Instead of a single static exhibition for this year’s London Design Biennale, the Israeli pavilion will instead present an ever-rotating design studio. Exposed Nerves will feature one new design team every week of the Biennale, putting the creative process, not the end product, on display as a work of art in and of itself.
The 2018 London Design Biennale will run from September 4 through 23 and will kick off with a series of talks and lectures. The theme, Emotional States, challenged each of the 40 participants—each representing a different country, city, or territory—to think about how design affects emotions. For the U.S.’s contribution, the Cooper Hewitt will return after their showing at the inaugural 2016 Biennale with an exhibition that remixes facial recognition technology into an interactive playscape.
For Exposed Nerves, lead curator Hila Shaltieli and the curatorial team chose to highlight the animating energy of design as a hectic, collaborative process. Each four-person team will feature artists from a variety of backgrounds, including illustrators, architects, textile designers, and more, working to create cross-disciplinary projects.
“The installation puts both the creators and the audience in an ever-changing emotional state because of the fragility and the delicacy of the meeting point,” said Shaltieli in a press release. “Everyday life in Israel is tough and hectic. The daily routine is characterized by a lack of security, both mental and physical. There are ongoing emotional and deeply rooted political, ideological, and theological disagreements and controversies between the various groups comprising Israeli society. All of these crash into the daily routine and shake it to its core.”
Exposed Nerves will be split into two rooms: “The Studio,” where the artists create their work, and “The Gallery,” where work from the previous week’s team will be displayed. The teams will create daily works inspired by the news and collaborative goals, and visitors will get to experience both sides of the design profession.
The lineup is as follows:
Week One, September 2–10: Illustrator Asaf Hanuka, artist Nelly Agassi, architect Philipp Thomanek, and visual communication designer Nadav Barkan
Week Two, September 10–17: Textile designer Gali Cnaani, visual communication designer Dekel Bobrov, industrial designer Pini Leibovich, and product designer David Amar
Week Three, September 17–24: Visual communication designer Danielle Weinberg fashion designer Maya Arazi, product designer Rami Tareef, and product designer Alon Meron