London’s V&A reconstructs YouTube and displays first-ever video
London’s Victoria and Albert Museum has acquired the first video ever uploaded to YouTube, and has reconstructed the original watch page in a new display.
Alongside YouTube, the V&A has rebuilt the design and experience of the platform’s early years. They used the oldest available internet archives, dating back to December 2006.
Those attending the display will also be able to view the first video uploaded onto YouTube, titled Me at the Zoo. This was published in April 2005 by YouTube’s co-founder, Jawed Karim.
The video reaches just below 20 seconds in duration and has been viewed over 382 million times. It is one of the first examples of user-generated content for general consumption by the larger public.
The script for the video is relatively simple. Filmed at San Diego Zoo, the young man shares, “So here we are, in front of the elephants. The cool thing about these guys is that they have really, really, really long trunks, and that’s cool.”
Karim signs off, “And that’s pretty much all there is to say.”
YouTube’s chief executive, Neal Mohan, has said of the new exhibition: “By reconstructing the original 2005 watch page, we aren’t just showing a video; we are inviting the public to step back in time to the beginning of a global, cultural phenomenon.”
He added, “It is a proud moment to see this piece of digital history housed in the V&A where we hope it will inspire generations to come.”
Corinna Gardner, senior curator of design and digital at the V&A, has added that this glance back to YouTube’s early days marked an “important moment in the history of the internet and digital design”.
Gardner added, via the BBC, “The acquisition opens new storytelling opportunities for us to showcase and explore the ways in which the internet has shaped our world, from the birth of mainstream video sharing platforms through to today’s hyper visual world and the media and creator economy that go with it.”
The inaugural YouTube work is on display in the Design 1900-Now gallery at V&A South Kensington. Separately, the process involved in creating the reconstruction will be explored in a mini display at V&A East Storehouse in Stratford.
