V&A cuts exhibition carbon by reusing modular walls and materials
The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is taking steps to minimize the carbon emissions associated with its temporary exhibitions by focusing on reuse. In the 2023/24 period, these exhibitions represented 8% of the museum's total carbon footprint, equating to 1,358 tCO2e. An Exhibitions Working Group assessed the emissions from three previous exhibitions: Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature (53 tCO2e), Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear (184 tCO2e), and Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto (211 tCO2e). Important measures include reusing existing structures and cutting down on transportation. At V&A South Kensington, a designer incorporated reuse in Great Mughals and Marie Antoinette Style, with reusable walls in the Porter Gallery saving over 3,500 kgCO2e. The museum intends to monitor materials and collaborate with designers to further reduce its carbon footprint.
Key facts
- Temporary exhibitions were 8% of V&A's total carbon footprint in 2023/24 (1,358 tCO2e).
- Exhibitions Working Group formed with experts from Design, Exhibitions, Curatorial, Conservation, Loans, Technical Services and Sustainability.
- Carbon measured for Beatrix Potter (53 tCO2e), Fashioning Masculinities (184 tCO2e), and Gabrielle Chanel (211 tCO2e).
- Fashioning Masculinities had the highest carbon per visitor, almost double that of Chanel.
- Reuse considered from start of exhibition planning; designer appointed across Great Mughals and Marie Antoinette Style.
- Acrylic sheets and mirrors reused from Great Mughals to Marie Antoinette.
- Modular walls in Porter Gallery reused for four exhibitions: Tropical Modernism, Jameel Prize, Design and Disability, and Rising Voices.
- Reusing walls saved over 3,500 kgCO2e, equivalent to driving a petrol car for 9,000 miles.
- Circular plinth reused three times: Donatello, Tropical Modernism, and Making Egypt.
- Curved walls from Making Egypt reused for Inside Aardman at Young V&A.
- Porter Gallery walls reduced carbon by 31%.
Entities
Artists
- Beatrix Potter
- Gabrielle Chanel
- Wallace
- Gromit
Institutions
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- V&A South Kensington
- Young V&A
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom