Prague show aims to make Brits pop

Designers showing their work as part of a UK design exhibition launching in Prague tomorrow are confident of the venture’s success. Some 41 UK design, architecture and fashion groups are set to show work at the exhibition.

Sponsored by the Department of Trade and Industry and organised by the Design Museum, the exhibition, Design Futures, is the sixth in a series of international exhibitions sponsored by the DTI and aimed at promoting British design. The other destinations were Hong Kong, Athens, Jeddah, Johannesburg and Seoul.

Groups taking part in Prague include Kinneir Dufort, Seymour Powell, CDT Design, Priestman Associates and OMK Design.

The exhibiting designers are optimistic, despite criticism of the previous mission to Seoul in 1994, which was also designed by the Design Museum.

That event was slammed by then Design Council member Barrie Weaver as “an example of the exhibition designer’s ego trip”. Design Museum director Paul Thompson labelled Weaver’s criticism as “very biased and unrepresentative”, adding that the event was very successful.

CDT Design partner Mike Dempsey says previous events have “always been very good, and certainly in Johannesburg the British exhibition was the best thing there. The exhibition design was in sympathy with the exhibits”. Helen Jones, the executive in charge of the trip at Kinneir Dufort, agrees with Dempsey: “We are very confident about the event.”

The Prague offices of management group Arthur Andersen are being redesigned by Eva Jiricna. Building work is due to start on- site next week.