Free Exhibitions at the Design Museum and Japan House

A wonderful opportunity to see the free exhibitions at both the Design Museum (we will be seeing the permanent exhibition) and at the Japan Centre. This should make for a great group event. Please note that we will be walking between the locations which should take about 10 minutes.

DESIGNER MAKER USER is the permanent exhibition at the Design Museum and features almost 1000 items of twentieth and twenty-first century design viewed through the angles of the designer, manufacturer and user, including a crowdsourced wall. We will spend about an hour maximum here, before moving on the Japan House.

Japan House has an exhibition on Pictograms which has received excellent reviews. Pictograms are everywhere. From street signs and text messages to toilet doors and maps, they have transformed global travel, removing barriers by creating a universal visual language. This exhibition demonstrates how the beauty and precision of Japanese design has shaped the art of visual communication and shows how Japan has played an integral role in the development of pictograms.

From ancient Egyptian tomb carvings to navigating contemporary Japan, Pictograms traces the design, evolution, power and future potential of these universal signs.
We will be able to create our own unique symbol from a selection of component pieces and move amongst giant pictograms – standing under a 2.5-metre torii shrine gate, sizing up to a sumo wrestler or even taking the controls of a Japanese train.

After all that, we can end with an entirely optional tea, drink, or snack in one of the many establishments in the area. This will offer a great opportunity to relax and chat socially after what should be an interesting afternoon.

The exhibitions are free, but the usual £1.50 group maintenance fee applies and is non refundable. Please note that Meetup now adds about £0.60 to this as well. (If you pay cash on the day, it’s £2.50).

As always, you are participating at your own risk.

We would appreciate it if you changed your RSVP no more than 2 days before the event should you find you can no longer attend. No shows or cancellations on the day may result in you being removed from the group.