Exhibitions currently running:
New Silk Road - Basso & Brooke showcase capsule collection of Uzbekistan inspired fabric prints - Bruno Basso & Christopher Brooke are renowned for producing unique and inspired textiles and prints. Having travelled to Uzbekistan on one of four exchanges initiated by the British Council, the duo present their new collection inspired by this journey in the Design Museum Tank. The Basso & Brooke aesthetic is based on advanced and highly complex digital prints combining to create a fabric-based fashion statement; it is this unique appreciation of textiles that led the British Council to select them for the project. Over the past two years the British Council’s Architecture, Design, Fashion department have developed a programme of New Silk Road events in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh. A series of residency exchanges combine the unique craft skills from the region with the contemporary visual language of designers from the UK to help forge links between practitioners in the UK and Central and South Asia. The British Council project, New Silk Road, aims to use the arts traditions of the region to make these estranged places vivid again, and to address negative stereotypes with a creative energy, that is independent of politics. Until 24 August.
Urban Africa – A photographic journey by David Adjaye - One of the leading architects of his generation, David Adjaye has stepped out of his regular line of work to photograph and document key cities in Africa as part of an ongoing project to study new patterns of urbanism. This collection of photographs is a personal quest through the eyes of an architect to address the scant knowledge of the built environment of the African continent. David Adjaye has photographed the salient features of Africa’s cities including suburban settlements, unofficial developments and townscapes. Brought together for the first time, these photographs reveal the cities themselves and examine the buildings and places which have a special resonance with Adjaye’s preoccupations as an architect. The photographs will be presented as a series of vivid large-scale projections, set against a backdrop of African beats specially composed for the exhibition by Pater Adjaye. The images and music will flood the gallery creating a rich diversity of architecture, culture and urban landscape. Until 5 September.
Sustainable Futures – Can design make a difference? - This exhibition showcases a range of design and architecture projects that explore the most important issues associated with sustainability. Celebrated through a selection of pioneering and forward thinking design approaches, this exhibition places sustainable design centre stage, focusing on how design can lead the way and make a positive contribution towards a more sustainable future. Until 5 September.
John Pawson - Plain Space - This autumn, the Design Museum presents a major exhibition of the work of British architect John Pawson. Often labelled a ‘minimalist’, he is known for his rigorous process of design. By reducing and editing he creates architecture and product designs of visual clarity, simplicity and grace. Plain Space celebrates Pawson’s career from the early 1980s to date and includes a selection of landmark commissions including the Sackler Crossing at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the new Cistercian Monastery of Our Lady of Novy Dvur in the Czech Republic and Calvin Klein’s iconic flagship store in New York, as well as current and future projects. At the heart of the exhibition is a site-specific, full-sized space designed by Pawson to offer a direct and immersive experience of his work. This is the first time the Design Museum has realised a 1:1 scale architectural installation inside the museum. Using a rich range of media the exhibition will explore projects from Pawson’s career. From 22 September 2010 until 30 January 2011.
Drawing Fashion - Drawing Fashion celebrates a unique collection of some of the most remarkable fashion illustrations from the 20th and 21st Century. These original illustrations reflect not only the spirit and style of the decades, but also evoke a sense of elegance and glamour long associated with the world of couture and high fashion. Drawings from the collections of Chanel, Dior, Comme des Garcons, Poiret, Lacroix, McQueen and Victor & Rolf amongst others, will feature in the exhibition, which charts the changing perception of fashion drawings from its origins as an advertising tool used prior to the advancements of photography, through to its establishment as a unique representation of collections which has endured through to today’s leading designers. This exhibition showcases the creativity and skills of a unique artistic approach, celebrating the art and artists of fashion illustration whose exquisite images gave each collection an emotive and stylistic sense of direction. The drawings reflect the spirit of the time, through Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Pop Art and beyond with each era resonating with flare and style. This exhibition, co curated by fashion historian and writer Colin McDowell, celebrates key artists at the height of their careers: Lepape at the beginning of the century, Gruau the 40s and 50s, Antonio throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s, to current artists Mats Gustafson and Francois Berthoud. Film-clips, news reels, music and photography will sit alongside the original illustrations, allowing the visitor to reflect on the wider social and cultural changes of the century. Films of the artists at work will be displayed alongside examples and projections of the couture clothes shown in the illustrations. From 17 November 2010 until 6 March 2011.
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For more details please visit www.designmuseum.org