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
Artist Fellowships – VARI / V&A East in collaboration with Bow Arts Trust
Artists Adam Moore and Laura Wilson are examining and responding to the histories and practices of making, manufacturing and materials in Newham. Based at Bow Arts’ studio in Royal Albert Wharf, they are investigating local ecologies and our relationship to nature within the urban environment.
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.
Current project
Hubs, Nodes and Networks: a new history of British digital art
This project funded by the Paul Mellon Centre, explores the relationships between digital art practitioners, communities, and institutions in Britain from 1960s to the present. It considers the V&A’s Computer Arts Society archive and collection as a central resource.
Research outputs
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.
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.
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.
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.
Read more about about our programmes.
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
