Abertay Welcomes Opening of New V&A Dundee

Abertay University, a founding partner of V&A Dundee, is delighted to welcome its official opening on Saturday 15th September and, today, can reveal images of its beautiful, light-filled interiors for the first time.

Image Copyright: HuftonCrow for V&A Dundee

As Scotland’s first design museum, V&A Dundee tells a global story, investigating the international importance of design alongside presenting Scotland’s outstanding design achievements.

V&A Dundee’s construction and fit-out took three and a half years to complete and it stands at the centre of the £1 billion transformation of the Dundee waterfront, once part of the city’s docklands.

With its complex geometry, inspired by the dramatic cliffs along the north-east coast of Scotland, it stretches out into the River Tay – a new landmark connecting the city with its historic waterfront, and a new major cultural development for Scotland and the UK.

Image Copyright: HuftonCrow for V&A Dundee

At the heart of the museum the Scottish Design Galleries feature 300 exhibits drawn from the V&A’s rich collections of Scottish design, as well as from museums and private collections across Scotland and the world.

“The opening of V&A Dundee is a historic occasion for Dundee...This is a very proud moment for all involved."

The ambitious international exhibition programme opens with Ocean Liners: Speed and Style, organised by the V&A and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, the first exhibition to explore the design and cultural impact of the ocean liner on an international scale. Major exhibitions are complemented by new commissions and installations including This, looped by Glasgow-based artist and former Turner prize nominee Ciara Phillips.

Philip Long, Director of V&A Dundee, said: “The opening of V&A Dundee is a historic occasion for Dundee, for the V&A, and for the very many people who played a vital part and supported its realisation. This is a very proud moment for all involved.

“I hope the museum can change the city and become its centre of gravity."

Kengo Kuma, architect of V&A Dundee whose design was selected by thousands of Dundee's residents in a public vote hosted at Abertay in 2010, said: “The big idea for V&A Dundee was bringing together nature and architecture, to create a new living room for the city.

“I hope the museum can change the city and become its centre of gravity. I am delighted and proud that this is my first building in the UK and that people will visit it from around the world.”

As well as Abertay, the delivery of V&A Dundee has been overseen by the innovative founding partnership of the V&A, Dundee City Council, the University of Dundee, and Scottish Enterprise. The £80.11m project was funded by the Scottish Government, The National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Creative Scotland, Dundee City Council, the UK Government, Scottish Enterprise, University of Dundee, Abertay and a successful private fundraising campaign which is now complete.

Image Copyright: HuftonCrow for V&A Dundee

Dundee City Council Leader, Councillor John Alexander said: “V&A Dundee is the perfect illustration of how the city is forging a new path and being transformed for every resident, worker and visitor. We are predicting an economic boost in the city, estimated in the region of £11.6 million a year and the creation of 361 extra jobs across Scotland, 249 of which will be in Dundee."

The public opening of the museum will be celebrated by the 3D Festival, a free two-day event on 14 and 15 September, which includes performances by Primal Scream in collaboration with Scottish artist Jim Lambie, Lewis Capaldi, Be Charlotte and Gary Clark of Danny Wilson as well as musical performances there will also be spectacular new dance, design and lighting collaborations, putting the audience and the museum at the heart of the show.

Abertay games design students and the University's cultural programmers Weave by Abertay will deliver a series of workshops on Saturday 15 September.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop, said: “I am truly excited about the opening of V&A Dundee. Celebrating the important contribution Scots and Scotland have made—and continue to make—to the world of design, the museum will delight, educate and inspire visitors from far and wide, putting Scotland on the international stage.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “Quite simply, V&A Dundee is the biggest addition to Scotland’s cultural scene this century.