Design Real
Serpentine Gallery, London
The exhibition, Design Real, of thoughtfully designed objects beautifully shown within the pristine walls of an art gallery more often associated with fine art, poses the question: do we look at the objects as art or as design? There is no slick answer, but as nothing in the exhibition can be touched, pushed, sat on or handled. Visitors are left to speculate on the economy of design, the neat lines and the overall look, rather than being able to test out the actual function for comfort or practicability.
Despite such limitations, this is a ground-breaking exhibition in presenting design in an unfamiliar context, moving it away from places such as the Design Museum or even John Lewis, forcing us to consider the way objects can please as well as fulfil their stated function. Successful design needs to respond to human behaviour and needs, offer pragmatic solutions to problems and, in so doing, enhance our everyday experience.
German product designer Konstantin Grcic’s selection for Design Real focuses on “real” items all conceived in the last decade: mass-produced products that have a practical function in everyday life. Objects, by leading international designers and manufacturers, range from furniture and household products to technical and industrial innovations and include robot autonoma, aircraft seats and a bicycle, illustrating great economy of line and material. “What interests me about industrial design”, explains Grcic, “is how these things are made, in what material and how this has affected their language and their quality”.
A pair of waterproof open-toed shoes in Melflex R, a material that looks like semi clear plastic, placed on a pedestal, and by the architect Zaha Hadid, are a curious amalgam of sinuous lines and abstract form. They are good to admire, but whether they are comfortable remains uncertain. A more traditional object is a besom in polypropylene – the handle brown, the “twigs” green – widely used by street cleaners in Paris. Looking like a conventional broom, this version is, apparently, more sturdy and lasts longer.
Immediately inside the door is a giant black box that turns out to be the latest in car battery technology, capable of delivering sufficient power to propel a car from nought to 60 miles an hour in a matter of seconds. Despite all the technical advances, it is still a huge size. Contrast this with a life-saving object of a water purifier in polystyrene. It looks like a small, bicycle pump – fill with water and suck out clean liquid through a straw. Modest in size, but crucial in its function, it may well be vital to sustain life.
The objects – accompanied by the baldest captions – for example, “Battery” – are intended to be viewed with minimal information. The aim is to direct attention to the thing rather than the details of designer, material and so on. A full account of the objects can be seen on a dedicated internet site, www.design-real.com, which can be accessed in the central gallery and online. This is a crucial resource in finding out about the objects, and integral to the concept of the exhibition. I found the website, if slow, as absorbing as the exhibition. One promised object, which is illustrated on the website, is missing – an artificial heart – which may or not be significant in reminding us that, in designing objects for the everyday, it is the elusive quality of “heart”, as well as “art”, which catches and hold our attention.
Emmanuel Cooper
Design Real continues until February 7
