It's been around for 35 years, moving to it's current location - a beautiful 1960s building in Kensington, in 2016, but despite it's long history, I must admit that I'd never heard of the Design Museum until this year's opening of its highly popular Barbie exhibition brought it to my attention, as a potentially great place to visit for a family day out in London. Barbie was my favourite toy as a child. But as a mum of two boys, Odhran, 9, and Reuben, 6, I'd no chance of persuading my family to come along to an exhibition that celebrates the design evolution of one of the world's most famous dolls.
However, The World of Tim Burton exhibition was a completely different matter, as everyone in my household is a fan of his work - from the beauty of Edward Scissorhands, to the daft and dark humour of Beetlejuice. The Nightmare Before Christmas has been watched countless times in our house, as Reuben has been a big fan since he was a toddler. We have a toy basket stuffed with soft toys of Jack Skellington, Jack as the Pumpkin King, Sally and Oogie Boogie, and for Reuben's third birthday we had a bespoke The Nightmare Before Christmas cake. So the opportunity to visit an exhibition with 600 items from Burton's fifty years of creative output was one not to be missed. And it's clear others agree, as the exhibition has smashed the Design Museum's record for advance ticket sales.
As you enter the exhibition, there's a timeline on the wall, mapping prominent moments in Burton's life, from his birth in 1958, right through to the present. I was interested to stand and take it all in, noting how he was 13 when he created his first short films, and moving on to learn about his somewhat isolated suburban upbringing. But Odhran and Reuben raced ahead, keen to move along to the props, sketches and more interactive elements of the exhibition.
We took turns with the headphones to watch Burton's gothic stop-motion animated short film Vincent, about a boy who dreams of being like his idol, the horror actor Vincent Price, and loses himself in macabre daydreams. Odhran has been trying his hand at stop-motion, using his LEGO minifigures, and it was helpful being able to point out Tim Burton's storyboard for Vincent, which was hooked on the wall next to the screen, to explain about character development and the role of planning in the creative process (so his poor dad doesn't have to spend several hours on a weekend painstakingly helping to edit reams of material). The boys were also fascinated by The World of Stainboy animation shorts, and stood glued to the screen.
Objects on display are loaned from Burton's personal archives, film studio archives, and the private collection of Burton's collaborators. Many items have never been on public display in the UK before. What's captivating about the exhibition is how Burton has created prolifically since childhood - there's even a display of sketchings on napkins, and we loved seeing the result of an art competition he won as a teen to design signage for a recycling truck. The exhibition includes props and costumes from his iconic films, including Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman costume from 1992's Batman Returns and the black and white striped dress from 1999's Sleep Hollow, worn by Christina Ricci.
The exhibition comes to London after a decade-long world tour that has seen it visit 14 cities in 11 countries since 2014, and this is the very final time the exhibition will be staged. So, make sure to add it to your list of family Christmas days out.
I've never before taken Odhran and Reuben to an exhibition where they were so gripped. They wandered around examining the artwork and props, and they actually read the exhibit plaques! This exhibition is a celebration of Tim Burton's life and career, but it's also a celebration of creative process. If you've a budding artist, writer or filmmaker in your family, this is an exhibition to teach and inspire.
Where: The Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High St, London, W8 6AG
When: Now until 21 April
Price: Adult from £19.69, child from £9.85, under 6 free, concession from £14.77. Members go free. Find out more here