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Who? Where? How?

Game
2009 (designed and made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Who? Where? How? was a game created for the V&A Friday Late event Home Sweet Home in 2009.

It was devised as a murder mystery trail around the Museum in which the visitor adopted the role of a detective investigating the murder of Henry Cole’s faithful dog Jim. The object of the game was to discover who murdered Jim, as well as where and how he was murdered, by collecting cards placed around the Museum.

Katharine McEwen illustrated each of the cards with either a potential murder weapon, murderer or location. Each of these relate directly to either the V&A’s collection or the building; the murder weapons are all objects from the Museum’s collection, the murderers are all designers whose works are held in the collection and the locations are all spaces within the V&A buildings.

The V&A has a broad and varied collection of objects that document the history of gaming including chessboards and chess pieces dating back to the mid-13th century, playing cards dating back to around 1500, as well as popular 20th-century family board games such as Cluedo and Monopoly. In addition, there is also a large collection of drawings, prints and paintings representing people playing games.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 13 parts.

  • Game
  • Instruction Sheet
  • Paper Bag
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
  • Playing Card
TitleWho? Where? How? (published title)
Materials and techniques
printing ink, card, brown paper, white paper, black ink, hand stamping, colour print
Brief description
Game designed by Katharine McEwen, 'Who? Where? How?', produced for a V&A Friday Late 'Home Sweet Home' in 2009
Physical description
A game consisting of a folded map with a tick sheet of ‘Detective Notes’ on the left hand side, a sheet of instructions, 10 cards printed in colour and a brown paper bag stamped in black ink in the top left corner with ‘Who? Where? How?’. Colour print on card, black ink stamp on brown paper, black ink on white paper.
Dimensions
  • Map width: 245mm (Note: Folded)
  • Map width: 418mm (Note: Unfolded (fold is 173mm from left edge))
  • Map height: 239mm
  • Instruction sheet width: 148mm
  • Instruction sheet height: 204mm
  • Paper bag width: 248mm
  • Paper bag height: 249mm
  • Playing cards width: 145mm
  • Playing cards height: 208mm
Marks and inscriptions
[Board/Notes - on the left hand side, in the form a tick grid:] Detective Notes Suspects “Coco” Chanel Ron Arad Raphael William Morris Weapons Candlestick Pistol Stiletto Shoe Knife Rooms Hall Dining Room Library Walk-in Closet Kitchen [On the right hand side, in the form of a board. Central square, following a counter-clockwise direction from the lower centre.] Who? Where? How? 1. Hall - Start here - Hold onto your pencil and your Detective Notes 2. - Walk through the Grand Entrance - Turn right before the Shop into China, Room 45 - Exit Japan via the stairs, turn right and go up the “L” Staircase 3. Library - Enter the National Art Library - Walk through all the way into the West Room, Room 75 - Retrace your steps back to the entrance of the library 4. - Turn left into Sacred Silver and Stained Glass, Room 83-84 - Reach Silver, Room 65-69 - Exit Silver via the “I” Ceramic Staircase 5. Kitchen - Go through the set of double glass doors - Walk down the length of the Café - Explore the Morris Room, situated on the left hand-side 6. - Turn right into Rooms 27, 26 - Walk through Sculpture, Room 24-21a, past the Garden - Take the stairs up to South Asia, Room41 - Enter South Asia and exit at the other end and turn right. 7. Walk-in Closet - Enter Fashion, Room 40 - Walk around the room in full circle - Once back at the entrance of fashion, look ahead 8. - Enter Raphael, Room 48a - Take the “C” Staircase to exit Raphael. - Enter the British Galleries - Turn right and follow the run of rooms, 56, 55 and 54 10. Dining Room - Enter Henrietta Street, Room 54 - Turn right twice on exit - Go down the “D” Staircase - Walk back to the Grand Entrance - Collect your customised V&A badge [Instruction Sheet] Who? Where? How? 10 Murder Mystery cards to find at the V&A Mansion The scene opens in Sir Henry Cole’s palatial Mansion which he moved into in 1857. Sir Henry Cole’s faithful dig, Jim, is the victim of foul play and is found buried in the V&A Garden. Discover the answer to these 3 questions: Who? Which one of the several suspects did it? Where? In which room of the mansion did the crime happen? How? Which weapon was used to commit the crime? CLUE 1: The first playing card is enclosed in this file. CLUE 2: Concentrate your search in rooms indicated in bold. CLUE 3: There may be more than 1 playing card in the same room. CLUE 4: Only 10 cards exist, including the one in this pack. CLUE 5: Look for Jim’s burial headstone in the V&A Garden and pay your respect to the poor creature. Once you have collected your 10 cards, make your way back to the Grand Entrance for a customised “V&A Super Sleuth” badge. French Connection Friday Late Home Sweet Home 27 February 2009 Who? Where? How? Game illustrated by Katharine McEwen [Cards] [All cards are lettered ‘Illustrated by Katharine McEwen’, with the text running vertically upwards from the bottom right corner.] Dagger Halberd with bronze handle A jade halberd was not a weapon for combat but a symbol of authority. This object is part of a group of artefacts discovered in Shang dynasty tombs. Bronze casting and jade carving technologies were very sophisticated between 1600-1050BC. Museum no. FE.21-1984. Sir Harry Garner gift. China Gallery: Room 44 Pistol Flintlock pistol (one of a pair) These pistols with left and right hand locks were made as personal weapons to Tipu Sultan. Their barrels have gold Persian inscriptions giving the date of their manufacture, the armourer’s name and the verses of praise of the pistols and the ruler. They also feature a gold tiger head formed of the words “The Victorious Lion of Gold” in Arabic. Museum no. IS.55-2005 and IS.56-2005. South Asia Gallery, Room 41 Stiletto Shoe Woven silk shoe by Manolo Blahnik In the 1980s stiletto shoes were popularised by the shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, who distanced high heels from their 1970s association with sex. He imbued this particular style of footwear with extravagance and glamour. The pair of stilettos, adorned with a floral design similar to patterns on early 1750s silk fabrics, highlights this new direction. Museum no. T.158:2-1996 Given by Mr Manolo Blahnik. Fashion Gallery, Room 40 Library National Art Library The library was built between 1879 and 1884 as a series of interconnecting rooms. It was one of the first parts of the V&A to have electric lighting installed as part of the fittings. The decoration, above eye level to avoid being a distraction, in in the Classical Revival style of 16th century Italy. The upper gallery still has its original plasterwork and ornate railings. Dinging Room 11 Henrietta Street, London, 1727-1728 This room was the most elegant interior of an otherwise typical plain London brick house. The plaster frieze is a celebration of Bacchus, the Roman god of entertainment and feasting. This suggests that the room was used both as a dining room and a sitting room. Such a general use of rooms was standard in all but the grandest houses in London. Walk-in Closet Fashion Gallery, Room 40 The Fashion Gallery presents a unique history of high fashion, from the ornate richness of a court mantua to the minimalism of contemporary couture. The V&A collection covers four centuries of fashionable dress, from the beginning of the 18th century to the latest creations of the 21st century. Hall Grand Entrance The Grand Entrance, built in 1904-09, draw[sic] on the Classical Revival style of 16th century France, with pillars, arches, a dome and surroundings of polished marble and stone. The aim was to create an impression of grandeur and refinement. The Grand Entrance was also designed for practical purposes, for people to plan their visit, get information or meet others. William Morris William Morris (1834-1896) was an astonishingly versatile and dynamic figure: poet, socialist, entrepreneur, craftsman, designer and artist. He was instrumental in the design reform movement that stripped Victorian design of its highly colours realism, and was also a staunch supporter of the V&A. Ron Arad Rona Arad (born 1951) is one of the most internationally renowned and individual designers of his generation. Over the decades he has created many iconic design pieces, from the Rover Chair and the Well Tempered Chair to the Bookworm bookcase. In 2000 he launched his “Victoria and Albert” furniture collection in homage to the museum. “Coco” Chanel Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel “Coco” Chanel (1883-1971) was a French Fashion designer who ruled over Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. Her elegantly casual designs inspired women of fashion to abandon complicated, uncomfortable clothes and to adopt her now-classic innovations, such as the Chanel suit, costume jewellery and the “little black dress”.
Subjects depicted
Places depicted
Association
Summary
Who? Where? How? was a game created for the V&A Friday Late event Home Sweet Home in 2009.

It was devised as a murder mystery trail around the Museum in which the visitor adopted the role of a detective investigating the murder of Henry Cole’s faithful dog Jim. The object of the game was to discover who murdered Jim, as well as where and how he was murdered, by collecting cards placed around the Museum.

Katharine McEwen illustrated each of the cards with either a potential murder weapon, murderer or location. Each of these relate directly to either the V&A’s collection or the building; the murder weapons are all objects from the Museum’s collection, the murderers are all designers whose works are held in the collection and the locations are all spaces within the V&A buildings.

The V&A has a broad and varied collection of objects that document the history of gaming including chessboards and chess pieces dating back to the mid-13th century, playing cards dating back to around 1500, as well as popular 20th-century family board games such as Cluedo and Monopoly. In addition, there is also a large collection of drawings, prints and paintings representing people playing games.
Collection
Accession number
E.2965:1 to 13-2016

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Record createdDecember 30, 2015
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