Bringing a Little Light to Aardman's World at Young V&A

Few creative studios have captured the imagination quite like Aardman. From Wallace & Gromit’s cheese-fuelled adventures to Shaun the Sheep’s mischievous escapades and Morph’s timeless charm, their handcrafted approach to storytelling has delighted audiences for generations.

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is the major new exhibition at Young V&A in London, celebrating 50 years of Aardman’s creativity and craftsmanship. It takes visitors behind the scenes of stop-motion animation, revealing the artistry, ingenuity and attention to detail that bring these much-loved characters to life.

Alex Newson, Chief Curator at Young V&A, approached Anglepoise about supporting the exhibition, with a selection of our lighting donated for the show. Working alongside the museum, DHA Designs were responsible for the exhibition’s lighting design, specifying the Anglepoise fittings, carefully considering their placement and integrating them into the wider lighting scheme.

As visitors enter, they’re welcomed beneath a series of oversized Giant Pendants, creating a theatrical sense of arrival before the world of Aardman unfolds ahead. Wall lights help shape the atmosphere throughout, and one desk lamp has been given a pair of eyes — a quietly playful nod to Aardman’s gift for giving ordinary things a personality.

The exhibition explores every stage of the animation process, from early sketches and storyboards to model-making, lighting, filming and post-production. More than 150 objects from Aardman’s archives, props, sets, characters, offer a fascinating glimpse into the craft behind some of Britain’s most beloved films and television programmes.

Does lighting really matter that much in stop-motion?

More than most people realise. The exhibition lets visitors experiment with this directly, there’s a section where you can play with the lighting in Feathers McGraw’s prison cell and feel immediately what a difference it makes. It’s one of many hands-on moments in a show that takes craft seriously without making it feel like homework.

Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends is on at Young V&A, Bethnal Green, until 15 November 2026. For families, animation enthusiasts and anyone drawn to the creative process, it’s a genuinely wonderful day out.

Lighting designer: DHA Designs