A World of Fragile Parts

Commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum, A World of Fragile Parts was an exhibition design exploring the role of the copy in relation to preservation. It formed the inaugural Pavilion of the Applied Arts, the V&A’s newly formed partnership with the Venice International Biennale.

As well as designing the exhibition, the project involved working closely with the V&A’s curatorial and conservation team. The exhibition included objects from the V&A’s collection of 19th century casts as well as a number of contemporary and specially commissioned pieces exploring digital fabrication techniques.

The design of the exhibition related conceptually to the theme of fragments and copies. Three kinds of display element were developed: walls, plinths and tables. These allowed a flexibility of arrangement and a range of display options for the curators to work with. The language of the display elements deliberately contrasted with the container of the Arsenale buildings whilst retaining a formal link.

A World of Fragile Parts was designed and conceived as one of a series of projects undertaken by Ordinary Architecture, a collaboration with designer Elly Ward.