Tim Walker: Wonderful Things invites visitors into the fantastical imagination of one of the world’s most inventive photographers and is the largest retrospective of Walker’s work to date. There are 10 new projects woven through the exhibition, where he has drawn upon the V&A’s vast collection for inspiration, with the helping hands of many of the museum’s curators, conservators and technicians.
 
The photographer scoured the V&As 145 public galleries and explored the labyrinth of Victorian passages below ground level, encountering stain glass windows, vivid Indian paintings, jewelled snuffboxes, erotic illustrations and large-scale tapestries to arouse new ideas. Here are some of the highlights to enjoy whilst journeying through Walker’s enchanting body of work.

 
In perhaps what is the most colourful room of the whole exhibition, Cloud 9 was inspired by the V&A’s historical paintings from South Asia and celebrates the region’s vibrancy through photographs swathed in colour. The images were shot in the Worcestershire delphinium fields during a heatwave and Shona Heath’s installations and set design convey the Eastern mysticism perfectly.

 
Inspired by a 1675 embroidered casket that Walker found in the V&A, Box of Delights hints at fantasy, transformation and a world where you can be yourself. The photoshoot revolves around James Spencer, who burst out of his family home dressed as a beautiful woman. Walker explains that he was inspired by the London club scene and its freedom of expression.

 
After discovering the V&A’s collection of snuffboxes – in particular one featuring a dragon – Walker reimagined an empress walking her pet dragon by night for this series of images. Set designer Shona Heath was inspired by the rainbows within the shells on the snuffboxes and suggested using UV on the photographs, adding a unique twist to the Lil Dragon room.