Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Regency, Cold War, Theatre and Modern Design in China at the V&A
May 25, 2008
During 2008/9 London's V&A will offer a number of superb exhibitions exploring all facets of design from 19th century British design to contemporary design in China.
Collaborators: UK Design for Performance 2003-2007 - until 18 November 2008
This exhibition highlights 100 of Britain's best theatre designers. The show features designs by international designers such as Ralph Koltai, Richard Hudson, Becs Andrews and Paul Brown. On display will be set designs and drawings, costumes, puppets, photographs and models of stage sets. The photograph shows a remote-controlled monster costume designed by Kandis Cook and worn by actor Gary Sefton in Beauty and the Beast at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon.
China Design Now - until 13 July 2008
This exhibition looks at contemporary design in China in the light of rapid economic growth from the Olympic stadium to fashion and graphics. The show looks at three major cities:
- Shanghai: Dream City - in this section success in education, work, marriage and health are examined alongside the 'Four Great Things', the house, the mobile phone, the car and the computer.
- Beijing: Future City - this part of the exhibition examines how China's ambitions, aided by her rapid economic growth, are reflected in Beijing's new mega-structures, such as the National Stadium, China Central Television headquarters and the Capital Airport extension.
- Shenzhen: Frontier City - explores Chinese design since the mid-1980s and how graphic designers are expressing themselves through music, art, fashion architecture and the internet. The photo Hi Panda, shows three pandas by JI JI.
Thomas Hope: Regency Designer - until 22 June 2008
Thomas Hope was one of the most important British designers during the 19th century. A major protagonist of the Regency style, his publication Household Furniture and Decoration influenced many of his contemporaries. Hope's London home was described as ‘the finest specimen of true taste in England or France’. Three room settings recreate Hope's London home featuring items from his collection of Greek and Roman vases, modern pieces of Egyptian-style furniture and a statue of Aurora and Cephalus commissioned by Hope from sculptor John Flaxman. The exhibition reflects Hope's artistic tastes as a painter, writer, designer of costume and furniture and as a collector of fine art.
Fashion V Sport 5 August 2008 – 14 December 2008
With more than 60 outfits on display, including designs by Stella McCartney, Bernard Wilhelm, Dries van Noten and Kim Jones, this exhibition will examine how sports fashions are evolving. On display will be a jacket designed by Dr Romanelli made from pieces of Nike clothing. The humble jogging suit has been reinvented by several designers including Jean Charles de Castelbajac, Dries van Noten and Kim Jones. The exhibition will look at who collects what and why: from collectors who own hundreds of pairs of trainers to the Japanese designer Hirofumi Kiyonaga who designs two collections per year for his virtual football team, "Football Club Real Bristol". The show will also examine the high profile advertising campaigns featuring well-known sporting personalities such as David Beckham and David James who model for Giorgio Armani.
Cold War Modern: Design 1945-70 - 25 September 2008 – 11 January 2009
Mark Jones, Director of the V&A, said: “This is the first exhibition to explore how the development of Modernism after 1945 was shaped by the Cold War. It was a tremendously exciting period in the history of design, a period we have defined as Cold War Modern”.
The exhibition will examine popular culture on both sides of the Iron Curtain, from fashion and furniture to art and architecture, technological developments, Hiroshima and the space race. Items on display will include an Apollo Mission space suit, fashions by Paco Rabanne, and architectural designs by Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Oskar Niemeyer. The show will feature the Garden Egg Chair by Peter Ghyczy together with sculptures, posters and photographs from both East and West.
Information about all exhibitions at the V&A can be obtained from their website.
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