a little jealous of jute and jam town...

Glaswegians are very secure in the riches of their city. We think it's the best place in the world (maybe not Queen Michelle whose heart belongs to London) and can't understand why anyone else wouldn't want to come  to town and join us. It still really rankles with many of us that Selfridges bought up the old What Every Woman wants site and promised to build a store here. They never did. Swines.

But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit jealous of the City of Dundee this weather. They scooped the V&A Design Museum.

As you can see from the above footage the stunning Kengo Kuma designed building is almost complete. The museum is set to open in September 2018  and will be Scotland's first major design museum. It will be the only V&A museum anywhere in the world outside of London, and will present the untold story of Scotland’s outstanding design achievements.

Creating the museum lies at the heart of Dundee’s ambitious waterfront regeneration, which hopes to revitalise the city region and turn it into a tourist destination. 

Situated on the banks of the River Tay, Dundee is Scotland’s fourth largest city; Kuma hopes that the museum will become the city’s new “living room”, inviting tourists and locals alike to enjoy the exhibits, socialise, and reconnect with the historic city. Kuma took inspiration for the V&A Dundee from Scotland’s distinctive, magnificent surroundings, including the dramatic cliffs found on the country’s east coast.

The building extends out onto the waters of the River Tay on reclaimed land, and despite its striking outer shell, the museum is designed to nestle into the city-scape. At the heart of Kuma’s design for the V&A Dundee is the need to create a building that will find a balance between the river and the city, in a simple but effective way.

Established in close partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the V&A Dundee will draw on the collections, curatorial expertise and exhibitions of its older sister. However, the new Scottish design museum will run independently to the V&A London; it will have its own Director, and as well as bringing V&A London exhibitions to Scotland, it will also begin to develop its own exhibitions.

At the centre of the Scottish Design Galleries will be Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s glorious Oak Room, which was originally designed for Miss Cranston’s Ingram Street tearooms in Glasgow. After being in storage for almost fifty years, the tearooms are being restored and reconstructed, to be put on display alongside the formation of the Design Galleries. I would be lying if I said that this didn't smart a little. I would love that to be in Kelvingrove.

Having that I can't wait until it opens. What a wonderful achievement for Dundee. I'll be joining the queue to see it all for myself with a big smile on my face.

Queen Marie