In an attempt to make its permanent collections more topical and relevant, the Victoria and Albert Museum has started collecting items that its deems to be of the zeitgeist. Each object comes along with its own controversial backstory (that has probably popped up in your news feed in the recent past) of labor laws, building control, design regulation, or political dissent. (Take Ikea’s stuffed wolf, which was chucked at Cy Leung, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive last December.) Scattered about the museum, the Rapid Response Collection is meant to be, well, rapid, continually changing constantly in the coming months. Take a sneak peak at some of the first acquisitions, below.
Vype ‘reload’ e-cigarettes, 2013
Designed and manufactured on behalf of CN Creative
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Primark trousers
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The Liberator 3D-printed gun, 2013
Photo: Cody Wilson/Defence Distributed via the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
UltraRope, 2013
Designed and manufactured by Kone
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
False Eyelashes endorsed by Katy Perry, Cool Kitty style, 2013
Manufactured by Eylure
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Fifi pump in five nude shades, Christian Louboutin, 2013
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Soft toy wolf Lufsig, 2013
Designed for and manufactured by Ikea
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London