Postmodernism and the Victoria and Albert Museum

Comfy?   This chair is one of the exhibits at the Post-Modernism exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum here in London. If you get the chance, I do recommend it - or at least if you have the slightest interest in the pop culture of the 70s and 80s.  As well as all kinds of extraordinary things (some quite famous like the Mickey Mouse kettle)

there are some magnificent architectural set pieces and some great music.

I'd completely forgotten the German ex-opera singer Klaus Nomi who died  in 1983.  I wish they'd had his haunting Cold Song but in fact they had the utterly bizarre Lightning Strikes and I have to say that this went better with the exhibition. (click on the links to see the Youtube videos of these songs).

There is a strong decor and architectural focus to the show, which traces and rise, heyday, decline and fall of the Postmodernism movement.  We also saw the behind-the-scenes photographic work that went into that iconic and peculiar picture of Grace Jones - a pity, I'd always thought she had really struck that pose but actually it was put together in a clever pre-Photoshop collage.

It seems so strange to me that there wasn't photoshop - I don't think most people even had CDs.

Outside, in the V & A courtyard, people were relaxing and having a nice time.  One person decided to walk across the pool on his hands.

I didn't catch the moment when he overbalanced, but here he is, as Mr. Wet Teeshirt, and all his friends were highly amused.

I like the V & A because it manages to be both cool and cultural - even though its cafe is expensive and has a crazy queueing system.  But entry is totally free, and you only have to pay for some of the special exhibitions, so I usually take a deep breath and eat in the cafe, as a sort of payment for being able to get in free.

Postmodernism - Style and Subversion, 1970-1990 is on at the V & A till 15 January 2012.  It costs £11 for an adult, and there are various concessions - I got in for free because I'm a Friend of the V & A.