Ruth Thrower
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The Design Museum was founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, the famous British designer.
Originally located at Butlers Wharf, in 2008 it relocated to larger premises, the former Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street. The Grade II listed building was transformed into a beautiful modern spacious museum.
The Design Museum is a collection of all the key designs over the decades, spanning all aspects of design including architecture, fashion, furniture, product, graphic design and transport.
One of the permanent collections on show is ‘Designer, Maker, User’. This display looks at the development of modern design through these roles and shows 1,000 items from the last two centuries.
The ‘designer’ aspect is based on the phrase by the Italian architect, Ernesto Rogers, who once said that the roles and possibilities of a designer stretch “from the spoon to a city’’.
Varying design works are exhibited such as the famous Anglepoise lamp to the London underground map.
The ‘maker’ section traces the evolution of manufacturing and the ‘user’ explores the interaction between people and brands ranging from the Walkman to the Apple iPhone, demonstrating how design has changed the way we communicate.
The Design Museum also holds temporary exhibitions and displays. During our visit, we were lucky enough to visit the world of Tim Burton, the famous American film director, producer, screenwriter, and animator. Well known for his many gothic horror and fantasy films over the last few decades, the exhibition displays his drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, moving-image works, sculptural installations and set and costume design from many of his films.
It was a spooky yet fascinating insight into the imaginative mind of such a creative individual.
If you’re in London and are looking for a way to spend an afternoon, the Design Museum is full of interesting exhibitions that open your mind to all aspects of design.
