1. © Design Museum Brussels
Design and designer: from concept to proposal
While the Design Museum Brussels is a recent institution in the cultural proposition of Brussels, what does the permanent display of the collection tell us? And how is it relevant to today's questions, topics and outreaches on design? How can a question of a singular man be told to the public? Is it an “international” story or collection?
All of those questions, including the concept and the social, creative and economical background should be asked and talked about in the display, thus creating a fruitful dialogue between the exhibited pieces and the visitors. But, is it the practice of this institution?
2. © Design Museum Brussels
When a private collection becomes public
While the Design Museum Brussels (also known as Art and Design Atomium Museum (ADAM) until 2020) came to be in 2015, the institution was given an incredible gift, a new cultural institution for Brussels and an incredible design collection made over decades by the collector Philippe Decelle.
While the design collection of Philippe Decelle was purchased in 2014, the current issue of personal collections becoming institutions is its diversity and scope of the works. While a personal collection of one work or a group of work in this instance can tell a love story between a collector and its taste, it might not include historical pieces or pieces from different continents, creators and/or manufacturers.
Thus, when Philippe Decelle bought his first design pieces in the late 1980s, the Universal chair by Italian designer Joe Colombo, he started his passion for design and well-crafted object without a proper education to design.
Over the years, Philippe Decelle continued to collect several hundred design object, mostly produced in pieces. His ensemble spans a period from the 1960s until contemporary creation.
Since the collection was bought by the institution, numerous works have to be done beside the important of making a list of works, the restorations of the pieces, the creation of the museum. This task was not that simple, between the creation of the strategy of the institution, the creation of the team, the scenography of the collection display, the inventory of the collection and the most important part, the localisation of the museum, and maybe, the construction of the museum. But since it's opening in 2015, what have the team done to broaden and complete this collection?
From my personal research on the museum’s website, the current collection of the museum doubled, from 400 pieces in 2015 to 838 in 2024 (based on the online database of the institution).
The current presentation of the institution
3. © Design Museum Brussels
The current presentation of the collection of the museum is placed in a Trade Mart building in Brussels created by the American architect John Portman.
The presentation is divided into two entities, the first and newest one being “Belgisch design belge”, which tries to present the scope of Belgian design from Art Nouveau to today. While the presentation was inaugurated in September 2020, The space aims to present artists coming or producing all sorts of objects in Belgium.
Thus, the space presents pieces from the museum’s permanent collection in dialogue with pieces from the King Baudouin Foundation’s design collection.
The designers of the presentations are Gustave Serrurier-Bovy, Huib Hoste, Jacques Dupuis, Willy Van Der Meeren, Jules Wabbes, Maarten Van Severen, Meurop, Alain Gilles, Christophe Gevers, and numerous others due to the rotation of new pieces in the upcoming months and years.
The second display, which is the biggest space of the museum is titled “Plastic Design Collection”, and was inaugurated in 2015, as part of the museum’s inauguration.
While you encounter the first room of the exhibition, it presents the first chair bought by the founding collection of the institution. Thus, the "Universal" chair from 1965 was design by Joe C. Colombo.
This was the first chair made entirely of ABS plastic using injection molding, crafted in one piece and stackable. It was supposed to be made of aluminum, but Colombo chose plastic to reduce costs. After the molding was finished in autumn 1967, the Italian furniture company Kartell started production. The Universal chair comes in various colors, sizes, and models.
The first room also present the archive of the museum in itself, flyers, press document, article and others, telling the old, new and upcoming story's of the institution.
You turn around this wall, and you enter the showroom, the collection presentation arranged by type (chairs, toys, etc), but also chronologically or by themes. Most of the work presented is made out of plastics, both revolutionary and popular, those items were associated with the economic boom of the 1960s. By the late 1960s, young designers used plastic to create provocative designs that challenged traditional manufacturing. The 1973 oil crisis and rising ecological awareness shifted focus towards sustainable plastics. Today, recycled and bio-based plastics are popular due to their environmental benefits.
But Design have another root, the United States. The roots of US industrial production began in the 1930s. After the 1929 crisis, companies boosted production and introduced new home products like radios and appliances. This influence coming from the other side of Europe, made due to the Marshall Plan helped spread US-made goods in Europe. Especially on the work of European designers like Marcel Breuer and Mies van der Rohe, boosted by companies like Herman Miller and Knoll.
Design was also started to be exhibited and taken seriously by the public, museums, and not only as a decorative item. The 1972 MoMA exhibition "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape" explored the social role of design, and its quest for a better life and item for the citizens of all social classes. Curated by Emilio Ambasz, it featured both objects and environments, reflecting the experimental and socially aware design of the 1960s and 1970s.
Since the 1980s, design has been strongly influenced by the use of computers, open source and more recently 3D printing. All this allows a redefinition of design that influences the creation and production processes through digital technology. Research and experiments turned plastics into the material of the future. Today, designers draw from scientific and technological advancements, creating innovative and eco-friendly plastic designs that address social and ethical issues. Plastic remains a versatile and promising material for the future.
While the Design Museum Brussels tries and continue to anchor himself into the cultural program of Brussels, the museum should, in my personal opinion, questioned theyself about their collection.
First of all, how the design pieces, which are presented in the museum only reflect European and American design crafted by male designer. Design is not a straight storyline, events if a lot of design are still produced today, and even in the 20th century, we only link design to a male oriented practice, and European, due to its price and rarity. To tackle this issue, the museum should focus on expanding its collection to included female designers while expanding the notion of design to the south atmosphere and Asia. Nonetheless, it should also define what design is, and when did it start, which is a notion there skip altogether in their presentation.
Informations about the exhibition
Place: Design Museum Brussels
Date: Unknown
Curators: Unknown
Ticket: Available at the front desk of the museum
Informations about the Design Museum Brussels
Design Museum Brussels
Place de Belgique
1020 Bruxelles
Phone: +32 2 669 49 29
Mail: info@designmuseum.brussels