Photography Centre, Phase 2, V&A, London

In the development of Phase 2 of the V&A’s new Photography Centre Polly worked with the project team to define the Interpretation Strategy, gallery narratives and key messages. She also supported a co-design process and series of workshops with a group of 12 young people to inform the creation of the reading room and three new gallery spaces.

 Phase One was opened in October 2018 and shares the breadth of the V&A’s world-leading photography collection in refurbished 19th-century picture galleries. Phase Two (opening in early 2023) will continue this transformation by creating an additional four gallery spaces. An interactive gallery about the history and use of the camera will feature a walk-in camera obscura portrait studio, along with a timeline of cameras to explain how they work and how photographers use them. An impressive reading room dedicated to photography and the book will visibly store the Royal Photographic Society collection of rare and unique photo books, whilst two further display galleries will show global contemporary photography and cutting-edge commissions.