Ahead of the launch on 1 July, Young V&A has unveiled its ‘Sound it Out’ display, which includes a collaboration with Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho.
‘Sound it Out’ is an A-Z of the V&A‘s art, design and performance collections. As well as Coelho, authors Valerie Bloom, Liz Brownlee, Bob Raczka and Michael Rosen have contributed to the display.
They have all created original poems inspired by objects on display in Young V&A’s Play gallery, including glass apples, Beatrix Potter’s beetle sketches, a 16th century bronze octopus sculpture, and a 1960s doll’s house.
“Poetry and wordplay are wonderful ways of helping young people learn language skills and develop their own creative curiosity,” said Coelho.
“There is a magic in poetry, it has the power to show children that their words and the worlds they create are worth a seat at the table.
“I had such fun using the fascinating objects in this display to inspire my writing and hope together they will inspire future budding poets.”
Young V&A has also announced its free summer festival, which takes place on 8 and 9 July and offers creative activities, performances and the chance to create a large-scale art installation.
Young V&A announces summer festival
The new museum in Bethnal Green, London is designed with and for children and young teenagers. It is home to more than 2,000 objects across three galleries – Play, Imagine and Design.
Highlights include sensory playscapes, an optical illusion room, a finger skateboard park, and an arcade-style space.
“At Young V&A we have reimagined the way national collections can be used to connect with younger audiences – displaying objects in new ways to support early learning and inspire creativity,” said Helen Charman, director of Young V&A.
On the Sound it Out display, she added: “Playing creatively with letters, words and numbers is a great way to support language development, social connections and meaning making.”
Meanwhile, the V&A is starting the relocation of 250,000 objects, 1,000 archives and 350,000 books to its new home at V&A East Storehouse.
Images: V&A / Jamie Stoker
