The Curatorial Backlogs #6 : Making Sense
- Amanda Baldi
- May 7
- 3 min read
Artist : Ai Weiwei
Show : Making Sense
Location : Design Museum : London, England
Date Seen: 11 April 2023
Price: £16.80
Run Time: 7 April 2023 - 30 July 2023
Sponsors:
Reuben Foundation
CQS
Ai Weiwei Supporters Circle : David and Debbie Stileman, Bianca and Stuart Roden, John Burban, Anne-Lindsay Makepeace, Tarun Jotwani
Curators: Justin McGuirk (Chief Curator), Rachel Hajek (Assistant curator)
“Today, all I can do is pick up the scattered fragments left after the storm and try to piece together a picture, however incomplete it may be.”
– Ai WeiWei
Making Sense is a collection of Ai WeiWei’s work over the years, but looking at it specifically through the lens of a commentary on design. This is due to its placement in the Design Museum. The show asks the viewer to question how changing designs reflect a society’s changing values. As Ai Weiwei is not only an artist, and filmmaker but an activist and collector, many of his works reflect all these aspects of him. His work is often political and personal, reflecting on worldwide events that stick with him, and his reflections on the times – past and present. At the Design Museum for this exhibition, many of his collection based works are on display - from antiquity collections to Legos.
Notes:
Besides one section of intro wall text there is no wall text. Instead, upon entrance, every visitor is handed a guide. Inside the guide gives a layout of the space three separate times - highlighting different pieces for different thematic reasons each time. Each piece within the exhibition is assigned a number and given a description of the piece/its meaning. On one end of the gallery a handful of benches are located. These benches are useful to take a rest, or take some time to read through the pamphlet before viewing the piece to gain a cohesive sense of the show.
The show is located on the ground floor of the Design Museum and actually spreads into the lobby with Ai WeiWei’s piece, Coloured House (2013). The visitor walks under the piece to enter the gallery which holds Making Sense.
The show takes up one large room, there are no other rooms. The space is that of a warehouse in this sense - you walk in and see everything all at once, and must investigate further to see the pieces more in depth.
Laid out on the ground are five large rectangular pieces/sections which break up the space. Four out of five of these are collections of objects. They are arranged with very clear distinct edges. Before entering the space, the gallery attendants do warn you to watch your step as there are pieces on the floor. This warning was helpful. The arrangement of the pieces create natural corridors to walk through and explore the space through.
This is a very disability friendly exhibition. Being on the ground floor omits the need for elevators or ramps and the spaces to walk through between the pieces are large enough that a wheelchair could fit. The tickets are timed out and limited enough that the space doesn’t get overcrowded and congested. There are spaces to sit. The pamphlets each visitor receives upon entrance are easy to follow, and allow for people to take as much time as they need to read without blocking wall text for other viewers. There is also a large print version available.
While the exhibition is meant to view the works through the lens of design, and while Weiwei’s works are designed beautifully - the message and importance of design in his work isn’t significantly prevalent. Aside from one line in the wall text which discusses the lens the show is meant to be viewed through, little of the text given relates back to its design components specifically. The works are strong on their own, having intense political/social meanings which is what the viewer focuses on more so, especially upon reading the text as it gives context. The design aspect was focused on in the curation of the space to show repetition in how Weiwei’s work was displayed.
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