A trail set throughout the museum displays pieces from Swift’s archive including a serpent mic, a drag beard, instruments, outfits and cowboy boots
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The Kensington Valhalla, the Raphael Cartoons, Paul Delaroche’s St Cecilia and the Angels, the pre-Raphaelites, Foggini’s Samson and the Philistines: these are just some of the items in conversation with costumes and artefacts from Taylor Swift’s archive at a new V&A Museum exhibition. Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail presents 13 moments from across the 34-year-old musician’s career. Rather than contain them in a single exhibition, the pieces – from tour attire to instantly recognisable outfits from Swift’s album art and videos and even a fake beard – are spread across the entire footprint of the museum, engaging with the permanent collections.
“It’s the first time we’ve done this kind of theatrical installation for a contemporary artist,” said curator Kate Bailey. Organising it entailed plenty of other firsts: “I’ve never displayed a microphone before,” she said – not least one adorned with a gold serpent, as designed for Swift’s 2018 Reputation tour.