Neshan 41

According to the Statutes of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) related to UNESCO, “A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.” The word museum has a Latin origin and denotes a place in Ancient Greece dedicated to the Muses, the patron divinities of literature, arts, and knowledge... > more

Like other types of design, environmental design is linked to historical trends and the achievements of human civilization such as symbols, writing, printing, making tools, and improving the built environment. Hence, it is inevitable to think of environmental graphic design as a cultural phenomenon with the aim of preserving and recording the history of design. The following essay aims to expand visual studies through discussing this topic, and to raise issues of environmental design in relation to museums. ... > more

Homa Delvaray was born two years after the 1979 revolution in Iran, which marked the start of a radically different era in Iranian history and culture. The new government’s policies were in stark contrast to the past era and many Iranians found themselves learning new personal and public codes of conduct. Historically and culturally, Iranians have always been in dual conditions (such as being the conqueror or conquered, being traditional or embracing modernity) and have been in constant personal and public conflict in coming to terms with cont... > more

The idea of forming a graphic design museum in Iran was proposed in 1998, when the Iranian Graphic Designers Association was established. The Graphic Museum Committee of this association was launched in 2000, and in the past 17 years it has assembled collections, conducted research, and repaired historical works in three areas: negotiation with the pioneers and collection of works; repair and maintenance; and research and electronic database. These works were stored in a small room as a collection named “the placeless treasure” years before th... > more

For centuries, museums have served as destinations for those seeking inspiration, shared knowledge, or the creation of memories with loved ones. With over 35,000 museums in the United States (according to the Institute of Museum and Library Services), today we have the ability to seek and find institutions that are highly specific to personal taste, inherent curiosity, or a specialized area of study. Chicago alone hosts dozens of museums on contemporary art, broadcast communications, even surgical science. Chances are, somewhere in the world... > more

An assortment of Iranian objects—a bronze bracelet from Lorestan (2000-1000 BC), a glazed earthenware bowl from Kashan (13th–14th century), silk and metallic Lailee and Majnoon textile design (16th–17th century), a wooden printing block (17th–18th century), and contemporary posters that were designed by Homa Delvaray)—are part of the collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum). The Museum holds many objects from various parts of the globe; they frequently unravel their stories in thematic exhibitions for public viewing. Ellen Lup... > more

First of all, could you tell me about the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich and its link with Zurich University of the Arts? Since its foundation in 1875, the Kunstgewerbemuseum (today Museum für Gestaltung Zürich) belongs to the Kunstgewerbeschule (today Zurich University oft he Arts ZHdK). The collections of the museum started as best practice examples for classroom use. Today, the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich is part of the Cultural Studies department at the ZHdK.... > more

The exhibition was called Waanzien. It guided visitors through the chapters of visual culture and uncovered some of today's media delusions. Subjects included: "How do you spot text and image tricks such as spindocters, subvertisers and neuromarketeers?” and “How is your brain fooling you?” In other words, how do you make the world of images yours, and not the other way around? This exhibition made the audience look differently at images. The exhibition was held at MOTI, the Museum of the Image in the Boschstraat in Breda (known as the museum ... > more

The Royal College of Art (RCA) is the world’s oldest post-graduate art and design university. The initiation of its archives dates back to the first years of the college’s opening. The graphic design program at RCA began in 1948 by Richard Guyatt. At first it was located in the Victoria and Albert museum; since then the books, magazines, posters, and other student graphic design works have been broadly kept in several different schools (such as printmaking, fashion, and textiles). This archive was gathered in one place for the first time in 20... > more

Canadian communication theoretician Marshall McLuhan, who defended that the change in communication technologies plays a major role in changing the lives of human communities, said in 1967, “The city no longer exists except as cultural ghost for tourists.” He defines cities as “global villages”. Museums are institutions that collect, protect, research, transmit and exhibit the definite evidences of humankind and their environment for education, study and the aesthetic pleasure of humanity. Being non-profit institutions, they are open to the p... > more

Until recently Moscow was probably the only major city without a museum of design. That all changed in 2012 when Moscow Design Museum (MDM) opened its doors to the eager public. Making this museum a reality was an ambitious and fruitful journey. For a long time, its founders saw a tremendous void in the cultural life of their country — a country of museums that rival the Louvre and Prada. There was no place to celebrate works of Russian design masters. In order to close that gap, a group of young people led by the current MDM Director Alexand... > more

Today’s museums are the results of the enlightenment movement of the eighteenth century. From this viewpoint, museums are in charge of collecting, preserving, restoring and studying the artistic, cultural, historical, and scientific objects and artifacts in their historical contexts and spreading the knowledge of these works. The Conception of Iranian Museums The institution of the first official museums in Iran (such as the establishment of the National Museum of Iran in 1937) and the transformation of palaces into museums date back to t... > more