FuturePlan updates
FuturePlan updates
News and updates from FuturePlan projects.
Thursday, April 25, 2013 - 16:43
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The majority of our work is not as dramatically visible as the decanting and stripping out of the galleries. The main hub of activity has been happening outside the galleries - in offices, store rooms, libraries, archives and conservation studios. Here we research, develop and refine new content for the galleries.We have recently reached the significant point in the project of confirming the...
Friday, February 22, 2013 - 11:34
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This second blog entry follows the exciting (and relieving!) recent news that our project has been successful in our bid to the HLF (Heritage Lottery Fund) for funding to support the completion of the galleries. As well as a reason for celebration, this achievement provides a good moment to briefly reflect on how far the project has already come since its initial inception back in November 2009....
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 - 13:48
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The Europe 1600-1800 Galleries are a series of seven galleries running between the Museum’s two main entrances in Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road. Their renovation is a part of FuturePlan, a Museum-wide project to create beautiful and contemporary new settings for the V&A’s outstanding collections, while restoring much of the building’s original architecture and improving...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - 09:50
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By Mariam Rosser-Owen, Curator Middle East
Among the two-dimensional casts that will eventually be displayed in Gallery 46 – the corridor that runs between the two Cast Courts – is an interesting selection of architectural decoration from two major Islamic centres: the Alhambra in Granada, the palace built by the Nasrid rulers of Islamic Spain in the 14th century; and Cairo in...
Thursday, January 12, 2012 - 13:34
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By Reena Suleman, Project Coordinator at the V&AContinuing the process of revealing the ‘hidden gems’ of the Cast Courts, attention has recently turned towards understanding the original decorative scheme(s). Tried and tested methods of paint sampling and analysis have been the principal tools for this work although it has also been possible to incorporate knowledge gained from...
Friday, December 23, 2011 - 13:32
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By Nicola Costaras, Head Paintings ConservatorMengs’ copy of Raphael’s School of Athens was painted in 1755 as one of a series of exemplary works for the gallery at Northumberland House. It was damaged both by a fire there in 1868 and in the subsequent salvage operation.falseThere is minute blistering of the paint surface in places particularly the upper right area of the painting....
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 - 22:10
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By Beatrice McDermott, Intern in the Sculpture section.
As an intern at the V&A my main task has been locating photographs of the original sculpture that has been cast and displayed in our magnificent Cast Courts. I have scoured the V&A, starting in the Sculpture section’s image bank and then moving on to the seemingly bottomless pit of the Prints and Drawing Study Room’s...
Friday, November 11, 2011 - 21:38
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By Melanie Vandenbrouck-Przybylski
This week, I am introducing you to Martin Welsh, one of the technicians working on the Cast Court project and whose ‘magic’ operates in the beautiful frame-supports he builds to facilitate object moves and safe storage.
Martin joined the V&A in November 2010, after spending three and a half years building exhibitions at the Imperial...
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - 12:22
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By Sofia Marques, Sculpture Conservator at the V&A
The practical work on this collection of objects is now progressing. This follows the initial assessments of the condition of each object.
The conservation is split between:
- a metal conservator, who looks at the electrotypes - an example is the great Baptistery doors known as the Gates of Paradise in gall. 46B, made of gilded...
Friday, October 21, 2011 - 13:08
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By Melanie Vandenbrouck-Przybylski
If you’ve recently been to the V&A and walked over the Gilbert Bayes Gallery of Sculpture which runs mid-height between the two Cast Courts, you will have seen that the Italian side has been cleared of the majority of its casts.
This was done to both protect the objects from the renovation works and to make space for these works to...