The Victoria and Albert Museum in London will display thirteen separate installations that chart Taylor Swift's life and legacy. It is set to open on Saturday, July 27.
'Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail' is a temporary exhibition that features archival material from her collection, including clothes, awards, instruments, and more, showcasing her career.
A pair of cowboy boots that Swift wore in her early days of country music and the black ruffled dress she wore in the music video for 'Fortnight,' from her most recent album, 'The Tortured Poet's Department,' are among the standout items in the collection.
"Taylor Swift's songs, like objects, tell stories, often drawing from art, history, and literature. We hope this theatrical trail across the museum will inspire curious visitors to discover more about the performer, her creativity, and V&A objects," Kate Bailey, Senior Curator of Theatre & Performance at the V&A, said in a press release.
'The Songbook Trail' comes after the UK leg of Swift's 'Eras' tour, which, by one account, has taken over the British capital city. The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, was so impressed that he ordered and released a map of the city's subway system called 'Tube Map (Taylor's Version),' where each line was named after an album, and each stop was named after a song. The map was meant to be shown at Wembley Park station.
The tour was predicted to bring in over $379 million into London. Barclay's estimated that Swifties would spend more than 12 times what the typical UK resident would spend on a night out, boosting the UK economy by $1 billion.
Currently, the V&A has the upper hand. The organization started searching for a Swift consultant in February of this year, saying they were "versed in handmade memorabilia, such as concert signs and friendship bracelets (which Swift is known for gifting at her shows)."
Tom Piper, the creator of the V&A's 2021 'Alice in Wonderland' exhibition, is an award-winning designer and the man behind 'the Songbook Trail.' It will be on display in the permanent galleries of the South Kensington Museum through Sunday, Sept. 8.
