How might cars change in 10, 50, 100 years time? Sometimes it can be fascinating to look to the past to make sense of everything that might play out in the future. That's exactly what London's V&A did in the incredible 'Cars' exhibition. Watch the video below to find out more. ........
The Exhibits
If you're still craving to see more after watching the video above, you can check out some select images of the exhibits below. It's far from comprehensive so if you want the whole lot you can always buy the book - Cars: Accelerating the Modern World - from the V&A shop.
Thanks for watching,
Lawrence
Car making: from craftsmanship to industrialisation
Fordlandia: a failed experiment but it didn't prevent car making from becoming a giant industry.
As artisanal craftsmanship gave way to the repetitive tasks of the moving assembly line, workers began to unionise. The car industry helped shaped the global discussion about labour rights.
Future Cars of Yesteryear
Future ideas about cars ranged from realistic ideas - that actually made it into production - right up to the totally far-fetched. At the time though, it was fully expected that we might be going around in flying cars by the 2020s.
Fashion & Design
Racing Away
The nascency of racing
Racing became an important symbol of gender rights
The early world speed records
231 miles per hour in 1929 was pretty good going!
Electric E-Type Jaguar from the Royal Wedding 2011
An act of subversion against consumer society
In 1960s America, car modifying became a symbol of opting out of the mainstream
Oil
Oil was a significant part of the exhibition. So much so that it will feature in a future blog post where I will examine our changing relationship with 'the black stuff' as we move to a lower-carbon future. Can you imagine how shocking the advert below would be if it was produced today?! Make sure to sign up for the blog (if not already) so you don't miss it.
THE END
A note on copyright: All photos above were taken by myself, Lawrence D'Silva, as I walked around as a paying attendee of the exhibition. Photography was allowed and in compliance with V&A regulations, posting these images online is permitted for educational purposes. All images are copyright. A hard copy of the exhibits can be obtained via the purchase of the exhibition book - just search the web for 'Cars - Accelerating the modern wold - Book'.
