Twenty-five years ago the designer Terence Conran set up the Boilerhouse in the basement of London's V&A Museum. The project quickly outgrew its premises and in 1989 became the Design Museum, moving to new premises near Tower Bridge.
The Design Museum is now one of the world’s leading museums mounting a wide variety of exhibitions exploring all forms of contemporary design from motor vehicle design to fashion, from graphics and furniture to architecture.
The Design Museum's programme of forthcoming exhibitions includes:
- Ergonomics – Real Design
- Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2010
- Sustainable Futures – Can Design Save the World?
Ergonomics – the Science
When new products, services or systems are designed a number of facts are considered such as the shape and size of the human body and how it performs, what we see and hear and how we think – this is the science of ergonomics.
Ergonomics – Real Design
Ergonomics – Real Design looks at this science, investigating the theories and methods behind the design of everyday items such as TV remote controls and a commode by Pearson Loyd, as well as highly complex projects such as the CERN Control Room. The exhibition examines the relationship between man and machine and asks how designers can make the best of this relationship.
- Ergonomics – Real Design will run from 18th November 2009 – 7th March 2010
Brit Insurance Designs of the Year 2010
The Brit Insurance Design Awards celebrate the innovative and outstanding creativity of the design industry today and include seven categories: Architecture, Transport, Graphics, Interactive, Product, Furniture and Fashion. Last year's winner, American designer Shepard Fairey, showed the power of poster design with his unofficial Barack Obama poster campaign.
Entries for 2010 will be nominated by several acknowledged design experts, who will each select up to five interesting, high quality, projects for consideration. A total of about 100 projects will be assessed and category winners, who will be announced in February 2010, will then enter the competition for the main award, which will be announced in March 2010.
- Brit Insurance Designs will be on view from 17th February – 6th June 2010
Sustainable Futures - Can Design Save the World? (working title)
How can design deliver a more sustainable future? This exhibition will highlight examples of items that answer this question. The display will outline several projects which aim to contribute to a “green”, more sustainable future. The show will look at the objects themselves and how they are produced.
- Sustainable Futures will be open from 31st March – 5th September 2010
Activities, Talks, Workshops and Late Nights at the Design Museum
To accompany the above-mentioned exhibitions the Design Museum will be running a variety of educational projects, for both children and adults, including workshops, debates, discussions and late-night events. Further details can be obtained from the Design Museum.
Frances Spiegel - Frances Spiegel, B.A. Hons. (Open)., Dip.Eur.Hum., read Art History/European Modern History at the Open University.
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