Resonances proposes a series of dialogues between the Plastic Design Collection and a selection of Art Nouveau pieces from a Brussels private collection. Beyond the classic historical definition of a new style or a new material, the exhibition highlights the patterns through which modernity was sought for in two different technologically hectic periods.

The irruption of metal in the everyday interior of the 1890s parallels that of plastic during the industrial boom of the 1950s. Both moments urged initially conflictive questions: should these technological improvements lead to a new visual vocabulary? How will these changes in production transform the creative process? In which ways will society and its environment be impacted?

Through the nuances of contrast, the dialogues in Resonances illustrate the answers that different creators found to these enquiries.

Formal resemblances traverse the exhibition and organise the couples into unexpected matches. The complex human relationship with nature within an industrially produced environment; the incorporation of ornament into structure in both craftsmanship and serial production; a quest for organicity, movement and lightness; the anxiety for a century coming to an end. It is at the crossroads of these axes that Art Nouveau resonates with plastic design.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

When:

Resonances
15.09.2023 > 15.04.2024

Where :

Design Museum Brussels
Place de la Belgique 1 – 1020 Brussel

Info: [email protected] / 02 669 49 29

Opening hours: from Monday to Sunday 11am > 7pm