A new exhibition celebrating the legacy and impact of Ninewells Hospital has been announced for V&A Dundee, which will open in May.
The exhibition will celebrate Dundee and Tayside as a centre of medical and design innovation, celebrating how Ninewells, the NHS Tayside teaching hospital that opened in 1974, has made a lasting national and international impact.
Dundee has been at the forefront of medical innovation for decades, transforming healthcare in the city and around the globe.
From pioneering work on IVF and keyhole surgery to the planning of Ninewells itself, the city has played a leading role in transforming the provision of medical care.
The exhibition will follow the highlights of this history, including the Ninewells Cancer Campaign, the construction of Maggie's Centre on the hospital grounds, and the hospital's innovative leadership in the provision of IVF treatment from the early 1980s.
Alongside medical achievements throughout history, the exhibition will also feature innovative medical and design developments today.
Items loaned by NHS Tayside and the Tayside Medical History Museum will highlight how responsive design has evolved, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Future-looking research in fields like cancer treatment and robotics—carried out in collaboration with the University of Dundee—will also be explored.
One of the exhibition's central draws will be a participative element that invites people to share their own personal stories and anecdotes about Ninewells, further cementing the hospital's role as the hub of the community.
The exhibition is a collaboration between NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, Ninewells Hospital, V&A Dundee, Tayside Medical History Museum, and NHS Tayside. It offers a unique opportunity to explore Dundee's illustrious history of medical innovation and then to look to the future for health and design.
More exhibitions announced for V&A Dundee
The exhibition is part of V&A Dundee’s expanded 2025 exhibition programme, which now includes five new free displays, exhibitions, and installations alongside its major ticketed exhibition Garden Futures: Designing with Nature and the Scottish Design Galleries.
Over the next 12 months, visitors will be able to explore exhibitions on the design of games and the dancefloor, Scottish fashion, groundbreaking medical care and innovation, and the fascinating history of Palestinian dress.
Heralding the start of this expanded programme, Shylight, a captivating new suspended installation designed by studio DRIFT, is now on display in V&A Dundee’s expansive Locke Hall. Inspired by nature, the installation features large-scale moving sculptures that mimic the movement of flowers opening and closing their petals.
Suspended from the ceiling, the 11 individual Shylights are formed of multiple layers of silk and powered by robotics, creating a mesmerising display.
The Ninewells exhibition is a collaboration between V&A Dundee, Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside, the Tayside Medical History Museum, and NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation. It offers a unique opportunity to reflect on Dundee’s rich history of medical innovation while looking ahead to the future of healthcare and design.
Full list of exhibitions announced:
Design, Dance, Play: Interactive Game Projects (22 February – 27 April, free)
Shylight (3 March – 19 August, free)
Icons of Style (12 March – 18 April, free)
Ninewells Hospital: Care, Community and Innovation (3 May – 14 September, free)
Thread Memory: Embroidery from Palestine (20 June – April 2026, free)
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