Touring Exhibition Available for touring from late 2025

Material Tales: The Life of Things touring exhibition

As we face the realities of the Earth’s limited resources, designers and users are unpicking how objects are made, and at what material cost.

What are the materials that go into the objects that define our day to day lives? And how has material innovation changed the ways in which we live today?

What's in the exhibition?

Material Tales is the first dedicated touring exhibition developed by the Design Museum. The exhibition charts the journey of the materials that have defined modern life through their origins, uses and evolution to current environmental and industrial consequences.

Featuring iconic exhibits from the Design Museum collection, as well as innovative materials in development today, the exhibition will inform and inspire visitors to understand and care for the complex processes that go into everyday objects.

Testimonial:

"Collaborating with the team at the Design Museum on their touring exhibition was both a rewarding and enriching experience. The exhibition, 'Material Tales: The Life of Things', was built around a thoughtfully conceived and highly adaptable framework, which gave us the opportunity to seamlessly incorporate local narratives and innovations. This flexibility not only enriched the exhibition's content but also allowed us to craft a more meaningful and culturally resonant experience for our audience.

What truly distinguished the Design Museum team was their unwavering commitment to excellence and their openness to creative collaboration. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and shared vision significantly elevated the entire project, leaving a lasting impression on both our team and our visitors".

Hong Kong Science Museum

Related workshop

Research in Action

This accompanying workshop seeks to understand the material cultures of different regions in more depth, to consolidate ongoing research across the globe into material innovation and sustainable practices.

Elissa Brunato, Bio Iridescent Sequin

Designers in Residence 2019, photograph by Felix Speller

9 MODIS images show shrinking of the Aral Sea 2000-2013, NASA

Installation view from CAFA Art Museum, Beijing

Installation view from CAFA Art Museum, Beijing

Installation view from CAFA Art Museum, Beijing

Installation view from CAFA Art Museum, Beijing

Installation view from CAFA Art Museum, Beijing

Building the Largest Ship in the World, Maersk Triple E, South Korea, 2019. Photo by Alastair Philip Wiper

Get in touch

For more information on this touring exhibition, contact the Touring team by completing the tour enquiries form.

Background image by Elissa Brunato.