Design, Interrupted

For many years, it has been a commonly understood principle of design that form follows function. Originally coined in the nineteenth century to describe architecture, this phrase is rooted in the notion that everyday objects are created to serve specific functions and purposes. A chair is for sitting, a light fixture for illuminating, a rug for softness and warmth, a pair of earmuffs for protection. It argues that an item's use is reflected in its appearance and form.

What does it mean, then, to sit in a chair that is comprised only of circular forms? Or for a lamp to look like a bird? For a rug to be too lumpy to comfortably walk across or place furniture upon? For earmuffs to be too large to fit any human head? Above all, what does it mean to create a seemingly utilitarian object out of a material that might impede its very function? Blurring the boundaries between art and design, the works in this exhibition address these questions, inviting us to ponder a world of design where form overtakes function.

Design, Interrupted is curated by Rosamund Garrett, Ph.D., Head of Collections, Chester Beatty, Dublin, Ireland, with support from Mallory Sharp, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Mississippi. It is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.

All exhibitions at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art are underwritten by the MBMA Exhibition Fund: Lead support provided by Kay Clark, and Maggie and Milton Lovell, with additional funding from Anonymous, Irene and Ron Ayotte, Gloria and Kenneth Boyland, Deborah and Bob Craddock, Susan and James Edelman, Debi and Galen Havner, Sally Hergenrader, James R. Humphreys, Betty and George Johnson, Kristen and Jay Keegan, Valerie and Carl Person, Deborah D. Tipton, Bill Townsend, and the Doris S. and Hubert Kiersky Charitable Remainder Trust.