V&A Museums in London (Heba Abdellatif Mohamed, Egypt, ITP 2024)
Written by Heba Abdellatif Mohamed, Curator & Keeper, Egyptian Museum, Cairo (Egypt, ITP 2024)
Every excursion within the ITP programme is akin to an adventure for me, offering valuable experiences and joy. Our journey today took us to the renowned Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London, one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. We arrived early, before the museum opened its doors to visitors, allowing us time to capture the moment through photographs.
We were warmly welcomed by the exceptional team at the V&A, who led us through a tour of the museum galleries. The museum is amazing and very interesting for all art lovers whether their interest be sculpture, painting, architecture, fashion, photography… and all from different countries like China, Japan, India and the Islamic World. Following this, we were treated to an enlightening presentation by Dr. Nick Marchand, offering insights into the museum’s history, activities, exhibitions, and location. Dr. Oliver Cox further elaborated on the academic partnerships fostered within the museum.
Accompanied by my friends Heba Alders, Roqaya Al Shokri, Heba Amer, Abdulrhman Ayad, and our photographer Vinay Kumar Singh, we delved into the museum’s collections. Our exploration led us to the jewelry gallery, housing an incredible treasure trove dating back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, with pieces from 1500 BC to 2000 AD. Subsequently, we visited the exhibition “Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection.”
Our next destination was Bethnal Green. After bidding farewell to the V&A, we boarded the tube to the Young V&A. This dynamic space caters not only to children but also to adults and families, encouraging imagination, play, and design. We were greeted by Alex Newson, who told us about the museum, its target audience, and strategies aimed at creating engaging learning experiences for families and children. In my opinion, the museum well deserved to be chosen as the museum of the year 2024.
I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit the “Japan: Myths to Manga” exhibition, which elucidates how landscape and folklore have influenced Japanese art, technology, and design.
As my tour with Roqaya drew to a close, we met Vinay and Doris, sharing moments of joy and play, momentarily wishing to revisit our childhood and frequent this museum.
These museums rank among the best that I have ever visited. I thoroughly enjoyed my time while learning from the passionate staff and discovering best practices.