CURATORS at the V&A Dundee have revealed new exhibits as anticipation grows ahead of the opening of the world-class museum next weekend.
Some 300 pieces showcasing Scotland’s contribution to textiles and fashion will be included in the Scottish Design Galleries. Some of the pieces unveiled today include a 2015 Christopher Kane dress donated by the designer, a knitted “ski ensemble” from 1968 by Pringle, and a Bill Gibb dress from the 1970s printed in fabric by Liberty and Co.
Joanna Norman, lead curator of the Scottish Design Galleries, said the objects “represent a wide range of design disciplines and tell the fascinating story of Scotland’s design history”.
She added: “The influence that Scotland has had, and continues to have, on the world of fashion is truly remarkable. From the global adoption of fabrics such as tartans and Harris Tweed, to the enduring popularity of Paisley patterns and Fair Isle jumpers, the impact of Scottish design on fashion is as impressive as it is wide-ranging.”
Tickets for the opening weekend of the V&A Dundee have sold out, with the public able to visit without a ticket from Monday, September 17.
Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend the 3D Festival next weekend, with headliners Primal Scream kicking off the celebrations.
The V&A Dundee project has been 11 years in the making, costing £80.1 million and is the first building in the UK designed by renowned Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Associates. The “living room for the city” has been hailed already for its groundbreaking design, opening up the waterfront area along the River Tay. Dundee was chosen in part as the venue for the exhibiting arm of the V&A because of the rich textile heritage of the city.
Professor of architecture at the University of Dundee, Graeme Hutton, who sat on the jury panel for the museum and who has been closely involved with the project, told the Sunday National that the building is truly remarkable.
“I’ve had a trip around it about a month ago – the building is magnificent, it’s a world-class building in Dundee by an extremely significant architect, it is amazing.
“There’s no question this is a world-class project. You just look at the design world and all top journals from the United States, Japan and in China are all amazingly interested in the building, and the institution that’s housed inside it.”
Hutton said the city could reap huge benefits from the project. “Having the bravery to position the V&A on the fantastic setting of the Tay with an international architect and a cultural institution like this is a major thing for a medium-sized city like Dundee.”
Other cities that have made investments in cultural institutions – known as the “Bilbao Effect” because of the boost to the run-down Spanish city after the opening of Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum – have reaped economic rewards but have also seen a ripple effect of cultural connections flowing from key projects. In recent years Liverpool has welcomed the Tate, designed by James Stirling, and Margate, the Turner Contemporary by David Chipperfield.
Hutton continued: “For Dundee the interesting thing is that the V&A will help galvanize a lot of latent things we have already like the gaming industry and comics.
“So I would like to see the concept of a comics museum coming to life now as there is a fantastic archive culture, and if we link that now to print and digital media we could have another significant cultural offering for Dundee. That campaign is well under way.
“I think that wider economic challenges are always put forward as reasons not to do things or to add worry to ideas around cultural redevelopment, but places like Margate and Tate Modern and Liverpool give a lot of evidence about economic benefits coming from cultural regeneration.”
The finished building has delighted Hutton, adding: “It’s a special building, it has a real presence. So I think that people will really appreciate the building as a wonderful space from next weekend and it will stop being an object and become something completely different. I can’t wait for people to experience it.”
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