Design Matters

We arrived at school early and began our journey to the Design Museum in London. On arrival, we were immediately struck by the dramatic and innovative design of the museum building itself, bordered by a series of water features and Holland Park’s greenery. With its swooping lines, the roof was intended to represent optimism and progress – I discovered afterwards that the unique form of a saddle-shaped, double paraboloid curve was inspired by the work of Felix Candela. We learned that this architectural design was chosen because it only required two internal columns, allowing an unbroken view across the exhibition galleries.

The entrance of the museum included different, innovative furniture designs; my favourite was a modernist wooden rocking chair, which was very fun to sit on. After splitting into groups, we entered the sneakers exhibition. At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was surprised by how culturally significant trainers are and how much they have evolved in the design world. As Sustainability Prefect, one of the aspects about DT that attracts me most is learning about green and sustainable design, so the most memorable part of the exhibition was the section on environmental fashion.

Next, we made our way up to the permanent collection ‘Designer Maker User.’ The exhibition covered a broad range of design disciplines, from architecture and engineering to the digital world, fashion, and graphics. We were able to see the evolution of 20^th and 21^st century design, which was a great opportunity to help develop our theory knowledge, ranging from GCSE to A Level to IB. After a picnic in Holland Park, we spent some more independent time in the museum, before finally beginning the journey home. I am currently in the design development phase of my IB coursework where I am designing a transportable shelter for the homeless, so it was inspiring to see such a wide range of designs and making processes at the Design Museum.