Dates: 28 August 2026 – 19 March 2027
Location: Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP), AUB Campus
MoDiP’s current exhibition is inspired by the 80th anniversary of the Britain Can Make It exhibition, held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from 24 September until 31 December 1946.
Opening just over a year after the official end of the Second World War, the aims of the 1946 exhibition were to increase exports, encourage well-designed manufactured goods, and educate the British public in recognising good design. In essence, it was a propaganda tool created by the Council of Industrial Design (ColD) on behalf of the Board of Trade, and was intended to boost the morale of a war-weary British public. Britain Can Make It was described by the President of the Board of Trade, Sir Stafford Cripps, at the time as, "British industry’s first great post-war gesture to the British people and the world."
We've employed some of the themes used in the CoID exhibition to group our objects together – domestic appliances and hardware, fancy goods and toilet requisites, women’s dress, dressing goods, handbags, things for children, radios, and things we associate with the weekend.
A key original feature used throughout the exhibition was a character called Mr Designer (the 1940s design industry being dominated by men). This figure held up directional signs for the visitor. These signs also included prompts such as, "Take a good look. Think over what you see. And Judge for yourself."
We encourage you to do the same in our exhibition. Study the objects on display, contemplate their aesthetics or how they might function, and consider if you believe that they represent "good design."
Visit the MoDiP website for more information about this exhibition.
