V&A Dundee, Scotland’s design museum, will open Plastic: Remaking Our World, an exploration of over 150 years from utopian promise to modern-day pollution, and the first major exhibition curated by the museum – Tartan.
Dedicated to the unique global story and impact of tartan, it expands the story of a cloth that has for centuries been a symbol of identity, connected communities, expressed traditions and rebellion, and continues to inspire radical, playful and provocative design.
V&A Dundee 2022-2023 Programme Highlights
Plastic: Remaking Our World
29 October 2022 – 5 February 2023
Plastic: Remaking Our World will chart the changing fortunes of a material with a more than 150-year history, encouraging visitors to think afresh about the promise and problems of this extraordinary material. The exhibition will ask the question ‘How did we get here?’ beginning with the innovation of a material that now has global dominance. It will present the story of plastic from invention to ubiquity, from the history of what was once considered a magical material to the challenge of plastic pollution today as one of the world’s most urgent issues. The exhibition will feature prototypes, new technologies, and cutting-edge materials as designers grapple with a material that has changed our world. The exhibition will feature product design, graphics, architecture and fashion from the collections of the V&A and Vitra Design Museum, as well as collections all over the world. This is the first exhibition co-produced by V&A Dundee, the Vitra Design Museum and MAAT, with consultant curators from V&A South Kensington.
Tartan
2 April 2023 – 3 September 2023
A radical new look at one of the world’s best-known fabrics, Tartan will celebrate the global story of a unique pattern which has connected communities worldwide, expressed tradition, revolt and diversity, and inspired playful and provocative design. It is a complex, rich, and sometimes painful history unequalled by any other cloth or pattern. Tartan is a textile which is adored and derided, inspiring great works of art and design, and representative of unity and dissent, tradition and rebellion. While originating in textile traditions, tartan has also been an inspiration for, and incorporated into, art and design cultures including architecture, product design, fashion, film, fine art, and performance. Tartan has become a global symbol of unity and revolution, and the exhibition will explore the incredible impact that the textile has had on fashion and design around the world up to the present day. This is the first major exhibition curated by V&A Dundee, with consultant curator Jonathan Faiers of the University of Southampton, UK.
V&A Dundee
V&A at Dundee will be an international centre of design for Scotland. It will celebrate Scotland's historic importance in design and host major exhibitions of outstanding design, helping people understand their own and others' cultural heritage.
