ARTS & CULTURE
Originally published on Tuesday, 04 August 2009
Culture Vultures
We want to be grown ups when it comes to cultural outings. Take in some art, learn about a foreign culture, check out how dinosaurs mate, etc. But this tiny, nagging voice in our head still says, ‘At least there’s the gift shop’.
Let’s face it - after five hours of looking at stuff you can’t have, it’s hard not to want to cart something home, even if it is just the attractive guide (person, not pamphlet).
Bringing together the wares from over 60 cultural institutions, Culture Label offers an online portal into a huge virtual gift-shop, offering design savvy stuff as carefully curated as the exhibitions themselves.
The list of names is fairly extensive, from stalwarts like the V&A, Tate & ICA to lesser-knowns including The Royal Parks Foundation (great designer deckchairs ), galleries like The Serpentine and Whitechapel offering the ‘own art' initiative (letting you spread the cost with 0% interest), and forward thinking boutiques like Beyond The Valley.
Consumerists, us? Why yes, we are. And we’re loving our Anne Boleyn knickers , thanks for asking.
Info: Culture Label
