On February 7th, 2014, Canada’s Design Museum, the Design Exchange (DX) launches the world’s first ever large-scale exhibition dedicated to urban vinyl as contemporary art. On display until May 18th 2014, visitors dive headfirst into the realm of designer “toys” as the Exhibition Hall is transformed into a life-size dream world, filled with figurines ranging from tiny trinkets to enormous free-standing pieces. World-renowned international works, including some from the collaborations and personal collection of singer, songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams, beg for examination and exploration.
“Pharrell personifies this century’s renaissance man. His influence on music, fashion, design and contemporary art is profound. From penning and performing 2013’s hottest songs to the furniture he designed for Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery, to his BBC/Ice Cream streetwear, he is truly ubiquitous. But it was his amorous relationship with urban vinyl and contemporary art that precipitated this collaboration with the DX… I am thrilled to host another first for the Design Exchange, Canada’s Design Museum.” – Shauna Levy, President of the DX
‘Companion’ by KAWS (credit: Reynard Li and Derek Shapton)
This Is Not A Toy takes its name from the disclaimer found on packaging for objects geared to adults or which might be harmful to young children – they may be called toys, but they are not intended for play. With roots in late 1980s graffiti culture, the subversive and cult-like art form of urban vinyl is as rebellious as it is fun. Lying at the intersection of fine art, marketing, pop culture, product and graphic design, toys are highly collectible objects for a post-Pop world, often selling from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars.
‘Penelope the Heavy Trooper’ by Huck Gee (credit: Huck Gee)
ARTISTS & DESIGNERS
With popularity beginning in Japan and Hong Kong, the movement has travelled west and this medium of creative expression has attracted prominent artists from around the world. The designs created within this realm range dramatically, from representations of renowned fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood to (pop-culture icons from Star Wars to the work of artists from all disciplines and backgrounds).
Additional artists on display include:
Takashi Murakami, Yoshitomo Nara, DOMA, Misaki Kawai, Bill McMullen, Frank Kozik, Coarse, Huck Gee, and other influential toy artists, plus producers Kidrobot and Medicom.
KICKSTARTER
With a goal of raising $75,000 from November 26th to December 26th, 2013, this is the first time that a crowd-funding platform has been used to raise funds for an exhibition of this scale by a public institution in Canada. The Kickstarter platform was chosen because of its metrics and demographics: its audience comprises the very same tech-savvy, social-media hungry, pop-culture vulture audience with a taste for the new that are typically fans and collectors of urban vinyl.
A giant glass structure will be designed to house more than 100 blank Kidrobot Munnys, each toy representing one person who has donated to the exhibition’s Kickstarter campaign at the $500 and $1,000 tiers. Over the run of the four month exhibition, visitors will have a turn to shoot a paint ball gun at the group, creating a continuously-changing design. At the end of the exhibition, each unique figure will be sent to their respective donor – the Kickstarter reward created for supporters of the exhibition BY visitors of the exhibition along with curators Sara Nickleson and John Wee Tom with interactivity artists Eliot Callahan and Andrew Lovett-Barron.
At the next donation tier ($1,500), a component of the rewards package includes one of 10 custom 18″ Munny designs, created by Canada’s top designers and architects, as listed above. The first person to donate at this level will receive the first pick of the custom Munnys to take home, with the other nine donors following suit.
Visit their campaign here to view all of the This Is Not A Toy rewards and to contribute to making the exhibition possible.