The V&A launched The Tower of Babel today – a spectacular sculpture by artist Barnaby Barford which presents a fascinating glimpse of London’s shops, from the derelict shops to chicken shops, nail bars, cafes, hairdressers, high street brand names right up to the boutiques of Mayfair and the top galleries and auction houses.

Barford has created a jumbled tower of 3,000 miniature buildings, made from bone china, each one featuring a different shop front, which rises to 6.5metres within a ground floor gallery of the Museum. He cycled a thousand miles around all the postcodes of London taking photographs of a wide variety of shops. He was particularly drawn to shop fronts which seemed to present a narrative, to give an inkling of the lives of the shopkeepers and the people who live above the shops. The witty names are fun too – there’s ‘The Codfather fish shop’ or the ambitiously named ‘Roman Empire’ café. As Barford said at the press preview: ‘I’m in love with London and wanted to celebrate the commercial strength of the city. We are all consumers – shopping is regarded as Britain’s favourite occupation – and I wanted to make a comment how we make judgements about areas based on the nature and appearance of the shops we see there.’

All the model shops are for sale via the website: www.thetowerofbabel.vandashop.com They are selling fast!