The Cold War Modern Exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington has been hugely popular. It shows a not so distant past that has directly impacted our present. Many of the concerns and developments during this period are still very relevant in our society today. The tension between technological developments for the benefit of man versus technology as the means of destroying man is something we are still struggling with.

It is a vast exhibition that takes a long time to get around. The audio guides are incredibly useful at guiding you through, however the layout is clear so they are not a complete necessity if you haven’t got four pounds to spare. The tone and design of the exhibition complements the content very well; each of the rooms is open, spacious and atmospherically lit, drawing the eye to the lavish displays, such as satellites, cars, and unusual visions of the future.

The exhibition is very text heavy, but there is a lot of history to get through and it is broken down into relatively small chunks. It is divided between Russian and American perspectives, then moves onto the rebellions of 1968, architecture and design, space and elaborate utopias. It effectively exhibits the attitudes of anxiety and hope that characterised the era, leading you through nuclear armament, the Korean and Vietnamese wars and man’s fascination with space, contrasted with the youth movements of protest and peace happening in response to these political actions.

It is interesting to see how the Cold War armament of two world super-powers was driven by competition. At first, each raced to develop nuclear weapons but, upon realising that the destruction of man would be prohibitive, they turned their attention to living conditions, working on the production of consumer goods and making huge leaps in product design. The exhibition portrays this switch as amusingly ironic. There are typewriters on display, furniture, crockery, Vespa scooters, radios and televisions – there is something pleasantly nostalgic about this. Effectively, it shows how technological development bleeds into culture and how people respond to these developments. The gallery shop is filled with various novelty items, such as “Commie mints,” model cars and astronaut food which is excellent for customers who enjoy the exclusivity of the products.

Noticeably the exhibition doesn’t have a sponsor; I asked someone working there why and they said it is because no sponsor wanted to be associated with a war. He also said this exhibition was considerably busier than the “China Now” exhibition that was sponsored by HSBC. I wondered why no company wanted to be associated with a war that was over decades ago and had a significant impact on our society, yet a huge bank was willing to sponsor a celebration of Chinese design when China is currently involved in the controversial occupations of Tibet and Africa, amongst other dubious actions.

I would highly recommend this exhibition; it is interesting, current, and innovatively laid out. When you leave you walk down a long white corridor, lit with orange spotlights and speakers concealed over-head which turn on when you walk under them, like stepping into a scene from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Overall an excellent and imaginative exhibition, well worth a visit.

Cold War Modern – Victoria and Albert Museum
25th September 2008 – 11th January 2009