Mixing it up at the V & A

A design for a hoarding which mixes up some of the best-known artefacts at the V&A has earned a Northumbria University student the title of Best of the Year in the D&AD awards.

Joe Cooke, a final year Graphic Design student, came up with a playful design for a hoarding which could be used to shield redevelopment works at the museum.

In his design entitled It’s Time to Mix Things Up, Joe, 22, from Huddersfield, slices up and reshuffles artefacts from the V&A collections to create strange, new and humorous artworks.

He also uses the hoarding to explain the developments at the V&A which will create a purpose-built underground gallery for the museum’s internationally-renowned temporary exhibitions and a publically-accessible courtyard space.

“The fusion of historical and contemporary artefacts to create something new reflects the architectural plans of the development project as well as reflecting the wider creativity and diversity of the local community and cultural environment,” he said.

As part of his entry, Joe also proposed an app, allowing users to mix things up themselves and then upload their own creations to an online gallery. The best public creations could then be exhibited on the hoarding every six months.

“These temporary exhibitions over the course of three years will maintain interest and excitement around the project and the museum as a whole. This element of my design will create a buzz on social media and reach out to younger people who will be inspired to visit the museum once they realise how much fun it can be,” he added.

Ted Carden, a senior lecturer in Graphic Design at Northumbria University, said: “This was an extremely challenging project, and Joe’s innovative solution has been justly recognised. This is a tremendous achievement and very well deserved indeed.”

Date posted: June 19, 2013