An exhibition of international design, interactive experiences and educational revelations, presented by The Design Center at Philadelphia University in the historic Ravenhill Chapel.
What Is Design Today?, the first show to investigate the intersection of the post-Industrial and Digital Ages with our present material culture, opened in fall 2002.
Co-curated by design historian George H. Marcus and The Design Center director Hilary Jay, What Is Design Today? includes more than 135 works, representing an international roster of designers from over 30 countries. Innovative displays designed by New York-based Laurene and Constantin Boym are intermingled with hands-on activities to explain how design impacts the way things work, the experiences we have, the messages we send, and the objects we leave behind.
What Is Design Today? explores seven thematic areas-Understanding Process, Setting Style, Using Technology, Being Responsible, Serving Individuals, Conveying Messages, and Making Choices. The exhibition is geared toward the entire community, from school children to design professionals. Providing hands-on experiences, this show offers visitors opportunities to participate and provide feedback, from turning on lamps and sampling materials, to trying out chairs and giving their opinions about what they have seen and done. "We want everyone to understand that design is all around us; it's everything we touch and see and eat and sit on and wear and buy and experience," Jay says.
In Understanding Process, the evolution of an ice cream scoop can be followed and the final version tested out for hand fit and ease of use. In Serving Individuals, visitors are invited to examine products installed behind doors denoting the different contexts for which they were made-universal design, design for disability, design for children, and design that is appropriate for different cultural contexts. In Conveying Messages, where every object expresses a subliminal narrative, viewers will be asked to add Post-It notes with their own interpretations. Using Technology reveals some surprising new-economy thinking that is changing food, fashion, education, communication, health and entertainment.
Finally, in Making Choices, after having given thought to the issues in the exhibition, visitors are asked to choose among a range of waste paper baskets in different styles and forms, which are labeled similarly to food packaging. In this case, however, the labels include information about materials, production conditions, environmental friendliness, designer, manufacturer, price, and countries of origins. "Understanding the broader issues surrounding the creation and manufacture of products empowers consumers when they make their buying decisions," Marcus says.
Each of the thematic areas, created in the distinctive style of Boym Partners, Inc., incorporates significant contemporary objects by designers including: Paula Scher, partner in the New York design firm, Pentagram; Welsh-born Ross Lovegrove, Israeli Ron Arad, Australian Marc Newson and Englishman James Dyson; textile and furniture designer Angela Adams; the design teams of Royal Philips Electronics, Gillette, OXO, Ergonomi Design Gruppen, BMW, Zenith, Oakley, IKEA and Apple; German lighting designer Ingo Maurer; Danish bicycle maker Biomega; Swedish textile team Saldo; along with Philippe Starck, Austrian Stefan Sagmeister, Dutch Marre Moerel and Canadian Karim Rashid. In addition, there are numerous new designers being introduced to the American market for the first time. Media coverage included nationally televised CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood; Metropolis Magazine; The New York Times; The Inquirer Sunday Magazine; House Beautiful; ID Magazine among others.
What Is Design Today? is mounted in the 19th century Ravenhill Chapel, a building complete with stained glass windows, terrazzo floors and 40 foot ceilings. The show is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative (PEI), a program funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Additional support for the exhibition includes: the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), Philadelphia Chapter; The Consulate General of The Netherlands; The Consulate General of Sweden; IKEA; Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA); Medical Broadcasting Company (MBC); Lisa Roberts & David Seltzer.
The exhibition ran through April 6, 2003. For more information call (215) 951-2860 or contact us via e-mail at TheDesignCenter@PhilaU.edu.
The companion volume, also entitled What Is Design Today? written by co-curator George H. Marcus, published by Harry N. Abrams is available for $27.50.