AN ELEPHANT made of lino, a Jacobite garter and a Dennis the Menace strip are among the first confirmed exhibits for Scotland’s new design museum.
Philip Long, director of the under-construction V&A Dundee, revealed 14 “fascinating objects” destined for the halls of the £80.1 million attraction when it opens in the second half of 2018.
Collections at the riverside site will take in hundreds of pieces, with some dating back centuries and others new to market. The sneak peak includes items set for the Scottish Design Galleries, which will “explore what is unique about Scotland’s design landscape, historically and today” and take in textiles, metalwork, fashion, architecture and more.
Joanna Norman, lead curator of the Scottish Design Galleries, said visitors will be “surprised and intrigued” by the results, stating: “The Scottish Design Galleries will transform people’s knowledge of Scotland’s legacy of design and innovation.
“It has taken several years of careful research to establish this unique collection of objects which together will tell a fascinating and relatively unknown story.”
Items revealed include a catalogue holder created by contemporary art giant Eduardo Paolozzi. The Leith artist was commissioned to make the promotional gift for Fife firm Nairn Floors in the early 1970s. Created from the very material it was promoting, the geometric elephant case opened to reveal the brochure.
It will sit alongside a garter embroidered around 1745 bearing the Stuart-supporting legend: “Our prince is brave our cause is just.”
A Dennis the Menace strip drawn by David Law for the Beano in 1960 has also been selected, as has a wearable device for hospital patients which aims to improve care, and a decorated book from the 15th century made in France for a Scottish owner.
Long said: “Scotland has an extraordinarily rich design heritage and continues to lead the way with creative and inspiring innovations.”
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