The exhibition Reverberations: Lineages in Design History opened on March 4th at the Ford Foundation Gallery in New York. The exhibition transformed the gallery into an expansive educational space, reimagining design history to feature Indigenous, Black, and People of Color designers and cultural figures. In amplifying these many stories, Reverberations countered the narrative of design tradition as a single dominant line and sought to undo erasures by reconnecting and rippling out to those who have been silenced, misrepresented, and miscategorized. The featured artworks reflected rich cultural ancestries that reverberate across epochs into futurity. With over fifty artists and designers, the show’s reverberations brought forward and celebrated many voices that have gone unheard.
Reverberations was curated by Brian Johnson and Silas Munro with the advice of curatorial advisors Randa Hadi, Lisa Maione, and Ramon Tejada. The exhibition was inspired by BIPOC Design History, a series of courses facilitated by the design studio Polymode.
The design for Reverberations visualizes what it means to honor lineages in design history through visual vibrations that travel across time and space. The use of color captures the multiplicity of courses at BIPOC Design History, weaving together the cultural backgrounds, identities, and histories into a cohesive community quilt. The change in typographic frequency enhances the non-monolithic approach to the exhibition; a responsive typographic wave that has fractal qualities. The inspiration for the exhibition identity comes from sound, causing a reflection of sound waves that bounce off of walls. Polymode Sans is paired with Thesaurus, each offering a unique characteristic where Polymode Sans speaks in variable, expressive variations and Thesaurus acts as a quiet didactic.
- Curator and Creative Director
- Brian Johnson
- Curator and Creative Director
- Silas Munro
- Art Director and Curatorial Advisor
- Randa Hadi
- Curatorial Advisor
- Ramon Tejada
- Curatorial Advisor
- Lisa Maione
- Project Manager
- Kris Nuzzi
- Designer
- Edgar Casarin
- Designer
- Sadeem Yacoub
- Designer
- Emma Thompson
- Designer
- Sundhya Anthony
- Installation Photos
- Courtesy Ford Foundation Gallery and Sebastian Bach
- Director, Ford Foundation Gallery
- Lisa Kim
- Exhibition Coordinator, Ford Foundation Gallery
- Jamie Kulhanek
- Gallery Assistant, Ford Foundation Gallery
- Mary Escalante
- Installation
- David Hernaiz
- Installation
- Zdravko Toic
Project link