There are 16 looks, two more than the number of Grammys Taylor Swift has in her trophy cabinet. It won’t be the most extensive exhibition, but it promises to feed the rapid summer euphoria abroad. From July 27, and with free admission, fans of the singer visiting London can see “Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail” in South Kensington, at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Taylor Swift during the 1989 World Tour in 2015. © TAS Rights Management, LLC
A still from the video for Fortnight (featuring Post Malone), 2024. © TAS Rights Management, LLC
The exhibition, the V&A describes, celebrates the pop artist’s success and builds on the momentum of her apotheotic time in the UK. The star’s songbook, and the resulting global phenomenon, are reflected in 13 stops on this exhibition route, each of which refers to a chapter in Swift’s career. The journey takes us back to the phase when the then young star moved to Nashville, the birthplace of country music, at just 14 years old.
Here, visitors will find custom accessories, such as the cowboy boots Taylor wore during the Soul2Soul II tour in 2007, when she opened for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, or the ruffled black dress she recently wore in the video for Fortnight, the lead single from her latest album, The Tortured Poets Departement. Added to this range are musical instruments, awards, scripts and other previously unseen archival material, which promises to revisit Swift’s early years.
Taylor Swift Tour Soul2Soul Tour, 2007 © TAS Rights Management, LLC
The exhibition design is by Tom Piper, who in 2021 was responsible for the exhibition “Alice: Curiouser And Curiouser”. The pieces, according to the press release, will be presented in dialogue with the museum’s collection and the architecture of the building. Let us recall that in February of this year, the news emerged that the famous British museum was looking for a Taylor Swift specialist to strengthen its team. It is quite possible that the advice of the chosen Swifty is already bearing fruit.
Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail will be on view in the museum’s permanent galleries from July 27 to September 8.
Source: Observadora
