Exploring the Design Foundations
The Making Egypt show at Young V&A pulls ancient Egyptian culture right into the present. It zeros in on three big ideas: how people talked to each other, what they built, and why materials mattered so much in art and everyday stuff. Everything comes together to pull you in deep.
The Architecture of the Exhibition
Right away, you notice the sunshade setup. It's basic but clever: two timber pieces tied into an X, with cloth thrown over the top. That adds style and shade to the whole space. A thick pole holds it up, made from timber that coppicer Guy Lambourne cut just right. Woodworker Alex Worsfold tested prototypes until the diameter felt perfect for the job.
Communicating Themes Through Design
In the Communicating area, stations hide under canopies made just for the job. They cover drawing, writing, and color. John Philip-Sage drew the illustrations, pulling from those famous tomb ceilings that echo old Egyptian fabrics.
Tucked into the writing spot, there's this fun line that curator Benjamin Hinson picked: ‘I will make you love writing more than your mother’. It's a twist on the Satire of the Trades, that old Egyptian text. If you know your hieroglyphs, it'll make you smile.
The Making Section: Tangible Connections
By evening, the Making part lights up. It shows off daily objects from ancient Egypt, plus things for the afterlife. Think a tiny bead next to a full-size pyramid block copy. The goal? Let you touch and feel it all, get close to that world.
Clay and earth pop up everywhere: shabti figurines, jars, vases, all shaped different ways. Designers teamed up with Madoka Ellis at 121 Collective to ram earth into walls and press clay into panels. Those hold the video screens, which demo everything from stone carving to faience molding—that's the quartz-based ceramic they loved back then.
Innovative Building Techniques
Then there are these unfired blocks called strocks, mixed from chopped straw and earth out of Cheshire. Contractors from Sam Forster Associates shaped them into seats and tables in earthy colors. They fit right into the displays without a hitch.
The seats even match sizes from old dig sites, like Amarna, that pottery hotspot. At the amulet table, you sit on something that copies an ancient kiln's scale. Pretty cool.
Reflections on Craft and Materiality
Frankly, this setup hits home for today's designers. We've got all these high-tech gadgets, but do they really help? Looking back at old ways teaches us to pick materials with care, keep things green and on point.
Egyptian tales from 3,000 years ago still hit hard. Makes you wonder: what from our world will stick around? As you walk through, that's the question hanging in the air, right alongside the design's real magic.
The Importance of Participatory Learning
What makes it work isn't just the looks or the hands-on bits. It's the teamwork that got it all built. Big thanks to curator Benjamin Hinson, and designers Alicia Gonzalez-Lafita and Evonne Mackenzie. They turned ideas into something you can really connect with.
Conclusion
In the end, Making Egypt at Young V&A isn't some dusty history lesson. It pulls you into the past with today's eyes. No review beats being there yourself. And if you're heading out to spots like this, renting through GetRentacar.com lets you roam free, on your schedule.
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