London’s long-awaited V & A East Storehouse museum is finally open, a stone’s throw from vibrant Hackney Wick, and, it’s safe to say, it’s been worth the wait. The younger, cooler sibling to the esteemed Victoria & Albert museum in South Kensington, the V & A East Storehouse is a radical reinvention of the museum experience. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, this museum/working warehouse offers the public an unrivalled access to the Victoria & Albert museum’s huge collection of 350,000 books, 250,000 objects and 1000 archive collections from across the world. There is an ever-changing selection of beautiful/iconic/special items to view over the museum’s three floors of transparent glass floors and perforated steel aisles. Items are grouped for visual aesthetics rather than any specific order or narrative. Items are also not labelled but info can be accessed via a QR code for each exhibit. This makes this museum experience quite different as it can be an exercise in the admiration of visual aesthetics and craftsmanship rather than knowledge gathering. The museum’s design also incorporates viewing platforms and mezzanines, allowing visitors to observe researchers and conservators at work, and even interact with them through live streams. Visitors can also uniquely pre-order anything in advance from the huge V & A collection for a personal viewing, free of charge. This September, The David Bowie Centre opens within the Storehouse. This will showcase Bowie’s archive as well as his influence on current creatives such as Lil Nas Ex.

This new method of curating is very democratic. And it works, in a fun, unpredictable manner. Priceless cultural treasures sit next to 1970s queer magazine covers and so on. There’s a decent selection of queer art, objects and memorabilia, spread randomly throughout the space, none of which I’d seen before. It’s a very inclusive presentation without feeling token, a rare achievement that many curators currently struggle with. One point of consideration is the source and acquisition of this vast collection of rare items. Many of the older exhibits were acquired by dubious means during Britain’s long imperial past. This came to mind during my visit, but didn’t bother me too much as the collection is perfectly preserved and accessible to everyone. It may, however, be triggering for some. Overall, however, it’s modern, fun, very eclectic, and an inspiring showcase – a beautiful sight for sore eyes. It’s also completely free, there’s no need to book in advance and the space is perfectly air-conditioned. A uniquely personal, generous experience. Well worth the trek to East London.