In the Making, on view at the Design Museum from January 22 to May 4, 2014, captures over twenty objects mid-manufacture, putting the aesthetic of the unfinished centre stage.
Varying from the £2 coin to a cricket bat, a surprising range of objects have been chosen by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, founders of the design studio Barber & Osgerby, to be exhibited in an unfinished state, celebrating the intriguing beauty of the production process.
"We have always been fascinated by the making process as it is an integral part of our work," commented Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. "We have curated an exhibition that will provide a platform to capture and reveal a frozen moment in the manufacturing process and unveils an everyday object in its unfinished state. Often the object is as beautiful, if not more so, than the finished product!"
The objects have been selected because they each have an unexpected quality about them in those moments, hours or days before they assume their final, recognisable form. These points in the making process capture a peculiar and unconventional slice of time in the production of everyday objects such as tennis balls, banknotes and even diamonds.
The show gives a glimpse of the designers' ongoing dialogue with manufacturing that is so distinctive to their practice.
Photo: Thonet Chair in Production by Mirko Krizanovic