Construction starts on the V&A East Museum permanent galleries

Since Summer 2022, JA Projects alongside graphic design studio A Practice for Everyday Life and artist Larry Achiampong, have been working to design two permanent galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s new east London outpost and the circulation spaces that connect them.

The £2.3m project exists within the O’Donnell + Tuomey designed building and is due to open in 2025 .

At the time of commissioning, JA Projects founding director Jayden Ali said:

‘We wanted to be part of a bold and ambitious project that seeks to dismantle historic barriers and foster new communities, and to contribute to V&A East’s mission to amplify the voices of the artists, designers and makers that have been overlooked by history.

At the heart of our proposal for V&A East Museum’s Why We Make galleries is a vision of the museum as “a museum between cultures” – a framing that honours the V&A’s heritage of presenting crafted narratives from across the globe, and also encapsulates the diversity of the four boroughs surrounding the Olympic Park.

East London means home for every member of our team. Larry Achiampong and I grew up together in Bethnal Green and the A Practice for Everyday Life studio is located there. We’re honoured to contribute to east London, the place of our grandparents, parents, children and friends.’

V&A East project director Claire McKeown said:

‘JA Projects, A Practice for Everyday Life and Larry Achiampong’s response to our Why We Make galleries design brief was fantastic. Their passion for east London and to create inclusive spaces, take an audience-first approach and embed sustainability within every step of their design process shone through.

We’re thrilled to have a team that includes an exciting emerging architecture practice, established 2D design talent and a thought-provoking artist. We can’t wait for them to challenge us with new approaches to museum display and ensure we’re putting the needs of our audiences first to create spaces where everyone feels welcome at V&A East Museum.’

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Read the article published in the Architect’s Journal at the time

Image credit: Early concept design for Our Place In The World section of V&A East Museum’s Why We Make Galleries © JA Projects. Image courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London