The man behind the architectural design which put V&A Dundee firmly on the radar of visitors from around the world will this month return to deliver a talk as part of a series of events to celebrate the museum’s first birthday.
Citing strong ties between Dundee’s waterfront design museum and the project which has seen Kuma mastermind Tokyo’s new Olympic Stadium, the architect will explore how both sites signify “a symbol of a new age, a new period of natural design”.
At its official opening on 15th September 2018 – and following a three-year 80 million construction – V&A Dundee was aiming to welcome 500,000 visitors in its first 12 months. If it achieves this goal, along with the subsequent target of attracting 350,000 people annually from 2019 onwards, the building’s striking design will have inevitably contributed substantially.
Discussing the institution’s journey to date, Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said it had been a “thrilling year” in which V&A Dundee has “welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to enjoy our remarkable architecture, world-class exhibitions, our permanent Scottish Design Galleries and many exciting events and workshops”.
Long went on to say, “we are honoured to be welcoming Kengo Kuma back to host a special evening on the first birthday, and we look forward very much to our second year.”
V&A Dundee is holding a day of free activities on site between 10am and 5pm on the 15th, before Kengo Kuma takes to the podium at 7pm to discuss the museum’s architectural legacy.
