There is no question that the V&A is stunning. The Cromwell Rd facade could rival a Byzantine church for stature and the courtyard is elegant but welcoming and feels comfortable for young and old. I’ve conduced substantial research and believe the cafe to be the most beautiful place to drink coffee in any museum.
So, I was very excited to be finally visiting the Shoes Pleasure and Pain exhibition which has been on my list since it opened in June.
I was disappointed.
The exhibition it’s self was great. So, let’s start with the pleasure. The content was very interesting and well curated. Shoes from all eras (ancient Egypt to 21st Century) were displayed in themes alongside each other. Heels, wedges and flats all appeared frequently, showing that as humans we are united by footwear with little changing through time or across cultures.
Now, the pain. I visited at a quiet time on a cold Thursday January morning. The museum was not busy and this exhibition is at the end of it’s run. However, I was jostled as I moved through and had to constantly juggle my viewing. I felt as though I was constantly in someone’s way and became frustrated by other visitors. I remembered the old days when i’d use the buggy to cleverly create space. It was a real relief to get the second part of the exhibition, which was upstairs in a more spacious part of the gallery.
The space was very hot. As I said it was very cold the day we visited but I’d almost broken out into a small sweat by the time we left the exhibition. I just can’t imagine how hot is must have been when the space was full at the height of summer.
Ultimately, the space was too small for this exhibition. The way the shoes were displayed made them impossible to view by more than one visitor at a time and the volume of visitors simply created the effect of a sauna. Next time I’m taking a buggy (without baby obviously) and a fan.