Don’t judge a book by its cover. Look below the surface. Idioms such as these don’t apply when considering “Make Up: Designing Surfaces,” an exhibition opening next week at the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich. According to the show’s curator, design collection curator Renate Menzi, and its scenographer, Zurich-based industrial designer Martiz Schmid, the painted, chrome-planed, resin-coated, oxidized finishes of objects tell us vital information about their functions and significances. Celebrated purely for their surface appeal, over 200 products by contemporary designers and classic design objects are on view during the show’s run from August 25 to January 2.
The title of the exhibition, “Make Up,” refers to the process of customizing, improving upon, or fantasizing that takes place in many arenas, including cosmetics, architecture, design, and fashion. Qualities of surface treatments have a huge impact on how we perceive a product or object, indicated in recent years by increased attention paid to coatings, texture, and material in industrial design and design more generally. As designers develop more and more options for surface finishes, it begins to be privileged over form and construction as an effective and seemingly simple way to change an object’s impact.
Calling itself the first exhibition devoted entirely to the shaping of surfaces in product design, the presentation’s objects and material samples – by the likes of Front, Konstantin Grcic, Alfredo Häberli, Kenya Hara, or Jasper Morrison – explore the impact surfaces can have on our perceptions. For example, the light falling onto a surface gets controlled differently by high-gloss versus matte finishes. Polished surfaces reveal a material’s interior, giving us the impression of authenticity and truth, while embossed and textured surfaces provide tactile stimulation that can distract from the material underneath. Whether applied to a perfectly pedicured toenail or a sleek automobile, lacquers envelop objects with saturated color while reflecting light at the same time. For example, the high-gloss lacquered surface of the iconic 1960 Panton chair by Verner Panton makes quite a different impression than the matte-finished version of 1999. And while both chairs are identical in form, the high-gloss model is priced three times higher than the matte chair.
The objects on view are divided into six categories or chapters that comprise groups of tables divided by mirrors, which direct the view toward the back of objects or toward the viewers themselves. “Make Up” is the first category, and focuses on how design objects interact with the human eye, whether with finishes or left raw. The second chapter, “Directing Light,” reveals the many gradations that exist between mirrored and matte finishes, while the next one, “Haptin” explores embossing and the subtle shadows created by highly ornamented surfaces. Imitation materials, spatial illusion, and faux surfaces comprise the fourth chapter, titled “Image.” The fifth chapter is devoted to protective surfaces and hygiene, a concern not only in kitchens, hospitals, and many functional areas but on everyday household items. Finally, the sixth chapter, “Traces,” confronts the aging of surfaces including patinas, oxidation, and other types of wear and exposure.
There is a wealth of design on view here. Functional objects like household appliances and furniture are included to demonstrate how surfaces can indicate specific utilities, while high performance clothing and sports gear demonstrate how functional surfaces are used as protective layers. Videos, consumer and personal care products, and tools displayed alongside design objects showcase the production, maintenance, and destruction of surfaces. The show’s focus on finishes makes an otherwise overwhelming breadth of material approachable and offers a rare glimpse of how objects and people communicate with each other through surface. Ultimately, the show tells us that contemporary design is relying on surfaces more and more to tell us what an object is all about.
