My first visit to the MK Gallery in Milton Keynes. Memphis: Plastic Field is what attracted me. I personally saw a display of Memphis furniture & objects at Liberty London in the furniture department in what I think was 1982. Was a fan then and still am now, Over the decades many items have become iconic classics. I never thought that furnishing a whole home in this style would work but one ore two items mixed into an eclectic interior scheme can look great. Somewhat unfashionable for some time but has now seen a renaissance and is highly collectable. The Memphis Collective was set up by Ettore Sottsass in 1981. The objective was to overturn traditional principles of modernist design, functionality, good taste and I think inject a certain sense of humour..The result at the time was radical and became very influential throughout the 80’s and beyond. Not just in furnitures and product design but also Fashion, Graphics and the media.
The show has a whopping 150 items well laid out in what is a good piece of exhibition design. Walls are painted black up to a datum line throughout, this lets the colourful objects stand out like jewels. The items are placed on sections of black Astroturf like matting, the pattern of which is an upscaled version of three Laminate patterns designed by Sottsass for Memphis. Black plastic plants are scattered around giving an air of domesticity. The items all look in excellent condition as many were made for the exhibition and some items are actually still in manufacture, others on loan. Theres a very detailed information pdf document on the MK Gallery website that you can download. The show is produced with Memphis srl Milano and designed by IB Studio Milan. Its a reinterpretation of two previous shows in Bordeaux and Venice.
The MK Gallery is a relatively recently completed building (2019) by 6a Architect’s.Its an interesting building and certainly refreshing to see something new in Milton Keynes thats actually Worth looking at! The main part of the building is clad in corrugated polished steel, internally it has a semi industrial feel somewhat like an old warehouse building thats been repurposed. the gallery faces onto the massive Campbell Park so a walk there after visiting the Gallery is a great option. The show finishes on the 12th of September so get down there soon, definitely worth the visit. Oh and the staff are very friendly making the experience all the better 😀
Gallery 1
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Gallery 3
Gallery 3
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Gallery 4
Gallery 4
MK Gallery exterior
MK Gallery exterior
MK Gallery exterior