070821 LHS_WIED.PDF

Portfolios
The work collected here represents the
diversity of contemporary exhibition design.
One important group that is covered
elsewhere in this book, but not in this
section, is the work of in-house museum
facilities, corporations, and institutions,
which can be every bit as strong as the
work of private firms. Examples include
the wonderful display work of IKEA and
Apple, and Ellen Lupton’s cutting-edge
exhibition work for the Cooper-Hewitt
National Design Museum. But the goal of
selecting these particular portfolios is to
showcase design processes and approaches
across numerous design projects.
These companies represent a
phenomenon occurring in exhibition design
in the last few decades: the integration of
exhibition design work between in-house
design teams and design firms with multiple
clients and projects. This has created a
world of practice with both institutions
and independent firms providing design
leadership. The design firms and in-house
designers feed off the creativity of each
other to make more and more exciting
design work that develops and enriches
the environment.
Large-scale museums and institutions
have also taken a leadership role. The
Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
has a design team of 40 members
undertaking an ambitious group of
exhibitions yearly, while at the same time
collaborating on projects with a diverse
group of design firms such as Hettema
Design and Gallagher Associates.
The design firms represented here were
selected in part based on their desire to
break traditional boundaries in the way
exhibitions are designed and implemented.
Their work spans architecture, landscape,
interiors, art, graphics, and technology to tell
stories and develop integrated narratives.
The work presented also shows design
diversity from small-scale displays to largescale
environments. In exhibition design,
there is no such thing as a standard project.
These design firms may be asked to create
a book, a single exhibit, an entire exhibition,
a building, or even the ongoing master plan
for an institution.
The firms also represent another trend:
the globalization of design. Agencies like
Pentagram and Ralph Appelbaum
Associates have become brand name firms
around the world, while companies from
Australia to Germany are collaborating on
projects in Asia. At the same time, a limited
talent pool has created international design
centers. It is no accident that most of the
firms exhibited here reside in New York,
London, Frankfurt, Sydney, Seoul, and
Beijing. These cities are rapidly becoming
international capitals of design.
140 Portfolios