Supervisor: Dr Catherine Rossi

Institutional email: Andrea.foffa@network.rca.ac.uk

The aim of my research is to explore the role of exhibition design as a central practice of the twentieth century designer, as it is often overlooked in the narratives analysing the multifaceted careers of designers; and to define the exhibition as a collaborative process that has allowed for experimentation across disciplines, materials, forms and spaces. Using the prolific network of Italian designers engaged in exhibition production in the decades 1960-1980 as case study, this project investigates the relationship between the development of exhibition design and the design and production of objects, architectures and interiors, and how skills and knowledge acquired in the former have transferred or informed designers’ broader practice. Despite the abundance of literature on Italian design, exhibition design has been rarely taken into account as part of this narrative, and there is very little work on exhibition design practice itself. This research instead promotes an original approach to design history based on the collaborative nature of exhibitions, and through extensive use of museum collections, oral histories and archives. Beyond its contribution to Italian design historiography, this research aims to recognise the exhibition as a significant form of cultural production and public engagement which has become increasingly important in today’s knowledge economy. Through the case study of Italian designers 1960-1980, the research will propose new methods for researching the history of exhibitions, and will generate new knowledge on the interdisciplinary nature of design, informing the history of design more holistically.