By Naman Ramachandran
London’s venerable Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is getting with the times and seeking a Swiftie in the role of a “Superfan Advisor.”
The British Swiftie, who will be on a zero hours part time contract, will be required to provide insights into fan culture and the memorabilia that Swift aficionados make and collect. Swifties often exchange friendship bracelets at their idol’s concerts and the V&A said it is particularly interested in the craftwork that goes into these and also into the handmade signs seen at the events.
The role is one of several advertised by the 172-year-old institution, which is also calling for Superfan Advisors for Crocs footwear, drag, emojis and tufting, a technique for making warm clothes. The selected candidates will join already hired Superfan Advisors in the fields of Lego, Pokemon cards, Gorpcore (where clothes designed for outdoor recreation are used as streetwear) and Toby jugs (pottery jugs in the form of a seated person).
The advisors are being hired to “help us learn more about our collection at the V&A as well as the current cultural trends that will inform the future of museum collecting,” the V&A said. “We’re always looking to learn more about our collection, whilst acting as cultural trendspotters on what to collect next.”
The successful candidates will meet curatorial experts at the V&A, share knowledge about their specialist subject, learn about the history of these objects and why they are relevant to art, design and the future of creativity. Candidates will also have the chance to go behind the scenes at the V&A to view relevant items from the collection.
V&A director Tristram Hunt said: “These new advisory roles will help us celebrate and discover more about the enormous, and often surprising, creative diversity on offer at the V&A, as well as helping us to learn more about the design stories that are relevant to our audiences today.”
Swift’s Eras Tour, which is currently in Asia, will commence its European playdates with Paris on May 9. There will be three London concerts, at the Wembley Stadium, on June 21, 22 and 23.
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