GEFFRYE DESIGN CENTRE
The Geffrye Design Centre opened in 1998, in the museum's new extension. The Design Centre provided a new venue in Hackney promoting the best in contemporary design and craft. It contributed to the economic and cultural regeneration of East London by providing a valuable one-stop resource for architects, interior designers, retail buyers and others looking for innovation and quality in current design.
The Design Centre acted as a centre of excellence. It was a high-profile gallery within the specialist furniture and interiors museum, showing a range of furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork and textiles selected on the basis of merit. An interactive database in the Centre gave access to the contact details and products of over 100 design studios in Hackney and East London. This information was available at http://www.hiddenart.co.uk.
The Design Centre was developed from a series of initiatives begun in 1992, when the museum collaborated with Mazorca Ltd. to promote designer-makers in Hackney. One of these initiatives was the formation of Hackney Contemporaries, a selected group of talented individuals, whom the Geffrye assisted with marketing, business advice and joint exhibitions. In 1996, the museum was awarded a major grant from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) which facilitated the building of the Design Centre.
Juggernaut was asked to design a mobile exhibition which travelled to several different venues promoting the new centre.
Client: GEFFRYE MUSEUM
Design Team: Steve Jensen, David Germond, Graham Russell, Geoff Stewart with Jim Eyre.