The Anti-Monument analyses how the V&A Museum has preserved and restored a part of its façade as a kind of anti-monument. The monument on the facade of the V&A Museum is already an excellent example of an anti-monument in its own right, but I would like to deconstruct this concept even further, as I believe that the current monument still possesses an adherence to the idea of the aggregate of ethnicity, race and nation. Monumentality does not only exist in intentional celebratory memorial architecture or sculpture, but that the objects it covers should also include unintentional things and any objects with time value.

The damage to these walls is the result of enemy bombing during the Blitz of the Second World War, 1939 - 1945, and is left as a memorial to the enduring values of this great museum in a time of conflict. Fortunately, only the wall on the West side of the museum facing the exhibition road was damaged in World War II. The presence of bullet holes in the entrance of the V&A can be seen as a poignant reminder of historical events and the impact of war. While some may view them as symbols of destruction and violence, others argue that they can serve as a powerful symbol of resilience, preservation, and the enduring spirit of cultural institutions. Some may argue that their presence could romanticize or glamorize war, inadvertently glorifying violence. However, it's important to consider the potential ethical and interpretive challenges associated with preserving bullet holes.

The anti-monument on the V&A’s facade is based on two elements; one of which is the reversal of the materiality of the traditional monument, encompassing notions of scale, texture, shape, and the permanence, grandeur, and stasis that these material elements symbolise; the other is the reversal of monumentality in traditional monuments, primarily their authority, their public nature and the social order and political norms they unite. This quest holds two directions, firstly, the creation of counter-monuments and secondly, the attempt at a true anti-monument.