‘She could have lived in these galleries to create the music’: Taylor Swift in among the V&A permanent collection

The dress from the back cover of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) displayed in the music room of Norfolk House at the V&A. Photograph: Peter Kelleher/V&A

The Kensington Valhalla, the Raphael Cartoons, Paul Delaroche’s St Cecilia and the Angels, the pre-Raphaelites, Foggini’s Samson and the Philistines: these are just some of the items in conversation with costumes and artefacts from Taylor Swift’s archive at a new V&A Museum exhibition. Taylor Swift: Songbook Trail presents 13 moments from across the 34-year-old musician’s career. Rather than contain them in a single exhibition, the pieces – from tour attire to instantly recognisable outfits from Swift’s album art and videos and even a fake beard – are spread across the entire footprint of the museum, engaging with the permanent collections.

“It’s the first time we’ve done this kind of theatrical installation for a contemporary artist,” said curator Kate Bailey. Organising it entailed plenty of other firsts: “I’ve never displayed a microphone before,” she said – not least one adorned with a gold serpent, as designed for Swift’s 2018 Reputation tour.