2020

Inspired by Black History Month, we decided to review our collection with regards to diversity. Many museums have done similar activities, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, highlighting objects that have been looted from indigenous peoples or that celebrate the work and achievement of...

I’m always amazed at the number of chairs MoDiP has in the collection. We are lucky enough to have some iconic designs including two of my favourites: the Panton chair, the first single-piece plastic chair to go into mass production in 1967; and the E Series chair, which instantly brings back...

Following on from the last Facebook exhibition we co-curated with TheGallery, our latest collaboration - ‘A Fresher’s Kitchen in Plastics’ https://www.facebook.com/TheGalleryAUB – is yet another online exhibition, created to use MoDiP’s collections to inspire AUB Freshers to eat healthily and also...

When we think about plastics, it is easy to forget that this material family includes a large and ever-growing number of synthetic fabrics. Developed from the second half of the 19th century, familiar examples include polyester (introduced in 1941) with easy-care properties and Lycra ® (invented in...

You might be wondering what’s so special about a humble disposable expanded polystyrene cup and why it warrants a place in the Museum of Design in Plastics collection. It is an object that most of us have encountered at some point in our lives, but we now might do less frequently as manufacturers...

Synthetica is a chamber opera about plastics with libretto and music by Karen Wimhurst, created during her residency at MoDiP. Following my post of 22 July, I am pleased to share the good news that Arts Council England have agreed that, because of the shut down of theatres caused by Covid 19, we can...

Inspired by our current #anappleaday social media campaign for September, I thought why not show how our collections can encourage us to reach the ultimate healthy-eating goal, and go the whole hog (not a great expression for a vegetarian) with a blog post featuring your 'five a day' fruit and veg...

MoDiP has many toothbrushes in its collections. There are gimmicky ones like the thermochromic example, with a handle that changes colour with heat from the hand, or one that glows-in-the-dark . There are those conceived by well-known designers such as Philippe Starck and Martyn Rowlands . There are...

In a normal year, one day in April would see over 200 independent record shops across the country coming together on Record Store Day. However, as with many things in 2020, celebrations have had to be postponed. So, instead of one day to celebrate vinyl records and the stores that promote them, we...

At the end of July, I passed my PhD with minor corrections. It is a simple thing to say, and seems really rather poignant at a time when young people have recently received their A-level results. Many of whom, having been assessed by their teachers during the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdown...