My V&A research experiences
June to September
Beginning with no idea of the right « web page » to look at to find the archives objects, I began by surfing on the V&A website…
STEP 1 - Location of the Archives Catalog
I typed «V&A Blythe House » in Google’s browser and came across that page:
and « V&A archives » on Google or « Archives » on the V&A website browser, both leading to:
That first experience has been very confusing for me because I was expecting the archives catalog to be separated from the exhibited collections.
STEP 2 - Browse the catalog
Once in the « Catalog » I have been confused once more, this time about the geographic locations of the objects.
How could I find objects specially from the Blythe House as it is necessary to make a choice on the website before booking an appointment?
That point is still mysterious for me but I just decided to get over the location and just pick some objects.
After the visit at the Blythe House, I wished I would have been able to look closer at architecture drawings and textiles archives.
So I typed in the catalog browser :
« Drawing architecture »
« Plan architecture »
« Architecture »
« Drawings »
In the first instance, I looked at the different elements proposed on the page, I selected the ones with the most attractive points for me (because of their colors, shape, names) and I opened their description page in new tabs.
Secondly, I looked at every object and closed the tabs that I was not interested in because of their shape, composition, technique of drawing, drawing material, color, style, etc.
Thirdly, when I really liked an object I typed the name of the artist in the catalog browser to look at other pieces.
Eg. I looked drawings of William Morris and found interesting watercolors
So I typed « Architecture Watercolor » and just « Watercolor » and started the same process again.
During this objects research, same point already highlighted by Brook: a lot of objects are not pictured and didn’t inspire any attraction for my research as I was not looking for a piece in particular.
STEP 3 - Choose the objects
I finally made a list of the objects I was interested in, and picked 5 objects to look at, coming from the same location : the « Prints and Drawings Study Room ».
Here was my final list:
Object 1 : Architectural drawing
Museum number: E.9:16-2001
Gallery location: Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D, case ABOVE 115LL, box LL31
Object 2 : Palais de Cristal de Saint Cloud
Museum number: E.10-1937
Gallery location: Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E, case DD, shelf 26
Object 3 : Vue De La Porte Et Détails Des Boutiques De lOkél De Qayd-Bey
Museum number: SD.272:32
Gallery location: Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D, case 90, shelf 8
Object 4 : Unterschiedliche Architectonische Risse und Anleitungen; Plan et elevation de diverses Maisons de plaisance et de Campagne
Museum number: E.785-1991
Gallery location: Prints & Drawings Study Room, level D, case EO, shelf 133
Object 5 : Traveller's Palm Batavia. Japan
Museum number: E.208:182-1994
Gallery location: Prints & Drawings Study Room, level H, case X, shelf 77, box A
STEP 4 - Visit to look at the archives
Once on the site, I have been able to look at other artists works and independent pieces of work that were stored in the same book/file than one of my objects.
Took lots of picture.
STEP 5 - Other research
- I made a visit to the Science Museum.
- I did research about technology and communication
From looking at the « Louvres audioguide » Iphone application,
passing by the anti-electromagnetic textiles,
to watch movies like:
- Transcendence (about the technological « Singularity ». The concept and issues around the time when artificial intelligence will surpass human)
also interesting exhibition from 2013 Internationale Biennial of Design St-etienne - about the same concept:
- Robot & Frank (2012 movie about the emotional implication of humans in technologies).
- I also found really interesting the article posted by Brook about the record collectors.
It made me think about the notion of archives and archiving, the emotional aspect of collecting the objects , and situations where the collecting process is not a « hobbie » anymore but becomes invasive, obsessive, even a disease (Syllogomania, Hoarding).
After my reading it made me have a look on William Randolph Hearst and his Hearst Castle in California.
You can found out more about him at:
more about the castle collections:
I learned that W.R.Hearst edited Little Nemo in Slumberland into one of his newspaper.
Slumberland made me think to the V&A Museum as a fantasy land where every door opens to a new world.
In this project I would like to highlight the point of looking at the archives and reflecting what is not palpable in the archives world.
Objects are precious because they are antiquities or designed from a myth, or because of their rarity, fragility, unusual appearance, etc.
So to represent this idea, I did more research about the V&A to try to define its « soul ».
First by reading more about its history, specially in an architectural point of view.
Secondly, I found it could be interesting to use an old savoir-faire to illustrate that « archives soul » and did research about encyclopedias and medieval illuminations.
The V&A is specially famous because of the textiles and fashion collections. So I did lots more research about ways to work textile as tapestry, weaving and embroidery. And trying to find a way to highlight the precious and fragile aspect of the archives, I found out more about the Goldwork embroidery. Firstly through the V&A archives and secondly with Internet. 
Now I am searching a way to link the embroidery with the objects I saw (plans and architecture drawings) including a way to highlight the importance of the archives.
I began to draw few ideas and made some samples to search. Here I am at the moment. What about you?
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