Eco-conscious exhibition design

consisting of common components which can be reused, reconfigured and rebuilt.

CLIENT: Craftspace

CATEGORY: Arts and Culture

PROJECT TYPE: Exhibition design, manufacture and installation

LOCATION: National touring exhibition

MATERIALS: Birch plywood, powder-coated steel and bungee cord

PHOTOGRAPHER: Dewi Tannatt Lloyd

APPROACH:

Our design approach focused on the longevity of the exhibition, offering the opportunity for common components to take on a new life after the exhibition tour, enabling them to be reused, reconfigured and rebuilt in new ways.

We were commissioned to design, manufacture and install exhibition furniture for ‘We are Commoners’ a national touring exhibition curated by Craftspace. Featuring UK and international artists, the projects showcased in the exhibition represented ideas to inspire acts of ‘commoning’.

In response to the design brief, we explored ideas around shared ownership and the act of playing together. We envisaged an exhibition display that could activate the power of social cooperation in getting things done. Joining together, making together, and making connections shaped our thinking and led us to the idea of creating a set of common components which could be used and configured in a variety of ways.

We created a kit of parts akin to components seen in construction games like Meccano and Lego. The linear frameworks are simply bolted together, using a pair of Allen keys and the tension of a bungee cord. It can be flat-packed easily for transportation and nods to DIY principles by suggesting that you can do it yourself.