Latest news with #TristramHunt
Borneo Post
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Borneo Post
London's V&A museum opens vast 'on-demand' storehouse to public for free
Princess Catherine talks with V&A director Tristram Hunt as he shows her round the V&A East Storehouse, a brand-new cultural destination in east London, on June 10, 2025. — AFP photo LONDON (June 12): Imagine being able to visit a museum and examine up close thousand-year-old pottery, revel alone in jewellery from centuries past, or peer inside a Versace bag. Now London's V&A has launched a revolutionary new exhibition space, where visitors can choose from some 250,000 objects, order something they want to spend time looking at, and have it delivered to a room for a private viewing. Most museums have thousands of precious and historic items hidden away in their stores, which the public never gets to see or enjoy. But the V&A Storehouse, which opened on May 31 in a specially converted warehouse, has come up with a radical new concept. And it is totally free. 'Museums should be and are for everybody … the V&A's collection is for everybody. It belongs to everybody, and everyone should be able to have free, equitable, and meaningful access to it,' said senior curator Georgia Haseldine. 'So this is a world first, never has anyone been able to be invited freely, without having to book into the same space as a national collection, on this scale.' One fifth of the museum's total collection is now available to be viewed and enjoyed in the four-storey building on the former site of the 2012 London Olympic Games. – No protective glass – 'It's fantastic, it's so much better than an ordinary museum,' enthused retired physics teacher Jane Bailey as she toured the floors. 'I'm just really, really impressed by it. We've only just heard about it, but it's phenomenal.' She was transfixed by the sight of the black and red drum kit which belonged to Keith Moon, from the band The Who, saying it would be great to be able to resuscitate the legendary drummer who died in 1978, to play a set for them. Jostling for space, side-by-side on shelves in a massive hanger which resembles a DIY commercial warehouse and stretches for more than 30 basketball courts, are everything from ceramics and tapestries, to paintings and toys from the Tudor period. There is even the whole 15th-century gilded wooden ceiling from the now-lost Torrijos Palace, and the Kaufmann Office, a panelled room which is the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior outside of the United States. Hanging on display is the stunning stage front cloth made for 'Le Train Bleu' – a copy of a Pablo Picasso painting it was specially designed for the 1924 Ballets Russes production. At 12 metres, its huge size means it has rarely been seen since its stage debut. There is no protective glass. The Princess of Wales talks with senior fashion and textiles curator Oriole Cullen, and director of Collections Care and Access Kate Parsons, as she is shown a 19th Century Riding Habit, during a visit to the V&A East Storehouse. — AFP photo One of the first visitors to the Storehouse was Princess Catherine, a patron of the V&A and keen art lover, who took a tour on Tuesday. She described the collection as 'eclectic' as she used the 'order an object' system to look at a samples book from renowned 19th century English textiles designer William Morris as well as rolls of ornate textiles and a musical instrument. All the works are available to the public seven days a week, and can be reserved via an online booking system for a private viewing at a date and time of your choice. Members of staff are on hand paying close attention as visitors don purple gloves and satisfy their curiosity, spending time with the object of their choice. – 'Love letter' – It's a huge departure from the usual admonishment of 'Don't touch!' found in most museums seeking to protect their objects from damage. Curator Haseldine acknowledged 'we have certainly met with some levels of scepticism and worry'. But she said once the idea was explained properly including 'how meaningful it is to … start to open up and give collections back to a community … people just start to think creatively about how we can do this'. American national Manuel Garza living in London said he thought the V&A Storehouse was 'one of the most interesting spaces that just opened up here in London'. Haseldine said 'this building is a love letter to objects'. 'To be able to see around the back of an object, to be able to look inside a dress, to be able to see the bottom of a pot, all these things are how we really learn about our material culture,' she added. Expert Kate Hill, who teaches cultural history at Lincoln University, said 'it's pretty unusual for museums to open up their storehouses'. 'Most of the time they offer some 'behind the scene' tour, but their objects are not accessible. It's visible but not accessible.' Visitor Jane Bailey said: 'I would hope that this is the museum of the future, because some are very, very stuffy. We went to one recently and it was excruciating.' — AFP
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kate Middleton Steps Out in Heels Despite Museum's Dress Code Advice: 'She Is a Pro'
Kate Middleton wore a pair of heels at the new V&A East Storehouse in East London despite the museum's recommendation that guests wear "flat shoes" while visiting Known for her signature style, Kate has never shied away from stilettos 'She is a pro! She dealt with that!' Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A tells PEOPLEKate Middleton preferred to keep it chic with her go-to stilettos on her latest royal outing. The Princess of Wales, 43, visited the new V&A East Storehouse in East London on Tuesday, June 10, where she arrived dressed in a royal blue suit and a pair of sleek black heels. While Kate looked elegant in her outfit, her footwear didn't technically fit the dress code at the storehouse, which is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum. "We recommend wearing practical clothing and flat shoes," the V&A East Storehouse's website reads. "The metal grid flooring is not suitable for stilettos or kitten heels." Kate confidently navigated the visit in her sleek heels, which marked her first public royal engagement since returning from a half-term break with children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7. Speaking to PEOPLE following Kate's outing, Tristram Hunt, the director of the V&A, said of Kate's chosen footwear: 'She is a pro! She dealt with that!' The visit also aligned with Kate's personal interest in art; she graduated from the University of St Andrews with a degree in art history in 2005. 'It went really well. She was really really focused on the objects, it is really impressive," Hunt continued. 'She had a super energy. She was very energetic and focussed. We last saw her about two years ago," he added." She retains this great passion and interest in creativity and making and design. It was wonderful to be able to host her.' While Kate's trip to the V&A East Storehouse went off without a hitch on Tuesday, she wasn't so lucky while wearing heels during a visit to a new addiction treatment center in Wickford back in 2018. At the time, the princess — who was seven months pregnant — got one of her black heels stuck in a metal drain. Kate kept her sense of humor despite the snafu, and laughed as she pulled her foot out of the grate and greeted staff from the Action on Addiction Community Treatment center. Heels are a staple of Kate's wardrobe. She's bravely worn them while walking on grass at one of Prince William's polo matches, and took workout style to new heights when she wore heels to the gym while visiting the Coach Core program in Essex. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! As much as the princess loves a good heel, she admitted she was relieved to take a brief break from her go-to shoe style while attending an outing with the Scouts at their headquarters outside of London in 2019. While she planted a sapling oak at Gilwell Park during her visit, she remarked, "Normally I have to do this in high heels, this is much easier!" Read the original article on People
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Catherine visits behind the scenes at museum stores
The Princess of Wales has visited the Victoria and Albert Museum's storehouse in East London, seeing a project that wants to make the museum's huge collection available to a wider range of people. The museum, which has its main building in South Kensington, has more than 600,000 objects in newly-opened store rooms at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Catherine had a behind-the-scenes tour, where she praised how the public will be able to get a closer view of more of the museum's historic items. The V&A East Storehouse is a purpose-built arts storage centre, intended to widen access and "unlock" the collection of art, design and fashion items, much of which is not usually on display. "What a fantastic idea to have all these pieces to learn from - so they're not just behind the scenes and stored away somewhere. You can see them in person and up close," said Catherine. "What an opportunity for everyone to see historic pieces first hand," she said, praising the "eclectic" collection. Catherine was shown around the store's cavernous rooms by the museum's director Tristram Hunt and she saw examples of conservation work on textiles in the collection. Mr Hunt showed the princess some examples of textiles by the Victorian designer, William Morris, and she said how much she liked the foliage design. She spoke to the museum director about how some of the historic textiles on show could still look contemporary. The museum stores, free to visitors, has an "order an object" service which allows visitors to book an appointment to see an object close up and get information about it from museum staff. According to royal sources, the purpose of the visit was to highlight the importance of creative opportunity and to celebrate the "power of creativity". Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Princess Kate's Latest Royal Outing Is a Tribute to One of Her Biggest Passions
Kate Middleton made a solo visit to a new satellite location of one of her favorite museums in London The Princess of Wales, 43, spotlighted the joy and inspiration found within the world-famous V&A's vast archives Her visit comes amid a busy stretch of royal engagements, including the upcoming Trooping the Colour celebrationKate Middleton is championing the joy of creativity — and the transformative power of art. The Princess of Wales, 43, stepped out in East London on June 10 to visit the new V&A East Storehouse, a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum that offers unprecedented public access to more than 500,000 objects spanning fashion, film, visual art, design and performance. It marked her first public royal engagement since returning from a half-term break with her three children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10 and Prince Louis, 7 — and came just days after she hosted a meeting at Windsor Castle with staff from her early childhood foundation. During Tuesday's engagement, Kate toured the East Storehouse behind the scenes, observing how pieces in the museum's vast archive are collected, conserved and displayed. Wherever possible, glass barriers have been removed to allow visitors to get closer than ever to the historic works. Following the outing, Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, told PEOPLE: 'It was about celebrating the opening of the Storehouse and it was about our royal patron championing what we're doing here in terms of art and design and creativity and getting young people involved in the creative industry, and celebrating the breadth and enormity of the collection." 'Her Royal Highness was really interested and knowledgeable, particularly around textiles, around some of the woven silk material from William Morris, looking at some of the wallpapers," he added. "She's got both great passion and interest in material culture, so for her I think it was also a really enjoyable visit.' A longtime advocate for the arts, Kate studied Art History at St. Andrews University — where she famously met Prince William — and has been patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum since 2018. In 2023, she helped open the Young V&A, a vibrant museum tailored to children ages 0 to 14, complete with three hands-on galleries: Play, Imagine and Design. During that launch, Kate delighted in interacting with schoolchildren who helped shape the museum's redevelopment. 'She was brilliant with the children,' V&A director Tristram Hunt told PEOPLE at the time that the Princess of Wales was "brilliant" with the children. '[It] is about collaboration and cooperation and communication — all of the things that have been under such pressure during COVID," he said at the time. "This space is where children can get together and work together through play.' It was a visit that echoed past moments in her royal work — like when she joined a group of schoolchildren for a learning experience at the National Portrait Gallery earlier this year, even hopping aboard their school bus. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Next up, the Princess of Wales is expected to rejoin the rest of the royal family for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 14, the annual military parade celebrating King Charles' birthday. While Prince William, 42, will ride on horseback in his role as honorary colonel of the Welsh Guards, Kate will ride in a carriage alongside their children. The day traditionally concludes with a flypast by the Royal Air Force watched by the royal family from the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Read the original article on People
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Catherine goes behind the scenes at museum stores
The Princess of Wales has visited the Victoria and Albert Museum's storehouse in East London, as it opens its vast collection to more museum, which has its main building in South Kensington, has more than 600,000 objects in newly-opened store rooms at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic had a behind-the-scenes tour, where she praised how the public will be able to get a close view of so many historic V&A East Storehouse is a purpose-built museum store, intended to widen access and "unlock" its huge collection of art, design and fashion items, much of which is not usually on display. "What a fantastic idea to have all these pieces to learn from - so they're not just behind the scenes and stored away somewhere. You can see them in person and up close," said Catherine."What an opportunity for everyone to see historic pieces first hand," she said, praising the "eclectic" was shown around the store's cavernous rooms by the museum's director Tristram Hunt and she saw examples of conservation work on textiles in the Hunt showed the princess some examples of textiles by the Victorian designer, William Morris, and she said how much she liked the foliage spoke to the museum director about how some of the historic textiles on show could still look museum stores, free to visitors, has an "order an object" service which allows visitors to book an appointment to see an object close up and get information about it from museum to royal sources, the purpose of the visit was to highlight the importance of creative opportunity and to celebrate the "power of creativity". Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
