virtual tour victoria and albert museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum London, United Kingdom

As the world's leading museum of art and design, the V&A enriches people's lives by promoting the practice of design and increasing knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world.

Read more on the V&A website

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Virtual Travel

A Smithsonian magazine special report

Venture Down a VR Rabbit Hole With This Free ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Tour

The Victoria and Albert Museum will host a free, Lewis Carroll-inspired virtual reality experience on October 22

Nora McGreevy

Correspondent

Since Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland debuted in 1865, the fantastical tale of a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole and ends up in an alternate universe has inspired countless retellings, from the classic 1951 Disney animated film to a grown-up 2010 Tim Burton version , a Cirque de Soleil show , theme park rides and even an Instagram adaptation .

A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, “ Alice: Curiouser and Curioser ,” will chart a century and a half of the story’s cultural impact upon opening in March 2021. But Wonderland fans don’t have to wait until next year to see the show: Thanks to a virtual reality (VR) exhibition launched by the museum and tech company HTC Vive Arts , audiences will soon be able to enjoy a sneak preview from the comfort of their own homes.

Dubbed “ Curious Alice ,” the free, 45-minute-long VR experience is scheduled for 2 p.m. London time (9 a.m. Eastern time) on October 22. Participants can join through the VR platform Engage ( sign-up is required ahead of time), or by logging on with a Windows PC or Android device. A live version of the event will also be available via the museum’s YouTube page .

During the preview, users will wander through a virtual environment inspired by the museum’s ornate 19th-century building, reports Aimée McLaughlin for Creative Review . A personal companion—a white rabbit similar to the one Alice encounters in her own fictional journey—will accompany visitors as they encounter visual effects including a “pool of tears” and a “hallway of doors,” per a statement .

The immersive landscape is based on digital collages by Icelandic artist Kristjana S. Williams . These illustrations will also decorate the in-person exhibition.

As Williams explains in a V&A video , she was inspired by the dreamlike qualities of Carroll’s novel, as well as an array of 18th- and 19th-century prints in the V&A’s collections.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has endured through the centuries to become one of the most popular works of English-language fiction in history. Carroll— whose real name was Charles Dodgson —originally told the story to Lorina, Alice and Edith Liddell, the daughters of one of his colleagues at Oxford University. At Alice’s urging, Carroll wrote out the story by hand.

Williams isn’t the first artist to craft illustrations for the whimsical work. Political cartoonist John Tenniel created 92 drawings for the original 1865 edition of Carroll’s novel; in subsequent years, Surrealist Salvador Dalí and polka-dot-obsessed contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama both crafted their own artistic renditions of the children’s story.

Directly after the October premiere, the full “Curious Alice” experience will be made available for purchase for £3.99 ($5.15 USD). At the physical exhibition in March, attendees will also have the chance to don headsets and explore an extended VR game based on Alice’s famous topsy-turvy croquet match against the Queen of Hearts . The slate of programming marks the V&A’s first foray into virtual events, according to the statement.

“Since their creation the Alice books, with their mind-blowing ideas and concepts, have been a source of inspiration for new technologies from silent film to CGI,” says Kate Bailey, senior curator of theatre and performance, in the statement.

She adds, “Alice’s impossible journey through a fantastical universe becomes possible in this exciting new creative platform. From rabbit holes to mirrors, flamingoes to hedgehogs, [W]onderland is the perfect world for VR.”

“ Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser ” opens at the V&A in London on March 27, 2021.

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Nora McGreevy | | READ MORE

Nora McGreevy is a former daily correspondent for Smithsonian . She is also a freelance journalist based in Chicago whose work has appeared in Wired , Washingtonian , the Boston Globe , South Bend Tribune , the New York Times and more.

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Victoria & Albert Museum Tour

Visit the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum in London – the world’s leading museum of art and design

A Victoria & Albert Museum Tour is unmissable because…

London is the design capital of the world and the Victoria & Albert is the world’s leading museum for art & design. Founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert, there’s no easy way to summarise a collection which spans 2,000 years and whose highlights range from the notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci to a bed that sleeps 8 people. It is quite simply an enormous, eclectic and fascinating treasure house of works by some of the best artists and designers the world has known.

The must-sees at a Victoria & Albert Museum Tour

• The Raphael Cartoons.
• Tippoo’s Tiger.
• The Ardabil carpet – one of the most beautiful and historically important in the world.
• The Great Bed of Ware.
• Sculptures by Rodin.
• The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci.
• The Victoria & Albert’s art collection of over 2,000 paintings.
• The Heneage Jewel – a gift from Elizabeth I to a loyal courtier.

Book a Blue Badge Tourist Guide for an inspiring Victoria & Albert Museum Tour including…

• A guided tour of the highlights of the museum’s collection.
• The most comprehensive collection of British design and art on view.
• Some of the world’s most important cultural treasures.
• A chance to explore just one or two specific galleries and cultures.
• Inspiring stories of artists and designers.
• A tailor-made tour designed to fit into your London itinerary.

It’s also worth checking with your Guide what special exhibitions are running. The David Bowie (in 2013) and Alexander McQueen (in 2015) exhibitions were absolute blockbusters with the McQueen exhibition alone selling close to half a million tickets!

Please bear in mind that these are not public tours, but private tours conducted by specialist Blue Badge Tourist Guides who will charge a separate fee, details of which can be found on our fees page.

Let us 'Match' you with one of our Blue Badge Tourist Guides who are:

• Friendly, professional and used to dealing with groups of all ages and sizes
• Holders of the prestigious Blue Badge (the highest Tourist Guiding qualification in the UK)
• Able to use special entrances at certain well known attractions to avoid waiting in long lines
• Able to offer tours in over 30 different languages

Simply input your tour request details in the form below. When you have finished, hit the Green ‘Submit to Match’ button. Your request will be instantly emailed to three highly qualified and enthusiastic London Blue Badge Tourist Guides, matching your criteria. They will then email you confirming availability, pricing and suggestions for the tour itself. So let one of our 500+ Blue Badge Tourist Guides make your stay in London a special one.

Short notice request! We will do our best to accommodate your needs, but generally try to give at least two days notice.

Date of tour: Flexible dates Coming to London for a whole week? Let the guide know that the date is flexible, so they can suggest an upcoming event or a less crowded time for the tour. (+/- 3 days)

Language: Albanian Bulgarian Chinese (Cantonese) Chinese (Mandarin) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch/Flemish English Finnish French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Italian Japanese Korean Lithuanian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Slovak Spanish Swedish Swiss-German Taiwanese Turkish Welsh

Duration: Morning Half day tour up to 4 hours maximum, usually expected to finish by 13:00 Afternoon Half day tour up to 4 hours maximum, usually expected to start by 13:30 All Day Full days are up to 9 hours, usually finishing no later than 18:00 Evening Only Half day tour up to 4 hours maximum, usually expected to start no earlier than 18:00

Travel by: Walking & Public Transportation Tour Explore London by walking and a variety of public transport (Underground, Black Cab, London double decker bus or even riverboat) Cycling Tour Cycle around London with a professional Guide. Bring your own bicycle or request the Guide to help you hire one. Driving Tour Get driven around in style by a professional Driver Guide. Usually for groups of up to 7 people. Coach Tour A tour for larger groups (typically 20+). Please tell the Guide if you have your own coach and driver, or request the Guide to help you hire one. Virtual Tour Explore London's top sights and attractions from the comfort of your home

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People of Bengal: Coloured Etchings by F. Baltazard Solvyns

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Free guided tour every saturday, english: 11:30 am, marathi/hindi: 12:30 pm, tours for schools and colleges available, contact: [email protected], virtual exhibitions, in collaboration with google arts & culture, digital exhibition, a hall of wonder, the exhibition celebrates 150 years of dr. bhau daji lad museum, the first museum in mumbai, india, in partnership with google arts & culture, we wear culture, virtual exhibition.

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The exhibition ‘A Hall of Wonder’ addresses the sense of wonderment that museums evoke while asking visitors to consider the many possible future museums as we celebrate 150 years of the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum.

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An animated scene of a royal hunt or shikar, executed in minute details on gold tracery, is depicted on the lid of this box from Nathdwara in Rajasthan. It is a fine example of the Rajasthani thewa work that originated in Pratapgarh. Thewa work involved fusing glass and an overlaid tracing on gold foil at high temperatures on metal or silver parcel-gilt. Snuff boxes, jewellery, brooches, and salvers executed in the thewa style were very popular in the Western market in the 19th - early 20th century.

Round lamp in Persian design, brass, late 19th to early 20th century, Punjab.

This spherical lamp conceals a remarkable combination of traditional craft practice and innovation. inside the lamp are three mechanical rings, known as gimbals, which hold the source of light, such as a candle upright even if the sphere is upturned or rolled. when hung from the ceiling, perforated lamps cast mesmerising shadows., click here to download & colour our minton tiles worksheet.

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The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai City Museum seeks to serve the community as an Institution dedicated to excellence in cultural education through exhibitions and unique visual and intellectual media

An Institution of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Supported by the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation. Restored by INTACH, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage

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London's museums and galleries open doors to virtual visitors

Some of the uk capital's top cultural attractions are offering online tours of their collections.

The British Museum was closed last month amid the coronavirus outbreak. Trustees of the British Museum

London might be on lockdown right now but that doesn’t mean art enthusiasts need to miss out on enjoying the UK capital’s best cultural attractions.

Some of the museums and art galleries that closed last week to curb the spread of coronavirus are offering virtual tours, giving visitors a chance to view their collections online.

While an online visit does not offer the same thrill as seeing the works in real life, a virtual tour allows art and culture lovers to skip queues, avoid paying for tickets and, most importantly, stay safe.

British Museum

The British Museum’s permanent collection of eight million works is one of the largest in the world.

So, it is perhaps no surprise that the museum has witnessed a huge spike in online visitors since closing its doors to physical visitors.

In just a few weeks, the number of website visits doubled with the museum reporting a surge in page views from Italy, a country on strict lockdown.

Most of the Museum is covered by Google Streetview and allows an online visitor to check out historical works such as the Rosetta Stone and the Lewis Chessmen.

The website has good zoom functions, which allow close-up views of medieval and Renaissance pieces housed in the famous Waddesdon Bequest gallery.

National Gallery

Ahead of the curve, Britain’s National Gallery began offering a virtual tour of its 18 gallery rooms, allowing online visitors to immerse themselves in 300 paintings, including works by Titian, Veronese, and Holbein.

The National Gallery said it had recorded "a huge increase in the number of users taking a look at our virtual tours and online collection" since the coronavirus outbreak.

Victoria and Albert Museum

The V&A is often cited as one of the best museums in the world. It has videos on its website of its famous galleries showcasing works from the medieval & renaissance period.

One of its curators has taken to social media to offer virtual tours of the V&A's theatre and performance collection. Simon Sladen, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Performance, has been posting daily Twitter tours with different themes, from make-up to souvenirs.

Time for another @V_and_A #TwitterTour of the Theatre and Performance Collections. Today's theme? Make-up! pic.twitter.com/SAkk8sNEsD — Simon Sladen (@theatrecurator) March 25, 2020

Royal Academy of Arts

The Royal Academy of Arts had to shut its doors half way through an exhibition of Belgian artist Léon Spilliaert. However, those hoping to see 80 of the self-taught artist’s gothic paintings still can. The Exhibition organised by the Royal Academy in collaboration with the Musée d‘Orsay, Paris is available to view via video tour.

The family of art, design and performance museums · V&A Home page

Fragile beauty: photographs from the sir elton john and david furnish collection explore a major presentation of 20th- and 21st-century photography.

V&A South Kensington

Welcome to the family of art, design and performance museums, where everyone is invited to enjoy the power of creativity.

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Museum of the Year shortlist

Young V&A has been announced as one of five finalists for Art Fund Museum of the Year 2024, the world’s largest museum prize.

What’s on across the V&A

Japan: Myths to Manga

Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence

Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection

NAOMI In Fashion

Energy: Sparks from the Collection

Thomas J Price at the V&A

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