The Practice

confines of those who care for collections and stage exhibitions. Curating now encompasses not only exhibition-making but also programming at many kinds of venues. An issue of the independent international journal, On-Curating.org, published in 2011, focused on aspects of curatorial practice in the public sphere and examined curating public space and public art in seven different cities around the world, without even a passing mention of museums.22 Design curation has now emerged as a specific site of practice on an international stage. In museums, galleries, exhibitions, in public spaces, at design festivals and design weeks we see the results of curatorial practice. But what does design curating entail and how do design curators curate? These questions form the central research focus of this thesis and will be answered, partly, by personal reflection on my work in the field.

The Practice

The thesis derives from my own professional practice and a substantial body of work within the institutional context of a design museum. It draws on over twenty-five years experience of curating design exhibitions and creative programmes, initially at the Barbican and subsequently at the Design Museum, London. As this thesis will demonstrate, the research undertaken reveals the importance of design museums, exhibitions and postgraduate training courses in the formation of a discourse on design and in focusing interest in the role of the design curator. It also reveals the role played by the Design Museum, London in the history and current condition of curating contemporary design in the UK and refers to my own career, as a design-focused curator and educator.

Ever since childhood, museums have held an irresistible fascination for me, as places of instruction and entertainment and they have played an important part in my professional life. After graduating from the University of Reading in 1988 with a BA in History of Art and Architecture, in 1989 I took up the role of Exhibition Assistant at the Barbican. At the time, the

22 ‘Public Issues’, On-Curating.org Issue 11, 2011: 1 - 88.

Barbican’s programme presented exhibitions that focused on the areas of fine art, photography and sculpture, and design was not part of the gallery’s remit. I assisted the curators with research and planning for exhibitions such as Japan and Britain: An Aesthetic Dialogue 1850 - 1930, a collaboration with Setagaya Art Museum in Tokyo (17 October 1991 - 12 January 1992); The Sixties Art Scene in London (11 March - 13 June 1993) and Bill Brandt (30 September - 12 December 1993). The experience gave me a thorough grounding in the process of researching, planning and producing exhibitions with a fine art orientation, whilst also completing an MA in History of Art at Birkbeck College, the University of London. I subsequently progressed to the role of Exhibition Organiser and curated two major exhibitions, Eric Gill: Sculpture (11 November 1992 - 7 February 1993) and Impressionism in Britain (19 January - 7 May 1995).

In 1997 I joined the Design Museum as a Curator. This was my first experience of working in the environment of a design museum and introduction to the practice of curating design. My first exhibition project was on the mid-century Danish designer, Verner Panton; Verner Panton: Light and Colour (17 June - 10 October 1999). Exhibitions followed on the automotive designer Ferdinand Porsche, Ferdinand Porsche: Design Dynasty 1900-1998 (9 April - 31 August 1998) and a survey show on the Modern Movement in Britain, Modern Britain 1939-1999 (20 January - 6 June 1999) co-curated with the museum’s Chief Curator, James Peto, now Head of Public Programmes at the Wellcome Collection.

In 1999, I left the Design Museum to take up a post at the British Film Institute (BFI) as Exhibitions Manager with responsibility for curating a touring exhibition to profile the collections of the Museum of the Moving Image following the closure of the museum to the public. In 2001 I returned to the Design Museum to take up the role of Senior Curator, at the invitation of its newly appointed Director, Alice Rawsthorn. I was later promoted to Head of Exhibitions. My role was wide ranging and involved delivering the exhibitions programme, directing the curatorial team,

curating high profile exhibitions, overseeing the Design Museum collection and establishing an archive of material relating to the history and development of the Design Museum.

Over fifteen years at the Design Museum, I curated exhibitions across a wide range of design disciplines. Exhibitions include Cycle Revolution (18 November 2015 - 30 June 2016), the final exhibition at the Design Museum’s Shad Thames location before its move to Kensington in 2016; Women Fashion Power (29 October 2014 - 26 April 2015); Hello, My Name is Paul Smith (15 November 2013 - 9 March 2014); Christian Louboutin (1 May - 9 July 2012); Hussein Chalayan - From fashion and back (22 January - 17 May 2009); Formula One: The great design race (1 July - 29 October 2006); Saul Bass (17 July - 10 October 2004) and When Philip Met Isabella - Philip Treacy's hats for Isabella Blow (5 July - 27 October 2002).23 In 2002 I established an international touring programme at the museum in order to increase visibility, and expand the audience for Design Museum exhibitions. As previously discussed, I also helped to establish the museum’s first postgraduate programme in Curating Contemporary Design in partnership with Kingston University. Working as part of the museum’s senior leadership team, I contributed to strategic committees and to content and programming groups. I was also part of the team responsible for planning the next phase of the museum’s development and its move to Kensington, west London in 2016.

In 2009 I negotiated a new role at the museum as Head of Curatorial which enabled me to focus on my specialist areas of interest; curating and teaching curatorial practice. In 2011, I embarked on study for a PhD at Kingston University and in 2015, I took the decision to become freelance. I now work outside of an institutional context as an independent curator, writer and educator. This change in context has afforded me the time to reflect on a career extending over twenty-five years and the development of professional practice over that time.

23 A full list of curated exhibitions is included in Appendix ii) at the end of this thesis.