Location: Victoria and Albert Museum, London / Designer: Asif Khan Studio / Fit-Out: Setworks / Photo Credit: © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
For the Cartier exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Click Netherfield designed, manufactured and installed a series of highly bespoke showcase systems to display more than 350 high-value jewellery and decorative art objects. Working closely with Asif Khan Studio, Fraser Randall and the wider project team, the showcases were developed to meet demanding conservation, security, lighting, access and architectural requirements within an exceptionally compressed programme.
The project involved an intensive value engineering and design development process, with multiple showcase typologies, materials, finishes, lighting arrangements, mounting solutions and access strategies reviewed and refined before manufacture. Full-scale prototypes and detailed design reviews were used to test functionality, object presentation, access and finishes, allowing potential issues to be resolved at an early stage while maintaining the project’s programme and design intent.
A particularly complex element was the exhibition’s signature “Dream” showcase, an unconventional display designed to create the illusion of a Cartier tiara emerging from a cloud of mist. The system combined bespoke showcase engineering with integrated mist-generation technology, requiring careful coordination between the environmental effect, glass enclosure, object mounting, lighting and conservation requirements.
Developing the Dream Showcase required extensive prototyping and iterative engineering to establish how the mist could be generated and controlled within the display environment without compromising the visibility, security or conservation of the object. The technology had to operate reliably within a tightly controlled showcase environment while producing a consistent visual effect that supported the intended presentation of the tiara.
The Dream Showcase in particular demonstrates the potential for museum showcases to become an integral part of the visitor experience, with complex environmental and mechanical technologies engineered discreetly into the display system.
Beyond the Dream Showcase, the wider package required conservation-grade environmental performance and airtight construction, with lighting, object mounting, graphics and labelling integrated into highly refined showcase designs. Each element had to work together without distracting from the objects themselves, placing considerable demands on the coordination between the showcase structure, internal systems and architectural finishes.
The compressed programme added another layer of complexity. Design approvals, prototyping, manufacture and installation had to progress rapidly against a fixed public opening date, while installation took place within a live museum environment with restricted access. Early site visits and detailed planning allowed installation routes, sequencing, risk assessments and commissioning requirements to be established in advance, helping to minimise disruption during the installation phase.
When operational issues were identified with several showcase opening mechanisms, Click Netherfield’s design, engineering, manufacturing and site teams were able to work directly together to develop and implement modifications at speed. Components could be redesigned and manufactured in-house before being installed on site, resolving the issues without affecting the overall programme.
Through intensive prototyping, collaborative engineering and close coordination across the project team, Click Netherfield delivered a technically complex showcase package that combined conservation performance with highly specialised display technology and precise architectural detailing.
Showcasing over a century of high-craftsmanship, the V&A’s Cartier installation highlights how artistry and engineering unite to create some of the world’s most iconic jewels.
Project factoid