Don’t be late as Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser has popped up in the basement of V&A’s Museum to bring answers to all your curious questions on Lewis Carroll’s popular children story which you’ll be taken on a fantastical tour of exploration from discovering a deeper insight into Lewis and the world of Alice via books, films, art and so much more.
There is plenty to discover creating an atmosphere that really makes anyone become even more curious about what they are going to experience next keeping all guessing and bringing out our inner child.
I went along on a PR invite courtesy of V&A to hop on in down their rabbit hole to discover the curiosities of Alice and beyond.
V&A
The V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum) is one of Britain’s Victorian buildings which opened up in London 1852 to showcase manufactures. Since then the state of the art galleries, within the V&A has constantly evolved in it’s collection public interpretation of art and design.
The museum is the world’s leading museums of art and design, which houses a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK’s national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, sculpture, jewellery, fashion, textiles, furniture, photography, painting, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance.
Apart from the millions of objects on display across the year within the V&A they host a variety of exhibitions and talks all of which can be discovered by clicking here.
One of the latest and anticipated exhibitions which has popped up within the V&A for a limited time this year is Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition which goes on till 31 December 2021 within the Sainsbury Gallery in the basement.
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition within the V&A
Celebrating one of the most iconic, imaginative and inspiring stories of all time. V&A’s exhibition of Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser allowing visitors to immerse through a mindbending journey down the rabbit hole, full of discovery.
Lewis Carroll’s 158 years old surreal iconic story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and beyond can now be explored and discovered within the V&A for a limited time.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is all about a girl whom comes from a quintessential English countryside who jumps down a rabbit hole on a psychedelic adventure.
Why though was Alice in Wonderland so popular in the 1960s and still is you might ask?, well that is because it was one of the first most surrealist books of all time and it saw a big shift in attitude at that time towards women and society.
Take a leap down the rabbit hole yourself at the V&A and explore what is surely one of the most iconic and imaginative inspiring stories of all time, within the exhibition of Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser. Immerse yourself through a fantastical journey and divulge into the origins, adaptations and reinventions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland which is now 158 years old.
Within the exhibition there are over 300 objects to discover across the five Alice inspired worlds from art, photography, film, performance, and fashion. Plus the V&A is the first museum to fully explore the cultural impact of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, and inspiration from leading creatives, such as Salvador Dalí to Vivienne Westwood.
Don’t be late jump into the world of Alice
I attended Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser to take a journey through the life fanatical world of of Alice by Lewis Carrol. Walking down the staircase to signify falling down the rabbit hole I was immediately transported into worlds of surrealism and imaginary. Being separated over five different sections like an adventure book I discovered all unique and crazy facts about the story of Alice.
The first section is all about how Lewis Carrol came up with the idea of Alice and the many characters. Displayed are books, art and many objects such as clocks, teapots etc.
Section two is centred around a pier which there are a number of photo opportunities. Plus within this section there are many film clips to discover where Alice has been filmed within a variety of countries all with their own different adaptations. I never knew there was a version of Alice in Wonderland done in the adult cartoon way of Manga.
Section three looks at different reinterpretations of books over the years.
Section four I took my mind through the mind of Alice and took an enchanting and extraordinary world of Wonderland designed by HTC Vive Arts & artist Kristjana S. Williams.
Donning on the VR set I took my mind on a journey of surrealism which I fell down a rabbit hole, and saw chairs and objects flashing in front of my eyes, before I faced the Queen of Hearts where I was challenged to a game of croquet.
Surviving my VR adventure section five I discovered a variety of costumes from productions which has been performed from around the world, and some photographic art work.
For a brief glimpse in my footsteps through this exhibition click on my TikTok video link below:
Verdict
I enjoyed this exhibition of the adventure of Alice which took me on a mind boggling journey which I explored and discovered things I never knew about Alice and the writer from the many adaptations and reinventions over the last 158 years.
For instance I never knew:
- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson started using the pen name Lewis Carrol in 1856 when he published a romantic poem. It was a play on a Latin translation of his real first and middle names.
- Alice was a real girl based based on the daughter of Carroll’s boss Henry Liddell, the dean of Christ Church College at Oxford, where Carroll taught mathematics.
- Alice was originally titled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground when he gave a handwritten copy to Alice Liddell. By the time it was published, the name had been changed to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
- Alice Adventures in Wonderland has been translated into 176 languages.
- Alice was first made into a movie in 1903 by Directors Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stowe who made the story into a 12 minute film. Since then, it’s inspired more than 50 TV / film adaptations and sequels.
Every corner of the exhibition was a visual, immersive feast full of wonder and curiosity! I particularly loved the tea party display designed by Tom Piper which changes constantly thanks to the projection mapping.
I also loved meeting the Cheshire Cat which appears within a tree and looks over us all smirking with his big grin which constantly changes.
The thing though that shocked me was learning, discovering how many different film adaptations has been made across the world on Alice from silent films in the early 1900’s through to Disney’s famous animated 1951 adaptation and beyond. It really does show how popular and inspiring the story and character Alice is and how she has been adapted and transformed over the decades.
However even though I enjoyed the exhibition I must point out it can be quite difficult to see everything especially in the first section as there is plenty to discover and read and with so many people in one area people can linger in one place for a little too long. Also it would of been great to of had a few more immerse photo opportunity zones.
The whole exhibition though was full of surrealism and colour, where you can explore, learn, and dream as you take on the extraordinary adventure of Alice.
V&A Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser book your ticket now don’t be late
V&A
Cromwell Road
London
SW7 2RL
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition within The Sainsbury Gallery
22 May 2021 to 31 December 2021
Wednesday – Sunday 10:00 – 17:00 (last admission 16:00)*
£20 concessions apply
*Note: entry time valid for 15 minutes
Thank you to V&A for letting me adventure down the rabbit hole. All views and thoughts are my own honest opinion.
“I love going out discovering new and existing restaurants, theatres, immersive experiences and so much more but I also love staying in and discovering new gadgets, gaming and cooking.
