Rant: Design City, My Arse!

Hey London, did you know this year marks a design explosion in the nation’s capital not seen since the Industrial Revolution or Le Corbusier bringing modernism to Paris the inception of the Bauhaus in Dessau! No me neither. Although this is what a recent exhibition entitled ‘Design Cities’ at London’s Design Museum supposes [designmuseum.org]. If it’s true that London is ‘The’ ‘Design City’ of our era then why are there no amazing new buildings going up in the central London? Why is it that London’s current visual motif seems to consist of ‘Dallas’ style glass monoliths and loads and loads of roadworks? Why is free pitching rife and designers often shown a lack of respect for their skills by being asked to work for free? If you take the take that design is decision making then why are there so many bad decisions being made in terms of architecture and design in soggy old London town? Not knocking Britain’s many and varied, über talented creatives (and there are loads of ‘em) but ‘Design City’? My arse.
 
The ‘Design Cities’ exhibition is such a transparent attempt to assert some sort of lame authority over all that is designed everywhere in the world when the real truth is that (pre crunch) London was simply very good at recognising and buying good design. If anything, we are in an age where territorial boundaries are being broken down. Where design from anywhere is more and more accessible. In this respect London has become a city where you can find out more about design trends from at home and abroad. It is a bit like a sort of big, international design scrapbook (without the scrap), but hardly a city in the midst of a ‘design-led revolution’.
 
On visiting this exhibition, my heart sank when I guessed the ending after reading the first board (ie modern design started in London and ends in London. It’s all about London etc etc). The saddest thing is that the exhibition tries to hide this attempt to assert the city’s authority behind so many truly inspiring periods and pieces plucked (as the British has always had a want to do) from throughout design history. And, in doing so, talks down to the visitor, assuming them to be empty vessels you can simply top up with knowledge and then send them out to regurgitate what you have ‘told’ to them, at will.
 
Exhibitions at the Design Museum have a reputation for being a little touch-and-go. Their recent foray into English Graphic design legends has upped their game but ‘Design Cities’ does not bode well for the future… and it’s going on tour! How embarrassing. See Alan Aldridge [designmuseum.org], visit the shop, have a cake, but I wouldn’t be too bothered about the jingoistic, overpriced and overblown, ‘Design Cities’.