A search behind appearances

The shadow play ‘A search behind appearances’ reflects on the state of affairs in design and prompts a consideration of the meanings which hide behind an object’s look. The installation, commissioned by the Serpentine Galleries and presented at la Rinascente department store in Milan during the 2016 Milan Design Week, is a continuation of Hella Jongerius and Louise Schouwenberg’s collaboration on the manifest ‘Beyond the New’ (2015). A search behind appearances proposes to move beyond commercial success, beyond style differences, and beyond personal taste. The windows of La Rinascente present an interplay of small machines, fabrics and well-orchestrated shadows, which gaily mirror the world of design and suggest criteria for estimating and understanding a design’s cultural value.