In 2007 the V&A Museum celebrated the 150th anniversary of its opening in South Kensington. Ian Cartlidge
was one of 150 leading designers, architects, photographers, fashion designers and artists from around the world invited by the V&A to contribute a page to an anniversary album.
Each contributor was asked to convey, in words or images, what
the V&A means to them on a sheet of landscape paper. Ian created a page which portrays ornate Victorian
motifs in a fresh and modern context, arranged like precious objects in
a museum case. The motifs were screen-printed in fluorescent colours, representing the inspiration that the V&A collection continues to provide
to today’s designers.
The 150th anniversary album was displayed in the museum’s foyer and each page was projected onto the wall above. The album can also be seen on the V&A’s website and the original is held in the museum’s archive.
