Designed with and for children under the age of 14, Young V&A is opening on 1 July in London’s Bethnal Green following a £13 million redevelopment.
Dedicated to children and young people, the new museum features myriad hands-on experiences, including sensory playscapes and a finger skateboard park.
It also offers an ‘Imagination Playground’ construction zone, a performance and storytelling stage, an open design studio, and a sandpit.
“In new galleries and exhibitions, from early years spaces to teenage games design rooms, our plan is to foster Britain’s next generation of artists, thinkers, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs,” said Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A.
“Young V&A is an incredibly special museum,” added Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow.
“As a major new destination for children and young people and their grown-ups, it exists to inspire young people to find their creative superpowers, and as a space for people to come together in Bethnal Green.”
Formerly the V&A Museum of Childhood, Young V&A is home to curated spaces for babies, children and teenagers, as well as family-friendly exhibitions, and a programme of free events.
Highlights include an interactive Minecraft installation in the game design space, called ‘The Arcade’, and new murals by street artist and ‘doodle warrior’ Mark Malarko.
“Young V&A is a clarion call for the vital importance of creativity in children and young people’s lives,” said Helen Charman, the director of Young V&A.
The inaugural exhibition, ‘Japan: Myths to Manga’, debuts on 14 October. It takes guests on an exciting and atmospheric journey through Japanese history, exploring how landscape and folklore have influenced pop culture, technology and design.
Spaces for babies, children and teenagers
Alongside sensory attractions and activities, the exhibition features Studio Ghibli films such as My Neighbor Totoro (1988) and Ponyo (2008), and lots of Pokémon.
Actor and writer, Emma Thompson, said the museum will “make its thrilling and essential contribution to our young people, whose access to arts, culture, and design opportunities, both in school and out, has been so impoverished by decades of underfunding”.
Philippa Simpson, the V&A’s director of design, estate and public programme, added: “In creating Young V&A we were set a challenge by our young audiences, to create the world’s most joyful museum.
“From the start, we involved children in every aspect of the process.”
Meanwhile, the V&A has acquired a huge 80,000-piece archive of material from the estate of David Bowie, which will go on display in a new centre at V&A East.
Images: V&A
