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Admirers of Jeremy Northam’s portrayal of Sir Thomas More in The Tudors may be interested in following the 26 Treasures’ trail at the V&A (Victoria & Albert museum) in London, which runs from 18th – 26th September 2010. One of the objects chosen to feature is the portrait of Thomas More and his family.

Miranda Dickinson, author of Fairytale of New York and Welcome to My World (out in November), was paired with the painting and asked to provide her 62-word response to it. You can read more about her initial thoughts and how she approached the task in her Creation Story here.

26 Treasures is a unique collaboration between the writers’ collective 26 and the V&A, as part of this year’s London Design Festival. 26 writers were each randomly paired with an object from the museum and asked to write 62 words about their response to it. Through personal and poetic responses, the writers aim to encourage visitors to take a different, non-scholarly look at precious objects in the V&A’s collection. Other writers involved with the project include Andrew Motion, the former Poet Laureate, who was paired with a bust of Homer; poet Maura Dooley, who writes about an ornate mirror; and novelist Sara Sheridan, who was matched with an Adam & Eve Dish. Other objects range from The Great Bed of Ware to a Rococo candle stand, from James II’s wedding suit to Mr Nobody with a drinking glass.

Sophie Reynolds, London Design Festival Officer at the V&A, said: “The V&A has a long history of inspiring artists, and every day we see people sketching in the galleries. So what a brilliant idea to ask writers to respond in words. The responses are wonderful – from the personal and serious to the laugh-out-loud funny. The 26 Treasures trail will give visitors a new, rewarding and insightful way to view the 26 objects. It also promises to be a lot of fun.”

The project will continue after the London Design Festival, with members of the public invited to submit 62 words on an object of their choosing, and students from the London College of Communications will also be taking part in a 26 Treasures inspired project.

To find out more, visit The 26 Treasures website or Follow @26Treasures on Twitter and for more information on the writers’ collective 26, there’s the 26 website . You can read more about Miranda Dickinson on her Author Website or Follow Miranda on Twitter.