LONDON.- The first solo presentation in a UK museum of the work of British designer and artist Bethan Laura Wood has been unveiled at the Design Museum.

Over 70 objects are on show — including some of Wood’s most eye-catching creations alongside brand-new work — in the free display that celebrates her radical and vibrant practice.

Wood’s show inaugurates a new and important annual display series at the Design Museum — titled PLATFORM — which champions contemporary design practice.

Known for her eclectic creations spanning furniture, lighting, jewellery, and installations, Bethan Laura Wood’s work is characterised by a bold use of colour, intricate patterns, and innovative material combinations. Visitors to the display will discover objects ranging from stained teacups to patterned modular furniture.

Since obtaining an MA in Design Products at the Royal College of Art and establishing her eponymous design studio in 2009, Wood has become one the most exciting new designers of the past decade, and has quickly gained a cult following alongside a celebrated global design reputation. She’s been commissioned by and produced named collaborations with a variety of international partners in recent years, including Perrier–Jouët, Hermes and Dior, and she has works in the permanent collections of the Wellcome Collection and the V&A in London, the Dresden State Art Collections in Germany, the Art Institute of Chicago and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the USA, and the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia.

Her PLATFORM display marks a return to the Design Museum for Wood, who exhibited an installation at the museum as part of a cohort of Designers in Residence in 2009. This programme saw young designers at the very beginning of their careers invited to create site-specific work in the museum’s former home in Shad Thames, and Wood furnished the museum café with functional furniture made up from a patchwork of laminates.

Desire, Adornment and Hyperreality

Wood’s display at the Design Museum is split into three sections — Desire, Adornment and Hyperreality — which explore some of the significant recurring themes of her work.

Desire focuses on Wood’s fascination with how we connect with everyday objects. As an avid collector herself, Wood's work delves into how and why we covet certain pieces. By exploring objects that become integral to our daily routines, Wood seeks to design things that people want to keep, and which give a sense of ceremony every time they are used.

On display in this section is a porcelain tea set intentionally stained by Wood so that the more the cups are used, the more the pattern reveals itself. This is seen alongside a colourful and embroidered installation of desserts inspired by paintings in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. There’s also striking wall-mounted flower lights created in collaboration with Mexican and Italian artisans.

Adornment explores Wood's use of ornamentation, decoration and pattern. Her practise considers how objects can be both functional and highly ornate, with decoration adding layered meaning.

Visitors can discover in this section Wood’s reinterpretation of Tolix's ‘Model A’ chair, a ubiquitous seat in public spaces. Her eye-catching redesign saw her subvert the original chair’s simplicity by combining two apparent opposites — the feminine form and industrial power. It was in part inspired by the robot Maschinenmensch Maria from the film 'Metropolis' (1927) and Queen Elizabeth I.

In the final section, Hyperreality, objects on show demonstrate how Wood plays with our understanding of what is natural versus what is man-made, and how she often creates illusions by layering materials and pattern to force us to question what we are looking at.

On show here is HyperNature, Wood’s psychedelic wall sconce. With branches made from aluminium and leaves and petals made from PVC, Wood's design blurs the boundaries between the natural and man-made while also elevating PVC from an everyday material into an artisan object. There's also a full-scale example of one of Wood’s Kaleidoscope-o-rama carpets — produced by cc-tapis — a contemporary take on highly decorative rugs that were popular during the Regency period in Britain. Wood’s carpets nod to the popular painting method of ‘graining’, a decorative technique that imitates the look of expensive and rare hardwoods.

Each of these three sections begins with an item from Wood’s own collection. These objects provide a jumping off point into the section’s themes, and offer a personal insight into her inspirations.

Bethan Laura Wood said “It is a great honour to be invited to display a wide range of my studio's work at the Design Museum. This exhibition not only highlights the final pieces but also offers a behind-the-scenes look at my creative process — from early sketches and renderings to detailed scale models. The museum has been a significant supporter of my work ever since I participated in its Design Residency program in 2009 with Particle. That experience was a pivotal moment in the development of my design language. It brings me immense joy to return and present this body of work, along with many pieces that followed, in a free-access space where it can be enjoyed by everyone.”