staff acted as exhibition designers, and we, as architects, learned to be collection managers.'
While visitors typically access the museum's collection through curated exhibitions, the Storehouse allows them to have a peek backstage. Visitors enter the building and arrive into a vast atrium, where a cafe from London favorite E5 Bakehouse and workshop spaces are located.
Although partially visible from the ground level, the actual store (technically named the Weston Collections Hall) is set up a short flight of stairs and behind thick metal doors. The space is organised around a central atrium, which is illuminated by a huge row of lighting panels suspended from the ceiling.
Six large-scale objects, which have been tucked away for decades because of their size and complexity, are now on view and are used to anchor the collection space. These include the 1930s Kaufmann Office, the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US, an architectural section from Robin Hood Gardens, a former residential estate in Poplar, east London, and the largest Picasso work in the world, which stands over 10 metres high and 11 metres wide.
These are, of course, a drop in the ocean in terms of what is located in the store, which visitors are invited to walk around freely, rather than have to follow a strict guided tour. They are also able to book out the objects they'd like to view via an online system, 'Order an Object'. (According to the museum, the most popular item ordered so far is a 1954 evening dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga).
A real draw of a visit to the Storehouse, though, comes in the form that it isactuallya working space. Inside, staff work at four new multi-purpose conservation studios, with a glass overlook allowing visitors a peek into what's happening.
'It has been a joy to work with the V&A's curators and conservators in creating this new kind of institution: neither warehouse nor museum, but rather a hybrid shared by staff and the public with expanded opportunities for access and exchange,' said Elizabeth Diller, Founding Partner, Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
TheV&A EastStorehouse opens to the public this weekend, with the V&A East Museum opening in 2026.
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CNN
7 days ago
- CNN
In this museum space, the objects are yours to touch
From 31 May, one of the world's largest art and design museums is offering the public not just a rare peek behind the curtain, but a chance for visitors to poke about, see up close — and touch — historical and culturally significant pieces. The V&A Storehouse East — a new museum-grade storage facility turned exhibition and research space in London — is a project over 10 years in the making, and one that aims to reframe the traditional museum experience. Spread across four mighty floors (though only three are accessible to the public), there are over 250,000 objects, ranging from Roman frescoes and an early 14th century Simone Martini painting to avant-garde fashion and couture from the likes of Schiaparelli, Comme des Garçons and Vivienne Westwood. The open access offered to visitors turns museum conventions on its head, where works on display are usually roped off, guarded and therefore only admired from a distance. 'This is real back-of-house museum work,' said the V&A East Storehouse's senior curator Georgina Haseldine, standing in front of rows and rows of priceless objects — from paintings by Margaret Sarah Carpenter to 18th century hunting swords — ahead of its public opening. 'We want visitors to learn what a collection is, how we store it… How colleagues work across the museum, from conservators to the technical service team.' Designed by American interdisciplinary design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the space includes a central hall reaching 20 meters high. From all directions, rows of metal shelves housing furniture, artworks, mannequins and more stretch outwards. Here, visitors can peer up or down from the upper floors. With so much to see, it is easy to feel engulfed by the sheer volume of items in possession. 'On average, only 3% of a museum's collection is on display at any given time,' estimated Diller Scofidio + Renfro co-founding partner Elizabeth Diller at the Storehouse's opening. 'The other 97% is hidden away in the basement, or off-site in a warehouse. As museums accumulate more and more collections, the proportion of works on display is just going to diminish over time unless we build new wings to accommodate more stuff.' For the V&A, thousands of artefacts previously relegated to deep storage are now finally seeing the light — with some works, as is the case with the awe-inspiring Altamira ceiling (a gilded softwood ceiling originating from Toledo, Spain and dating back to the late 15th century), they are being seen for the first time in decades. Similarly, the dazzling 10-meter-high recreation of Picasso's 'Two Women Running along the Beach (The Race) (1922)' painted by Prince Alexander Sharvashidze is being shown for the first time in over 10 years. The front cloth, used by a travelling ballet company in 1924, was even signed by Picasso himself. These collections belong to the public. And it's just incredible that we can enable access. Kate Parsons, the V&A's director of conservation, collections care and access The result is akin to a big, artisanal IKEA (unmissable is the pleasant smell of wood, likely emanating from one of the many ancient chest of drawers — the oldest dating back to 1410) or in the eyes of Diller, a cabinet of curiosities. 'The V&A's collection is eccentric in the first place,' she said. 'Where else would you encounter suits of armors, stage cloths, biscuit tins, building fragments, puppets, thimbles, chandeliers, motorcycles next to each other?' Instead of alphabetising, or organizing based on strict chronology, Diller decided to 'lean into the delirium' — placing items that spanned across medium, time periods and geographical location right next to one another. 'It's a 16th century form of display,' she explained. 'Which was more for private collections, but (they) also would put delirious things together.' As expected, lifting the menagerie of items right off the shelf is prohibited — this is not actually an IKEA, after all — but touching, surprisingly, is not entirely off-limits. Visitors keen to hold a centuries-old shoe in their own hands need only take the time to log on and book a slot at the Storehouse's on-site Research Center . There, invigilators and conservationists are on-hand to teach the public how to properly handle culturally significant works. The online booking portal has been open since 13 May, with the V&A already reportedly receiving requests from curious members of the public, ranging from avid researchers to brides-to-be looking for wedding dress inspiration. So far, the most requested item is a fuchsia 1957 Cristobal Balenciaga gown. Laid out in the Research Center, the frock's silk taffeta looks almost iridescent up close. Breathing near it feels inconsiderate — but Kate Parsons, director of conservation, collections care and access at the V&A, reassured there is climate control across the facility, keeping the Storehouse at between 16 and 25 degrees centigrade and 40-60% humidity, as per international standards, along with a variety of methods that tie down or secure items to the viewing table. Still, is she nervous about putting these invaluable items in the hands of the public? 'No. Not at all,' she told CNN. 'We've thought very carefully about the robustness of the object.' 'These collections belong to the public. And it's just incredible that we can enable access.'
Hypebeast
7 days ago
- Hypebeast
Diller Scofidio + Renfro Just Unveiled London's Most Exciting New Museum
TheV&A Museumhas unveiled its long-awaited Storehouse outpost in East London, which features a design by architecture firmDiller Scofidio + Renfrothat puts the museum's vast collection of objects on display. Officially opening to the public on Saturday, May 31, V&A East Storehouse spans four levels and is the size of more than 30 basketball courts. The space was once a broadcast centre for the London Olympics in 2012, but has since been reworked by Diller Scofidio + Renfro to house the 250,000 objects, 350,000 books, and 1,000 Archives. 'Instead of the hard distinctions between storage and display, conservation and curation, back-of-house and front-of-house, V&A East Storehouse creates a new mixture,' said David Allin, Principal at Diller Scofidio + Renfro. 'To realize the project, everyone had to step out of their comfort zone: curators became storage experts, technical services staff acted as exhibition designers, and we, as architects, learned to be collection managers.' While visitors typically access the museum's collection through curated exhibitions, the Storehouse allows them to have a peek backstage. Visitors enter the building and arrive into a vast atrium, where a cafe from London favorite E5 Bakehouse and workshop spaces are located. Although partially visible from the ground level, the actual store (technically named the Weston Collections Hall) is set up a short flight of stairs and behind thick metal doors. The space is organised around a central atrium, which is illuminated by a huge row of lighting panels suspended from the ceiling. Six large-scale objects, which have been tucked away for decades because of their size and complexity, are now on view and are used to anchor the collection space. These include the 1930s Kaufmann Office, the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the US, an architectural section from Robin Hood Gardens, a former residential estate in Poplar, east London, and the largest Picasso work in the world, which stands over 10 metres high and 11 metres wide. These are, of course, a drop in the ocean in terms of what is located in the store, which visitors are invited to walk around freely, rather than have to follow a strict guided tour. They are also able to book out the objects they'd like to view via an online system, 'Order an Object'. (According to the museum, the most popular item ordered so far is a 1954 evening dress by Cristóbal Balenciaga). A real draw of a visit to the Storehouse, though, comes in the form that it isactuallya working space. Inside, staff work at four new multi-purpose conservation studios, with a glass overlook allowing visitors a peek into what's happening. 'It has been a joy to work with the V&A's curators and conservators in creating this new kind of institution: neither warehouse nor museum, but rather a hybrid shared by staff and the public with expanded opportunities for access and exchange,' said Elizabeth Diller, Founding Partner, Diller Scofidio + Renfro. TheV&A EastStorehouse opens to the public this weekend, with the V&A East Museum opening in 2026.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Yahoo
Artist begins transforming town centre buildings into musical murals
IT WAS after several conversations with members of some of Stourbridge's iconic musical exports that one artist birthed a creative idea to put the town back at the forefront of the country's artistic scene. Cal, a Stourbridge-based artist who has been active for over two decades, has begun a project painting murals of the logos of several bands born out of the town on buildings for all to see. The first completed work, an ode to rockers Pop Will Eat Itself, now adorns the side of the Direct2Print building on Foster Street, with the second mural of alt-rock band, The Wonder Stuff, almost ready to be unveiled just off the ring road on the side of The Bridge House. 'The Poppies' painting can be enjoyed by more than just Stourbridge locals, with an image of the mural already hanging in the prestigious V&A museum in London. An image of the Poppies mural is hanging in the V&A in London (Image: Olivia Warburton / NQ) Cal said it is important the town celebrates its rich musical heritage and it was about time Stourbridge 'made some noise' about itself. He said: 'We're known all over the UK for our music – I went to Tenby not that long ago and spoke to a woman who instantly knew Stourbridge for its bands. 'We're bigger than we think we are, and I don't want Stourbridge to be just another clone town with no identity. 'We should be celebrating our music and the arts and trying to promote creativity more.' Five bands will be featured in Cal's project: Pop Will Eat Itself, The Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Diamond Head and, hopefully, an ode to a certain local, Robert Plant. The artist, who goes only by his first name, said the next mural on his to-do list is for Ned's Atomic Dustbin, with the band encouraging him to 'go big or go home' with the design. Cal, who is doing the work voluntarily, thanked the local businesses who have made his project possible, and the people of Stourbridge for their warm reception to his work. He said: 'Without Archava Scaffolding, I would not have been able to get up the buildings, and none of this would be possible. The Wonder Stuff mural is almost complete (Image: Olivia Warburton / NQ) 'Also the businesses, so far Dirct2Print and Bridge House, who have been up for me using their walls, and Brierley Printers and the John Porter Community Fund, who have been a massive help. 'It's been a community effort, and so far, everyone has been brilliant about the work. 'Of course, it's thanks to the bands as well – these guys are still selling out tours and bringing out new music and deserve to be celebrated.' Timed rather perfectly, the Poppies mural in particular coincides with the band's 40th anniversary and marks the release of their new single, 'Bruiser', which was released yesterday (May 27).
