The ‘Curious’ New Exhibit at the V&A - Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser Review

By Lailah Boateng-Muhammad

 

London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has recently opened an exhibition featuring the global phenomenon well known and loved by much of the British public - Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Though most of us immediately picture the animated, Disney edition of this story, Lewis Carroll succeeded in creating this influential marvel 86 years prior! The exhibit, titled ‘Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’, displays several rooms of intriguing facts and artwork, detailing the history, development and creation of the peculiar yet thrilling universe Carroll produced back in 1865.

 

For only £20, this enthralling exhibition takes you down the rabbit hole where you can gaze upon original concept artwork, life size structures and even the notebook in which Lewis Carroll wrote all of his ideas and stories. Additionally, the influence of Carroll’s original novel, ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ is emphasised as the exhibit displays the copious amounts of artwork, designs, productions and photoshoots that have echoed this book in the 157 years since its publishing. 

 

Rated 5 stars by various reputable newspapers, some highlights of the exhibition include illustrations from the first published edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel in 1866, or even the artwork ‘A Mad Tea Party’ by Salvador Dali in 1969. As Alice so profoundly considers within Carroll’s original text, “what is the use of a book, without pictures or conversation?” If this exhibit was a cake labelled ‘EAT ME’, I’d recommend it in a heartbeat.

 

But before you go - the exhibition has a wonderful shop full of tokens and reminders of your animated trip to the museum. Purchase yourself a ‘Happy Unbirthday’ badge, or a White Rabbit pin as an indication of the brilliant journey you embarked on at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser Exhibit, at South Kensington’s V&A museum. 

 

As we progress into the Autumn months, this exhibit serves as a bright and vivacious light within a dissonance of dullness. My advice to you? Plan your visit as soon as you can - after all, “the best way to explain it is to do it!”