Our work – Research Institute

Research is deeply embedded in the V&A’s institutional culture, as we strive to promote knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world. Our research projects and research-led teaching inform and are informed by the breadth of the V&A’s collections and practices.

Research projects

Current project

Future Ecologies of Clay

Future Ecologies of Clay addresses the challenges of UK museums in collecting ephemeral, live, performative, site-specific and participatory works in clay. The project seeks to ensure that artworks in the ‘expanded field of clay’ can be identified, explored and analysed in the future.

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Current project

Early Career Fellowships in Cultural and Heritage Institutions

Generously supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), eight early career research fellows are undertaking research projects, each hosted by an Independent Research Organisation (IRO). The V&A is acting as the Cohort Coordination and Development team for this fellowship scheme.

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Current project

Provenance Research at the V&A

The V&A is actively engaged in provenance research. We continually seek to learn more about the origins of objects, books and archives in our care, and to share this knowledge openly and transparently. We are particularly committed to examining colonial and Nazi-era provenance in our collections.

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See our research projects

Research outputs

An archive of shelves with folders on, a woman is reading between them

Online

Unearthed

‘Unearthed’ is a poetry film by Amina Jama. It responds to items in the V&A’s archive showcasing stereotypical depictions of people of colour throughout time.

More info

Online

Chinese Iconography Thesaurus

The Chinese Iconography Thesaurus combines sinology, art history and information studies to create the first thesaurus of Chinese iconography, a valuable research tool enhancing the accessibility and understanding of Chinese art. The CIT was launched with a grant from DCMS and subsequent sponsorship from the Bei Shan Tang Foundation.

More info

Online

Mapping Glastonbury

The V&A is home to the Glastonbury Festival Archive, an extraordinary collection of objects, sounds, sights and memories that encapsulate Glastonbury Festival. To open up the archive and bring it to life, we have collaborated with digital agency We Are Freak to develop a fully immersive and interactive map of the Festival.

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See our research outputs

Academic programmes

Over the past 40 years, the V&A has been sector-leading in the development of museum-delivered postgraduate education, by establishing, with the Royal College of Art, the world’s first MA and PhD programme in the History of Design in 1982.

Open access publishing

The V&A/UCL Press titles aim to share new, high-quality research relating to the V&A’s collections and practices, and to ensure that this research reaches as wide a global readership as possible through open access. While the research draws directly on V&A projects, each V&A/UCL Press title offers a critical reflection on issues of wider relevance to the cultural and heritage sector and to academic disciplines ranging from art history to museum studies to education.

See our books here.

Highlights

Find out more about upcoming V&A Research Institute events and outputs

Study Day: Provenance Revealed – Silver from Toro, Spain // 21 May 2026 (online and in-person)

Join experts from Spain and the UK as they uncover the dramatic story of a magnificent piece of Spanish silver in the V&A’s collection, and trace its journey through the tumultuous world of the early 1900s European art market. Speakers include D. José Navarro Talegón, who made the connection between the theft and the museum, Martin Levy (Director, H. Blairman & Sons and member of the UK Government Spoliation Panel), and Jonathan Ruffer (philanthropist and founder of the Spanish Gallery, the first UK gallery devoted to the art of 16th and 17th century Spain).

Book Launch: Mosaics and Micromosaics: Art, Craft and Identities // 25 June 2026

Join Alice Minter and Simona Valeriani for an exploration of the intricate and much beloved art of mosaics, from ancient Roman Villas to contemporary Tube stations. This evening, which includes after-hours access to the newly reopened Gilbert Galleries, celebrates the launch of 'Mosaics and Micromosaics: Art, Craft and Identities', supported by the Gilbert Trust for the Arts. Richly illustrated and wide-ranging, the book traces the craft from its origins through Renaissance Venice and nineteenth-century London to the upheavals of the twentieth century.

Cover of a book showing a cut-through of the Royal Albert Hall

New Publication: Simona Valeriani, The Royal Albert Hall

Simona Valeriani’s book tells the fascinating story of how The Royal Albert Hall, one of the most iconic buildings of the Victorian era, came into being. Bringing material and archival evidence to life, it gives voice to its makers: from artisans and engineers to royalty and policy makers. The Royal Albert Hall reveals itself as a gateway to a new understanding of the political, artistic and scientific aspirations of a generation whose legacy still shapes today’s social and cultural landscape.

Our research journal

The V&A Research Journal is now available again – and we plan new issues in the forthcoming months.

'Unearthed: An Interview with the Archive' by Amina Jama

‘Unearthed’ is a poetry film by Amina Jama. It responds to the V&A’s archive showcasing stereotypical depictions of people of colour throughout time.