Hasta La Ideas

Londoners with a taste for minimalist design are in for a treat: A Muji exhibition revealing archives of their work, prototypes and some of their not-for-sale-in-Europe objects, opens March 9th at London’s Design Museum. The somewhat baffling exhibition title, Product Fitness 80, makes sense when you read Muji’s latest philosophical musings:

The products in the exhibition all address the question, what would happen if we used 20% less materials and energy in the actual process of making products? And in terms of the final object, what is then the role of the user in customising, re-using and recycling products in order to reduce energy consumption?

On the one year anniversary of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, Muji presents a display at the Design Museum that reconsiders the way we look at what makes good product design. The natural disaster and the ongoing concern about damaged power plants in Japan, has prompted Muji to rethink the way in which design impacts on the way we use energy.

March 8th will see what looks to be a kick-ass kickoff featuring Naoto Fukasawa, Konstanin Grcic and Sam Hecht discussing “craftsmanship, quality and efficiency of materials and energy.” Alas, the darn thing is already sold out.

The show will run through March 18th, and admission is free for whomever shows up with a Muji receipt.

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