collection high-lights

In today’s blog post I wanted to talk not only about a MoDiP object but also about two pieces that I own. Image ref: AIBDC : 006201 Image credit: MoDiP This beautiful object is a decorated brise fan. The scene appears to be Georgian/Regency but it’s not actually that old – we believe it is a modern...

In MoDiP we like to support and respond to various activities that happen across the AUB. This term our cultural partner TheGallery has been hosting a magnificent exhibition about fashion and diversity. Body Beautiful: Diversity on the Catwalk embraces inclusivity and body positivity and is open...

Our latest exhibition, Why plastics? , is now open and will be running until 2nd September 2022. The original idea for it was based around a question posed by our Documentation Officer: why would a designer or manufacturer choose to make something out of plastics? One area of debate we encounter...

What better way for the Museum of Design in Plastics to celebrate St Patrick’s Day this week than with a blog about Guinness? You have to drink the Guinness first in order to access the widget. Image credit: Pam Langdown We recently catalogued some polypropylene widgets; the spherical plastics balls...

Our current exhibition, Friend and faux, includes a Betterware 2001 broom head designed by Martyn Rowlands in 1970. Rowlands was one of the first trained industrial designers to work with plastics in Britain, having attended an industrial design course at the Central School of Arts and Deign in...

When I joined MoDiP, this beautiful ornament captured my attention. It is currently on display in the About Plastics case in the museum. Initially, I was confused. What was a wall ornament doing in MoDiP? I made it my mission to research this beautiful artefact. I found out that it is a wall plaque...

In the early 1980s, I can clearly remember one day when my Father returned from work and presented a strange object to the family. It was made of plastic, rectangular in shape and coloured black with a yellow strip running around the edge. We couldn’t guess what it was (we weren’t allowed to touch...

This gorgeous, small, ellipse-shaped lampshade was recently donated to the collection. Image ref: The small lampshade, AIBDC : 008834 Image credit: Katherine Pell We believe it to be part of a floor/table lamp as opposed to a ceiling pendant, although the original attachments are missing – refer...

My name is Lisa Moro and I am in my final year of the BA Fine Art at AUB and am excited to have been chosen for the MoDiP Student Creative. Over the last few months, I have been exploring making work using Augmented Reality and my submission to MoDiP was to make work using AR as a medium. Fertility...

Hello there! I’m a current student of BA illustration in my final year at AUB and I’m fortunate enough to be one of MoDiP’s student creatives of 2021/2022. I’m really passionate about picture books. Why? Simply because there is something joyously magical, and entirely whimsical in illustrations for...

To ring in the New Year, this week’s blog features one of my favourite objects from MoDiP’s collections: a stunning GPO 162 pyramid telephone. Dated to 1932 and made from compression moulded phenol formaldehyde (bakelite), it sits on a matching Bellset 25 because it did not have an internal bell...

I love the vibrant green colour of this ice bucket ( AIBDC : 008800 ), a rather appropriate object for this time of year as we get ready to toast in 2022. Image ref: The ice bucket, showing the white, removable liner (right). Image credit: Katherine Pell I also love the design of the lid. It has...