Contemporary museum practices: the case of the Victoria and Albert's Rapid Response Collection

In 2014 the Victoria and Albert Museum unveiled a new branch of curation – the Rapid Response Collection. Intended to exhibit modern art and design, it offers a far cry from the initial collection of the museum, comprised largely from the 1851 Great Exhibition. The Rapid Response Collection prides itself on two key aspects – the first, the extent to which it offers a reflection of contemporary art and design. The second – the transparency of curation, with each and every artefact acquired also put on display. This research is based on Pratt’s concept of the Contact Zone, a theory which suggests that the donor and exhibitor of an object occupy different parts of a power structure, applying the theory to the exhibition as a whole, the objects independently, and the online profile of the exhibition. The next focal point is Appadurai’s Social Life of Things, which suggests that objects have biographies independent to human entities. This is substantiated using a range of objects from...Show moreIn 2014 the Victoria and Albert Museum unveiled a new branch of curation – the Rapid Response Collection. Intended to exhibit modern art and design, it offers a far cry from the initial collection of the museum, comprised largely from the 1851 Great Exhibition. The Rapid Response Collection prides itself on two key aspects – the first, the extent to which it offers a reflection of contemporary art and design. The second – the transparency of curation, with each and every artefact acquired also put on display. This research is based on Pratt’s concept of the Contact Zone, a theory which suggests that the donor and exhibitor of an object occupy different parts of a power structure, applying the theory to the exhibition as a whole, the objects independently, and the online profile of the exhibition. The next focal point is Appadurai’s Social Life of Things, which suggests that objects have biographies independent to human entities. This is substantiated using a range of objects from the collection. Further to this, the impact of the curator is considered with regards to how an exhibition is curated through analysis of the work of O’Neill. This is supported with reference to my interview with Corinna Gardner, curator of the Rapid Response Collection from Sandell’s perspective on the space of Social Justice in Museums. The final chapters focus on the status of the audience, considering first the way in which different groups who are often excluded from the narrative find a space in the Rapid Response Collection. The final chapter looks to the Social Media Profile of the collection, utilising Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to support this. Overall, I note various successes of the collection, especially the representation of groups who are often excluded from the narrative, and the promising Social Media profile of the collection. I consider the way in which various changes, such as a renewed Social Media campaign, may increase the overall access and reputation of the collection.Show less

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Contemporary museum practices: the case of the Victoria and Albert's Rapid Response Collection