If you love fashion and photography then you must have heard of Tim Walker before. His photographs captured the audiences in fashion magazines over a decade. If you don’t know who he is, you will surely fall in love with his surreal creativeness after visiting this exhibition.
The beginning of the exhibition is a show mainly of Walker’s work to date. In the first room, 100 photographs from a range of projects, both older and more recent, provide viewers a chance to discover Walker’s style.
Tim Walker was asked to create a series of photographs inspired by the V&A’s archives. Each room sets a different tone. In general, the rooms are vibrant and upbeat. “If we have so many terrible things,” said Walker. “We need wonderful things, too.” It features 300 items including props, contact sheets, scrapbooks (loved them) and short films.
There are 10 rooms containing new projects each inspired by V&A various artefacts. He visited the storerooms, met with curators and technicians in search of items that would inspire each series. It’s an entirely new curation as such as much as it is a celebration of Walker’s photography, it is also a celebration of V&A’s rich treasures.
The images reveal the scope of Tim Walker’s creativity free from commercial requirement or editorial interference. You are led by his own words that explain the thought process behind each shoot and room. It’s very personal and very affective. There is a fairytale and magical approach to the exhibition. The set designer, a long term collaborator to Tim Walker, Shona Heath has done an amazing job capturing and wowing the viewer. There is also a room dedicated to Walker’s nudes, inspired by Francis Bacon.
I especially loved the room dedicated to poet, Dame Edith Sitwell. Tim Walker has been taken by her striking personal style and extraordinary looks. Her wardrobe and a pair of shoes are part of the room. Tilda Swinton adopts the role of the poet, a distant relative to hers, for a series of photographs. The exhibition ends with giant Scarpbooks with strong messages. I would love to post every single corner here, but I think it’s worth visiting it yourself and discovering some other parts on your own.
The exhibition is on until the 8th of March. You can purchase tickets from V&A’s website, www.vam.ac.uk
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