members' preview day exclusive
Waste Age Members' Preview Day
We are living in the age of waste. Is design the answer to leaving the throw away culture behind?
Be the first to visit.
#EndTheWasteAge
Please note
Your booking will become invalid in case your membership is due to expire on the date of your visit, if not renewed.
We all know waste is a big problem. So how are we going to fix it?
New design ideas are redefining fashion, construction, food, electronics and packaging by transforming our trash into treasure and could provide the path to ending the Waste Age.
Explore major new exhibits that capture the devastating impact of waste including a large-scale art installation by Ibrahim Mahama made from e-waste in Ghana and an interactive waste wall by Sony.
The exhibition showcases some of the visionary designers who are reinventing our relationship with waste including Formafantasma, Stella McCartney, The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Fernando Laposse, Bethany Williams, Phoebe Englishand Natsai Audrey Chieza.
'We must face the problem of waste – we can no longer ignore what happens to things when we get rid of them. Instead of thinking of objects as things that have an end life, they can have many lives. This is not just an exhibition it is a campaign, and we all have an active part in our future.' Gemma Curtin, Curator.
A discarded bale of jeans, waiting to be recycled into Circulose — a new material made by recovering cotton from worn-out clothes for new garments. Image by Alexander Donka/Renewcell.
An e-waste sorting and recycling facility, Belgium. Image by Recupel.
An e-waste sorting and recycling facility, Belgium. Image by Recupel.
Lovely Trash Column by Blast studio — a 3D printed column made from mycelium fed and grown on coffee cup waste. Image by Blast.
S-1500 chair, designed by Snøhetta for Nordic Comfort Products made from discarded fishing nets. Image by Bjørnar Ovrebo.
Stella McCartney SU19 ECONYL® Jacket and Trousers made using regenerated nylon from fishing nets and factory waste.
Totomoxtle by Fernando Laposse — a new veneer material made with husks of heirloom Mexican corn. The project regenerates traditional, at risk, agricultural practices and preserves biodiversity for future generations.
Charlotte McCurdy and Phillip Lim, Sequin dress — made from algae bioplastic sequins on a biodegradable plant-based dress. Image by Ben Taylor.
Oxford Tire Pile , Westley, California, USA, 1999. Image by Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Flowers Gallery, London / Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto.
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Be the first to experience the Waste Age: What can design do? exhibition.
Book free tickets for you and a guest.
If you wish to add up to 3 child tickets (15 years old or under) to your booking please email membership@designmuseum.org.
Please note
Your booking will become invalid in case your membership is due to expire on the date of your visit, if not renewed.
related display
ADVISORY PANEL
Understanding and measuring waste is complex, so the museum has formed a panel of leading experts with specialist knowledge of sustainability and design to guide the exhibition.
Jane Withers is a leading design curator, consultant and writer. Her London-based studio works with cultural institutions and global brands on curation, programming and design-led strategies. Withers teaches and speaks internationally and has served on numerous juries and advisory boards. She has a long record working with sustainability and the role that design can play in tackling social, cultural and environmental challenges, particularly, the future of water.
As Circular Design Programme Lead at Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Joe's role is to inspire and empower designers to create products, services, and systems for the circular economy. Part of the team since 2011, Joe has helped shape the circular economy narrative, crafting stories and messages to reach new audiences and improve understanding of the topic. He has worked closely on Circulate, their news channel for events including the flagship Summit in London, and the digital festival of ideas Disruptive Innovation.
Founder of ClimateInColour, a platform dedicated to making climate science and environmental issues more accessible and diverse, Joycelyn is a PhD student currently researching the application of artificial intelligence to climate change at Cambridge University. As a diasporic woman of colour, Joycelyn cannot see climate justice without racial and social justice. Her work in the tech and science space also focuses on centring indigenous knowledge systems and marginalised voices in algorithms.
Marcos Cruz is an Architect and Professor of Innovative Environments at the Bartlett. He is the Director of Bio-ID, a cross-disciplinary research platform between architecture and biochemical engineering co-created with Dr Brenda Parker to develop new forms of bio-integrated design for the built environment. In addition to his practice and academic leadership, Cruz’s research focuses on the utilisation of living matter in buildings, from neoplasmatic design to bioreceptive materials and poikilohydric systems.
Founder and CEO at Faber Futures, Chieza is a leading thinker on the transformative role design can play in the equitable development of consumer biotechnology. A member of the Global Futures Council on Synthetic Biology, Chieza established novel design-driven processes and conceptual frameworks for bacteria textile colouration, which have been exhibited internationally. She leads a team that translates value and transforms systems across education, design, life science, and manufacturing industries.
Rebecca is an award-winning designer and Professor of Sustainable Fashion Textile Design at the UAL. She is based at Chelsea College of Arts where she is Co-Founder and Director of Centre for Circular Design (CCD). Rebecca's practice and research encompass making materials and prototypes, exhibition curation and writing. She particularly enjoys the challenge of educating and inspiring audiences into more sustainable choices and actions towards circular futures.
Sophie is a campaigner, designer and Chartered Waste Manager who investigates and promotes circular economy design principles. For over 20 years, she has been working in sustainable and ethical design, behavioural change and material processes through her London-based agency, Thomas.Matthews. Her work with the charity Common Seas and as a founder of The Great Recovery have shaped her as a leading consultant in sustainable product design.
Co-founder and Director of the Institute of Making at UCL, Zoe works at the interface of science, art, craft, design and engineering. Her work ranges from formal experiments with matter to large-scale public exhibitions and events. The first woman to receive the Gerald Frewer Memorial Trophy by the Institution of Engineering Designers in 2019 for her outstanding contributions to design engineering. In 2018, Zoe made the award-winning documentary The Secret Life of Landfill and is currently working on a follow-up.
Background Image | Sony Design Centre Europe, Life From Light
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