You’ll Never Believe What the V&A Just Bought

Soft toy wolf Lufsig, 2013 Designed for and manufactured by Ikea Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

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

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

Primark trousers
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London

 

The Liberator 3D-printed gun, 2013 Photo: Cody Wilson/Defence Distributed via Victoria and Albert Museum

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

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

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, 2013 Christian Louboutin 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

Soft toy wolf Lufsig, 2013
Designed for and manufactured by Ikea
Photo: Victoria and Albert Museum, London


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