the exhibition ‘the pop-up generation: design between dimensions’, investigates the trends of screen culture, flat-packing, and pop-up shops above: ‘wandering territory’ by anna garforth, on exhibition in ‘the pop-up generation’

the pop-up generation: design between dimensions curated by lidewij edelkoort MOTI (museum of the image), breda, the netherlands on through april 12th, 2012

curated by netherlands-born, paris-based trend forecaster lidewij edelkoort for the museum of the image (MOTI) in the netherlands, the exhibition ‘the pop-up generation: design between dimensions‘ investigates the ways two and three -dimensional forms are collapsed and conflated in contemporary culture.

‘young generations born with and behind the screen live in a shadow area, a no man’s land between the second and third dimension that they wish to connect,’ explains edelkoort. ‘this ‘pop-up generation’ moves easily from 2D to 3D and back again as if they do not even notice that there is a difference. the brain is trained to see volume in a flat sketch and to discover a structure behind the volume found in an architectonic drawing.‘

the global need for fuel and resource efficiency has made pop-up design a popular topic in architecture and product manufacturing, from portable storefronts to flat-packed furniture. at the same time, the omnipresence of the screen predominant in modern society has changed our perceptions of normality in terms of viewing and interacting with objects in multiple dimensions. the MOTI exhibition presents sculptures, video, installations, textiles, lights, and performances by over twenty designers from around the world, all of which ‘make transience and the immaterial visible’, reflecting the physical reality and concept of pop-up.

view more about selected projects below, or take an inside look on MOTI’s ‘pop-up generation‘ vimeo channel.

watch the making-of the ‘wandering territory’ bear by graphic designer anna garforth, in collaboration with vinke display video © bonthoff productions

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI ‘132 5. issey miyake’

‘132 5. issey miyake’ is the result of a collaboration between fashion designer issey miyake and the computer scientists of his reality lab. mathematical algorithms were designed into 3D origami shapes, then folded and heat-pressed into two-dimensional forms composed of recycled plastics and polyester.

in explanation of the collection’s title, miyake offers: ‘‘1’ refers to a single piece of cloth, while ‘3’ refers to its three-dimensional shape. the following ‘2’ comes from the fact that a 3D piece of material is folded into a two-dimensional shape, and the ‘5’ separated by a single space refers to the time needed between when the folded forms are made and when people actually put them on, giving birth to clothing.‘

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI detail view of the fabric

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI ‘mush-room’ (2011) by anthony kleinepier in collaboration with leo schellens

‘mush-room’ is the work of dutch designer anthony kleinepier, in collaboration with leo schellens (mohair material producers) and john vos meubelatelier for fabrication.

for kleinepier, ‘mush-room’ unites pieces of old history: his own ‘bone’ products are generally composed of stitched floor covering in what he says he ‘see[s] as 3D sketches and not as finished products but rather ideas for new work.‘ moreover, leo schellens textile producers were once located across the street from the designer’s studio, where he could feel the vibrations from the weave machines; ‘so you can understand I felt like it was a good idea to work together.‘

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI ‘chair / chair’ by eric ku

US-based designer eric ku designed ‘chair / chair’ as a conceptual example of flat-packed furniture design, in which wood pieces in the shape of the letters ‘c’, ‘h’, ‘a’, ‘i’, and ‘r’ are assembled into a seating unit. ‘instead of giving new definition [to the object],’ he explains, ‘I redefined the concept of a chair by using the alphabet. one is able to construct a chair by assembling the redesigned letters.‘

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI ‘pop-up store’ by carla fernández

the temporary shop design by mexican designer carla fernández and constructed by pedro reyes ‘blends the function of a pop-up store with the features of a pop-up book; elements such as tunnels, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs and pull-downs.‘ capable of being packed flat, the design showcases the range of shapes and architectural needs that can be accomplished via the pleating and folding of squares and rectangles.

pop up generation design + architecture at MOTI dutch designer niels hoebers created the ‘motion cabinet’, a portable stage equipped with tools to make stop motion films on the go

niels boeber’s short film ‘walter’ is a metaphor for the design process, produced using his ‘motion cabinet’

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participating designers and artists: borre akkersdijk (NL), maarten baas (NL), tord boontje (NL), catharina van eetvelde (BE), kiki van eijk (NL), eley kishimoto and ben wilson (GB/JP), carla fernández (MX), front (SE), anna garforth (GB), jaime hayon (SP), niels hoebers (NL), anthony kleinepier (NL), eric ku (USA), laurens manders (NL), niels meulman (NL), issey miyake (JP), molo (CA), bartosz mucha (PL), neozoon (DE/FR), camille scherrer (CH), rodrigo solórzano (MX), studio job (NL), carolina wilcke (NL), james victore (USA), and richard woods and sebastian wrong (GB)

in collaboration with

geton roestvrijstaalindustrie, sundaymorning@EKWC
, dessovescom, léo schellens, philips lightning, van der hoornbuigtechniek
, audax textielmuseum/textiellab, vinke display, concorp, john vos meubelatelier