“Extreme Textiles”
Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, New York, NY, USA
2005

The design of the exhibition sought to enhance understanding of a myriad of highly inventive technical textiles and their applications, in disciplines including aeronautics, medicine, apparel, sports, agriculture, transportation, and civil engineering.

The design concept was developed into a series of three-dimensional stainless steel frames to provide a flexible armature in which to view the objects. Floating in the center of the gallery space, the steel frames generate a datum for the highly irregular objects, ordering the space without competing with the existing context.

Sensitive to the existing architecture of the Carnegie Mansion which houses the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, the exhibition design created a complementary and contemporary contrast to the 19th-century gallery space.

Credits:

Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Sonya Lee, Jolie Kerns
Curator: Susan Brown
Lighting: Mary Ann Hoag Lighting Design
Graphic Designer: Tsang Seymour Design

Photographs © Andrew Garn