V&A East Storehouse

Some weeks ago, I visited the V&A East Storehouse, located in the Olympic Park in East London, to view five objects that I had selected from the museum’s extensive catalogue. The range of choice was vast: textiles, clocks, drawings, coins, furniture, fashion, crockery, watches, hats, statues, glass, paintings, shoes, armour, cameras, and much more. There are half a million objects to choose from.

Many of these types of artefacts are already familiar to the public, whether through museum collections, books, or the internet. What made this visit special was the opportunity to see the objects up close and, most importantly, to handle them for myself. Direct engagement reveals details and qualities that images alone can never capture.

After washing and drying my hands and putting on protective gloves, two members of staff began unpacking a nineteenth century Brazilian poncho. They explained the cloth used to make the poncho, the date of its acquisition by the museum, and its provenance. Then they allowed me to touch the fabric. The same procedure was followed with a Parisian coffee pot from the eighteenth century, which needed additional advice on how it should be safely handled.

Touching objects matters for more than simple curiosity. It activates memory, anchors abstract ideas in real, physical experience, and helps us make stronger connections with what we are learning. Through touch, we notice weight, temperature, and texture — qualities invisible to the eye. This embodied form of learning creates a more lasting relationship between us and the objects under study.

The East Storehouse functions both as a storehouse and a museum. Its architectural and conceptual approach is comparable to other contemporary storage-museums, such as Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in the Netherlands and the Brooklyn Museum in the US. These institutions address one of the long-standing criticisms of museums: the question of visibility. The storehouse concept proposes a more transparent and accessible way of displaying objects, challenging traditional hierarchies of collection, categorisation, and public access.

Many of the objects in the East Storehouse will be familiar to regular museum visitors. However, the presentation differs significantly from conventional museum displays. There are no vitrines, no physical barriers such as lines or alarms, and no special lighting. Rather there are rows and rows of shelves stacked with simply labelled items. This openness encourages a direct, personal encounter with each object, allowing visitors to engage with the collection in ways that traditional display formats rarely permit.

Among the most impressive pieces on view was the façade of a flat from the former Robin Hood Estate in Poplar, an example of Brutalist modern architecture originally built to provide social housing. Other highlights were the Kaufmann Office, the only complete Frank Lloyd Wright interior to exist outside the United States, and the fifteenth-century gilded wooden ceiling salvaged from the long-lost Torrijos Palace in Toledo, Spain.

The V&A Storehouse is a new and innovative addition to London’s collection of museums, and not surprisingly there were queues of people in E20, waiting for their chance to see the collection close-up, as never before. Ordering objects beforehand, allows the visitor the opportunity to see and handle works in a small study room, with expert advice from the staff.  Whether you pick familiar and favourite items, or you choose randomly from the vast collection listed online, you will not be disappointed by this novel museum experience.

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Ana Teles for London Art Walk
September 2025