V&A South Kensington
Silver Galleries Discovery Area
2017

A project with Simon Leach Design
Interpretation by V&A
Build by MC Designers
Graphic printing by Albemarle Graphics

In 2016 the V&A commissioned us to reorganise and redesign the Silver Discovery Area – a hands-on, engaging part of the Silver Galleries aimed at younger visitors and families. We worked with Simon Leach Design to design an immersive and inviting space that tells the backstory of what silver is and how silver objects are made. Objects displays are balanced with visitor activity and graphic information. The design encourages visitors to ‘look, listen and discover’ for themselves.

We worked alongside the museum's photography and interpretation departments to select and photograph over 100 original pattern boxes held in the Barnard & Sons Archive, to create a backdrop for an imagined workshop space where visitors have to find certain objects hidden on shelves and find out how different tools and patterns are used in silver design.