The first solo presentation in a UK museum of the work of British designer and artist Bethan Laura Wood will open at the Design Museum next month.
Over 70 objects will go on show — including some of Wood’s most eye-catching creations alongside brand-new work — in the free display that celebrates her radical and vibrant practice.
Wood’s show will inaugurate a new and important annual display series at the Design Museum — titled PLATFORM — which champions contemporary design practice.
Known for her eclectic creations spanning furniture, lighting, jewellery, and installations, Bethan Laura Wood’s work is characterised by a bold use of colour, intricate patterns, and innovative material combinations. Visitors to the display will discover objects ranging from stained teacups to patterned modular furniture.
Since obtaining an MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art and establishing her eponymous design studio in 2009, Wood has become one the most exciting new designers of the past decade, and has quickly gained a cult following alongside a celebrated global design reputation. She’s been commissioned by and produced named collaborations with a variety of international partners in recent years, including Perrier–Jouët, Hermes and Dior, and she has works in the permanent collections of the Wellcome Collection and the V&A in London, the Dresden State Art Collections in Germany, the Art Institute of Chicago and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the USA, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia.
Her PLATFORM display marks a return to the Design Museum for Wood, who exhibited an installation at the museum as part of a cohort of Designers in Residence in 2009. This programme saw young designers at the very beginning of their careers invited to create site-specific work in the museum’s former home in Shad Thames. Wood furnished the museum café with functional furniture made up from a patchwork of laminates.
Meisen Caterpillar (2022) by Bethan Laura Wood
Photo credit: Emanuele Tortora
Courtesy of Nilufar and the Design Museum
