Long-term exhibition
WHAT ARE THINGS FOR? PIECES FROM THE MUDE COLLECTION 1900-2020
Floor 3
Programme and Curatorship: Bárbara Coutinho Research and curatorial assistance: Inês Correia, Anabela Becho, Inês Matias, Madalena Galvão, Conceição Toscano, Pedro Oliveira, Daniela Esteves, Ana Maria Cunha, Carolina Santana, Madalena Carita, Patrícia Ferreira, Vera Brito
Exhibition design: Coletivo Warehouse
2003 Dress in cotton piqué, draped, pleated and embroidered - part of the ‘Monochrome Feelings’ donated to the Museum Collection in 2014 on display as part of the permanent collection
The exhibition "What are things for?" aims to re-read the history of design and present Portuguese design in context and as a design process. Rather than showing the design icons in MUDE's collection, the aim is to question how and why products are designed, communicated, perceived, and consumed.
The chronological organisation allows us to go back to the dawn of the 20th century and establish open dialogues between the design pieces and the documentation, highlighting the issues that cut across the different eras and inviting debate on the practices of the past and their projection into the future of each era.
The exhibition design poses a new challenge to museography by prioritising the reuse of various materials from the MUDE construction site that would otherwise go to waste. This curatorial decision makes it possible to reduce waste and the amount of debris as much as possible, investing in the idea of promoting a circular economy, making the exhibition solution a real manifestation of the museological intention to debate the current consumer society and the need to implement the values of economic degrowth.
Starting in September, this exhibition will feature new fashion pieces to replace those that have been removed to ensure their preservation. The curatorial discourse and exhibition centres remain the same, but the dialogues are renewed. The rotation of pieces gives the exhibition greater dynamism, allows visitors to discover the diversity of the MUDE collection and ensures the conservation of the pieces.
This renovation marks another edition of ModaLisboa at the Museum, and the exhibition now includes 49 new pieces from 42 national and international designers/brands: Chanel, Christian Dior/John Galliano, Dirk Van Saene, Emanuel Ungaro, Gucci/Tom Ford, Lara Torres, Martin Margiela, Miguel Rios, Ossie Clark, Paco Rabanne, Pierre Balmain, Prada, Ricardo Andrez, Valentino e Versace, mantendo-se representados: Alves/Gonçalves, Azzedine Alaïa, Christian Dior, Christian Lacroix, Dino Alves, Dries Van Noten, Jean Dessès, Jean Paul Gaultier, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, José António Tenente, Luís Buchinho, Manuela Gonçalves, Maria Gambina, Miguel Flor, Nuno Baltazar, Pierre Cardin, Schiaparelli, Sonia Rykiel, Storytailors, Thierry Mugler, Yohji Yamamoto e Zandra Rhodes.