Programme Barcelona Design Museum 2019
Brooch. Suite Praga collection. Silver, copper and acrylic paint. Joaquim Capdevila, 1987-1988. Museu del Disseny de Barcelona. MADB 136.383
Temporary exhibition:“Victor Papanek: the politics of design” 31 October 2019 - 2 February 2020
The exhibition Victor Papanek: the politics of design, from 31 October 2019 to 2 February 2020, is the Museu del Disseny’s first major retrospective focusing on the designer, author and activist Victor J. Papanek (1923-1998). The exhibition aims to rediscover Papanek as one of the twentieth century's most influential pioneers of a socially and ecologically oriented approach to design who, in the1960s, was among the first to make a plea for inclusion, social justice and sustainability, themes that are hugely relevant in design today.
This is both a retrospective and a themed exhibition, and through focusing on Papanek the person we are able to gain a greater understanding of a broader issue, namely, the importance of design as a tool for social transformation.
The exhibition includes high-value exhibits such as drawings, objects, films, manuscripts and prints, some of which have never been exhibited before. They are complemented with works by Papanek’s contemporaries from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, including George Nelson, Richard Buckminster Fuller, Marshall McLuhan and the radical design initiative Global Tools. The exhibition also features some twenty contemporary works from the areas of critical and social design, which provide insight into Papanek’s lasting impact in the 21st century.
At the same time it examines how Papanek's socially committed design is changing our world today.
Victor Papanek: the politics of design is an exhibition from the Vitra Design Museum and the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona, in collaboration with the University of Applied Arts Vienna, Victor J. Papanek Foundation.
Social design will be the main focus of the Museu del Disseny’s work in 2019. This theme will be examined in a series of collaborations with design schools, in the Disseny en Familia conference programme, in the Desseny per Viure conferences and in other activities and proposals which, through practice and reflection, emphasise this area of design.
The Advertising Boom. Tin, cardboard and tile advertising posters. 1890-1950 14 December 2018 - 31 March 2019
The exhibition follows commercial advertising with a particular focus on the advertising of everyday products from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. During this period, tin, cardboard and ceramic tiles were important advertising media, which contributed to the widespread dissemination of the products being advertised, particularly in commercial establishments — from small shops to department stores — on counters, in shop windows or on façades. These advertising objects were placed in strategic, crowded places and blended in very well with the everyday landscape, which contributed to their popularity.
The exhibition features 250 pieces, iconic advertising images of everyday products and brands. The tin and cardboard works come from the Mateu Llinàs i Audet Collection in Barcelona and the ceramic works from the Manises Museum in Valencia.
The aim of the exhibition is to show all audiences these advertisements, which were conceived as an ephemeral product and were very popular in their day, and have now come to be considered as cultural heritage for their communicational, artistic and social dimensions. It is a heritage that will remind older, and not so old, audiences of a distant past, and which aims to awaken younger people’s interest as they discover the power of icons that have survived for close to a century.
Curator: Pilar Vélez
"Joaquim Capdevila, jeweller”- October 2019
Within the framework of ENJOIA’T, the Contemporary Jewellery Awards organised by the AFAD which select the most notable contemporary creations from the jewellery sector, the Museu del Disseny is organising a retrospective exhibition on the jeweller Joaquim Capdevila, one of the key figures of the “Nova joia catalana”, who revamped the idea of jewellery as a means of artistic expression. Stemming from this reflection on jewellery and its role in the world of contemporary art, the Orfebres FAD awards were created in 1979 to promote the creation and dissemination of Catalan precious metal work and its internationalisation. Capdevila, together with other jewellers, was one of the promoters.
Activities: 4th Creativity and Trends Day-11 April, 2019
The fourth edition of this event in which ideas, concepts and innovative practices of the big market trends are brought to an audience of design and creative industry professionals.
This year, emotion and multi-sensory experience form the basis of the day’s talks, workshops and proposals.
Headliners include the French philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky, who will talk about the importance of emotional and multi-sensory experiences. As every year, we will present the future vision of a company that is an authority on trends, who will explain how macro trends impact on fashion, furniture, packaging and graphic design.
Experts and the creative teams of companies and brands will enlighten us about how interactive storytelling works, how to generate surprising, immersive, participative experiences for audiences, and about the latest trends in user research and service design.
In the workshops we will explore the past, present and future with artists and designers and through inspiring pieces from the Museu del Disseny collection.