Visitors can now access a secret space at the heart of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the Art Newspaper reports. But the curious will have to act quickly, as it will only be open until the end of the weekend.
In order to enter the mysterious space, visitors will have to find the museum’s full-size replica of Trajan’s Column, located in the Casts Courts, and open the small door (less than five feet high) located at its base, which leads into a hidden circular chamber inside the column.
Usually locked up, the chamber is open this week to display the sculptural installation Military Secret (2014), created by the ceramicist James Rigler as part of the London Design Festival. Due to the constrictions of the space, only one visitor is allowed at the time.
Rigler, who was the V&A’s ceramic resident until last March, works with clay and other everyday materials to create sculptures and installations that question the architecture and meaning of places. His work is highly influenced by his experience working as a model-maker and mould-maker in the architectural ceramic industry.
What viewers will find inside the secret space remains, well, secret. Rigler has cheekily described the restricted nook, lined with shelves that were once used for storage by the V&A Museum’s sculpture department, as a “dark corner to get amorous in after the Christmas party.”