2025 got off to a flying start at Young V&A with the wonderfully inspiring – and busy – opening of Making Egypt, our second exhibition.
Why Making Egypt, here at Young V&A, you may well be asking yourselves. The reason being that, from ancient Egypt, along the river Nile, to contemporary Egypt, creativity was and is, everywhere. And creativity is at the heart of Young V&A.
Making Egypt takes visitors on a fascinating journey through the ancient past to modern day, exploring ancient Egypt’s creativity and how it continues to influence art, design and popular culture. The exhibition is divided into three sections – Storytelling, Communicating and Making – which each explore Egyptian creativity through a different lens.
Journeying from sunrise to sunset along the Nile, the exhibition invites young visitors to encounter the landscapes, stories and people that inspired – and continue to – Egypt’s creative language, with playful illustrations of gods Amun, Thoth and Ptah by artist Jean Wei guiding the way.
Beautifully conceived and designed hands-on interactives encourage young visitors to learn how to write and draw as the Egyptians did; how to mould faience and carve stone from local artists, and just before leaving the exhibition, as the sun sets, to design their own ancient Egyptian amulet.
Throughout, contemporary responses from jewellery and fashion designers, graphic novelists, ceramic artists and beyond spotlight ways in which ancient Egypt’s beliefs, stories and characters continue to inspire makers today. Their works are shown alongside sketches and design images, photos of workshops, tools and quotes from the artists themselves, unpacking their creative processes.
Making Egypt has a stunning selection of objects – from a painted wooden funnery boat from the Middle Kingdom (c2040 – 1750 BC) to an Eye of Horus Bustier by acclaimed Egyptian jewellery designer Azza Fahmy in collaboration with Balmain. Come face to face with the godlike depiction of an ancient Egyptian woman from the 1st century BC (the first time on display in over half a century!) and view a hand beaded gown by Egyptian Fashion Designer Farrah Wali. Making Egypt aims to honour the craftsmanship and stories of the past whilst celebrating Egypt’s rich pool of contemporary creatives (and don’t forget to check out the exhibition shop on your way out).
Special thanks
Many people across the museum have been involved in bringing this show to life, and I want to thank everyone from Curatorial to Exhibitions, Design, Interpretation, Conservation, Learning, Ops & Commercial, Development Comms, Technical Services and beyond who have worked so hard to make it a reality. A special thank you and congratulations to Making Egypt’s curators, Ben Hinson and Trish Roberts – who have worked tirelessly and devotedly to bring this exhibition to life.
A richly varied learning programme accompanies the exhibition, beginning last weekend with our Teen Takeover. 11-14 year olds tried out a range of new skills, worked alongside other young people and met creative professionals specialising in comic book illustration, stop motion animation and set design. Our fulsome family half term activity for families and young people further invited visitors to play, imagine and design all under the guise of ancient Egypt. Keep an eye out on the website for more information on our learning programme.
© Image courtesy of Ahmed Raafat and Victoria and Albert Museum.
The Power of Play
In early February, Young V&A continued to advocate for The Power of Play in fostering essential creative and life skills. The Power of Play is a collaborative project to bring quality learning-through-play to children and young people in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The project is funded by the LEGO Foundation and coordinated by the LEGO Group in London. Young V&A is participating in the project alongside the Institute of Imagination, Save the Children and Easy Peasy.
The “Raising the Nation Play Commission” aims to move play up the political agenda and lead a national conversation about how to encourage and support children to play more – examining issues such as the growth of technology and its impact on play, the importance of outdoor space, and whether parents’ attitudes to play and children’s safety have changed how children play. Crucially, it will develop a national play plan to shape future government policy.
Through advocacy from LEGO Group and connections from Institute of Imagination, the Play Commission visited Young V&A in early February (the only current venue-based partner in the Power of Play consortium) to view the Tower Hamlets Power of Play programme in action. Young V&A’s Play Champions activated the museum spaces, providing an informal opportunity to see young visitors at play and to observe the Play Champion programme. An informal peer session exploring play opportunities within the Power of Play project followed, alongside a visit to Bonner School, a partner to iOi’s Power of Play project. The visit was part of the commission’s evidence gathering process and a chance to shine a light on all activity happening across the partnership.
