You’re never too far away from an art installation (or two) in London, and there’s another one to tick off that never-ending list thanks to the Design Museum. The beloved exhibition space in South Kensington has unveiled an all-new art installation, that whimsically uses folktales and a new set of emojis to examine and portray humanity’s relationship with the natural world.
Folklore, nature, and emojis collide:
Entitled Fables for our Time, the art installation is a 15m triptych on the museum’s second floor, boasting three panels that focus on different ecosystems that are vital for the perseverance of our planet. From beautiful bees and going underwater for a charming coral cove, to a panel devoted entirely to mystical mushrooms, witness this fantastic addition to the Design Museum for a truly captivating experience.
The panels consist of 176 constantly rotating prisms, evolving into three stunning vistas throughout the day. The scenes are presented as contemporary folktales, with narrators in the foreground who advocate for the primacy of natural systems in the human story.
They have been created by the architecture and design studio Space Popular (Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellbergin) in an exciting collaboration with architect expert and historian Shumi Bose.
Uniting the unlikely for activism:
Visitors are invited to contemplate our collective relationship with nature, with several fantastic vantage points of the installation within the museum. Since nature is such a healing thing for so many of us, the stark contrast of the emojis makes us ponder about the harmful ways we treat it – and the closer you get to the installation, more and more is revealed and uncovered.
Fredrik Hellberg, Lara Lesmes, and Shumi Bose, said: “We chose folktales as the core of this commission because they have long acted as a means to share cautionary tales. And the climate crisis is, in a way, a crisis of storytelling as it is hard to convey the immensity or scale of ecological change.”
The piece marks a major new research theme at Future Observatory, which is exploring ‘more-than-human design’ as a way to reconnect to nature, including other species and ecosystems, and is an incredible addition to the museum’s iconic atrium space.
So, make sure you head to the Design Museum to witness this brand-new art piece in all its glory. If you’re into nature, design, or art, it’s an absolute must! For more information on the Design Museum, click here to visit their website.