[This is design(unfinished)]

Hi guys,this is an unfinished draft,it still has some spaces I need to fill in and aspects I should change,but I hope you'll still enjoy it:)

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The exhibition I decided to visit was “This is design” in the Design museum, located near river Themes. This is not the first time I go to this place and all the exhibitions and shows I have visited were innovative, well made and always gave me the information I was looking for. That is why it did not take me long to chose.

The first thing I have done was looking through the exhibition information and reviews. I decided to do a pre-research to gain some information first and not to get confused and lost in the museum space, around so many exhibits. From the reviews I figured out that the exhibition is divided in sections, shows a wide range of objects from the original Design Museum’s collection as well as unexpected and special items. Such magazine as the “Time Out” gave a good rating to it and had a lot of positive comments from people, who have already visited the exhibition.

The exhibition is located on the second floor of the Design Museum just next to “Designers in the residence” exhibition. The first thing that has captured my eye was the space. Wide, open, neatly divided with big, a bit transparent cloths. The lights were done really well too: you cannot clearly read the information on the canvas until you stand right in front of it; words magically disappear. Under each object there was a mirror. All these means of presenting made me feel unreality of the place, as if I suddenly entered (?) .

All exhibits were divided on the following groups: Manufacturing, Identity, Archetypes, and Digitisation. Each “group” had an explanation, which was very helpful: the idea of the exhibition was not that obvious for me. The explanation of the concept is a necessary thing for places like this- not everyone can get the meaning of Identity or Archetypes behind the shown objects from the first glance.

Manufacturing block was clear to understand and pleasant to discover – all exhibits were given not only captions, but notes about history and video footage. The idea of the evolution of design was effortlessly traced through such a basic object as a chair. It reminded me of the exposition in a (NAME) Museum, which is located not far from Old Street station. Even though the object (the chair) was the same and the idea was to show how design changes through years, the expositions are really different and the impression differs as well. That made me understand how different the communication can be depending on the way objects are shown and what the curators actually do. Videos explained the manufacturing itself, how those objects were made, with what materials and means.

The next block made me feel a bit uncertain about the subject showing at first. “The possetions with which we choose to surround ourselves play a significant role in defining the image of who we are, or what we would like to project...If our possetions help contribute to a sense of identity, then design is the language through which the message is expressed.” – says the Identity explanation block. This part was a collection of very different objects: clothes, posters, sketches, models and even a set of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's 1936 red telephone box and Margaret Calvert & Jock Kinnear's road signage. All objects represent the “personality” of its owner no matter a man it was or a country (telephone box, road signs and traffic lights are a good representation of British identity). Sketches were presented under the glass, like it is usually done in museums, but were arranged very wise and did not bore, a nice mixture of photos, drawings, posters and adverts visualised the given information in the best way it could be represented. Also, I was really impressed with a huge road sign on the wall(how did they even get it there).

Next my attention was caught by a collection of gadgets. As a person who is interested in technology I had a great entertainment discovering old models and even the very first prototypes. Next to the “ancestors” brand new models were located like well-known iPad and iPhone. The exhibition provided the real entertainment for its visitors as well- everyone was free to take their try in old “Space Invaders” arcade and brand new Nintendo Wii, which captures player’s movements and “teleports” the player in an imaginary world. In my opinion, it was a great way to interact the audience, make them feel themselves a part of the exposition.

The last part was called Archetypes, “Designers work within the context of a visual language, in which certain forms acquire meanings over time. Very occasionally they are asked to create a unique form, for a new category of object, the telephone, for example. But once this definitive form, or archetype, has been created, every subsequent telephone is a development of it, or reaction against it..”. The idea was shown with a collection of different objects, gathered in groups: lamps, motorbikes, mini cooper, radio etc. Each of the group had an archetype and the development of it into new format, was made with more sophisticated material or looked more aesthetic. Small objects were standing in a row one by one, showing us the evolution and development clearly again as it was with the Manufacturing block; bigger objects, like actual mini cooper in a cutaway and Vespa motorbike were in an upper level. I found it very impressive, the way it was presented really worked well. All collections had sketches, manuals, history and description, making the Archetype block really neat and comprehensible for all visitors.

The curator, Alex Newson, is well-known and respected among designers and artists. This year he is a curator of Brit Insurance Designs of the Year. In the interviews I have found Alex says that he used to study architecture, but never practiced and moved to museum work. On the question about design he gave a very proper answer: “Design – as a discipline – seems to have an ever widening scope and an increasingly influential role in shaping society. Design can fulfill this role literally by offering support to entire communities or providing life-saving solutions for developing countries. Alternatively, design solutions can be less conspicuous in their social impact but still offer equally important solutions to aspects of daily life, such as seating or general comfort. While this stress on social responsibility should not be underestimated, neither should the importance of beauty or a more consumer driven element to design, for these too can have a transformative effect on our lives.”

For me, the exhibition was perfectly presented; it had not only strong idea and unusual approach, but was presented clearly and very aesthetic, with interaction with the audience. The whole exhibition had a special “flavor” of the Design Museum.