V&A East Storehouse: exploring the impact of dynamic approaches to stored collections on museum identity, user engagement and collections management

Most museums keep the vast majority of their collections hidden away in storage, accessible only to staff and researchers. This project examines what happens when a major museum—the V&A East Storehouse—deliberately flips that model, making its stored collections visible, accessible, and actively used by the public. The problem is that museums face growing pressure to demonstrate their social value and build transparent relationships with audiences, yet almost nothing is known about how opening up storage actually affects the museum itself, its visitors, or how collections are managed. This research fills that gap by studying a real-world case where a museum is trying something radically different. If successful, this work could reshape how museums across the UK and beyond think about their stored collections. Instead of warehouses hidden from view, storage spaces could become dynamic public venues that change how people engage with cultural heritage. The findings could also influence collections management practices, staffing models, and how museums define their organisational identity. This is applied, qualitative research with direct implications for museum policy, design, and public programming—not fundamental science, but a practical investigation into an emerging trend in cultural infrastructure.