Often design artifacts are viewed in isolation from the larger context or systems in which they were created. Design blogs, polished artificial mockups, annual round-ups of design ephemera, and design exhibitions often sacrifice context for the sake of digestibility. This method of viewing design does a disservice to both the creator and the viewer where intention and nuance are lost. With this exhibition, we hoped to renegotiate how design should or could be displayed to close the gap between context and viewer engagement.

We were interested in curating work that is multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary, process-driven, and/or explores a theme or idea in depth. It was also important to have a diverse group of designers, representing a range of identities and methods of working.

Special thanks to Xena Brar, Trevor Carr, Reyna Clarissa, Connor Davenport, Jen Evans, Julia Fletcher, Hanna-Mae Greenfield, Kevin Guyer, Vicki Qian, MacKenzie Schroeder, and Zuyva Seville for submitting great work!