The V&A at Dundee should have a permanent collection in the future to avoid a constant cycle of touring exhibitions, Martin Roth told delegates at the Museums Association conference last month.
The director of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) gave a keynote address at the event in Edinburgh on his views of the sector and plans for Dundee.
Asked whether the Scottish outpost would be sustainable, Roth said: “Personally, I feel it has to have a collection. But not necessarily now and done in a different way than it is in other museums.”
He added that the first task for the V&A at Dundee after it opened in 2015 was to work with other museums and collections to avoid becoming the next Bilbao – “there has to be more than the V&A in Dundee”.
In discussing the wider sector, Roth said museums were neglecting some of their traditional functions and were in danger of becoming a stage for celebrity.
He said: “Museums have to rediscover their social dimension and return to original ideas – they must provide consistency and security when so many people’s dreams turn to dust.”
Roth described the V&A as having a split identity, with a clear role as a thinktank and innovator, as well as a place to house and care for collections.
He said he’d like the museum to become “less aristocratic and more cutting edge”, with a renewed focus on engineering and a place for debate and collaboration.
The director of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) gave a keynote address at the event in Edinburgh on his views of the sector and plans for Dundee.
Asked whether the Scottish outpost would be sustainable, Roth said: “Personally, I feel it has to have a collection. But not necessarily now and done in a different way than it is in other museums.”
He added that the first task for the V&A at Dundee after it opened in 2015 was to work with other museums and collections to avoid becoming the next Bilbao – “there has to be more than the V&A in Dundee”.
In discussing the wider sector, Roth said museums were neglecting some of their traditional functions and were in danger of becoming a stage for celebrity.
He said: “Museums have to rediscover their social dimension and return to original ideas – they must provide consistency and security when so many people’s dreams turn to dust.”
Roth described the V&A as having a split identity, with a clear role as a thinktank and innovator, as well as a place to house and care for collections.
He said he’d like the museum to become “less aristocratic and more cutting edge”, with a renewed focus on engineering and a place for debate and collaboration.
