The invitation-only event will be staged in the Design Museum’s future home, the former Commonwealth Institute in London’s Kensington district. Mr. Pawson – who has been commissioned to design the interior of the new museum – will transform the space and create an immersive experience for guests, providing a preview of the future site. The event will also showcase pieces from the Design Museum’s collection, which will be featured in a special series of displays.
Scheduled to open in 2014, the new Design Museum will have three times the amount of space than its current location in Shad Thames – providing more space to show its world-class collection and realize its ambition to become the world’s leading museum in its field. This will be the last event held on the grounds prior to the much-anticipated opening in 2014.
“I feel very fortunate to be part of an event that brings together two great creative and visionary forces – Calvin Klein and the Design Museum,” said Mr. Pawson. “Members of my office who grew up around the capital remember visiting the Commonwealth Institute as school children. The building is fifty years old, but the form still feels daring. The sense of vertical expansion when you step into the heart of the floor plan is exhilarating no matter how many times you experience it. A key achievement of its rebirth as a new permanent home for the Design Museum will be to preserve and enhance this spatial experience for future generations of visitors.
”Mr. Pawson is world-renowned for his modern, minimalist design. An exhibition of the designers work titled, John Pawson – Plain Space, was held in the Design Museum last year, featuring photographs and models of some of his major projects, including the Calvin Klein Collection Madison Avenue flagship store in New York City.
The iconic 1960s Commonwealth Institute building has been at risk since 2001. Mr. Pawson will convert the interior, while the surrounding development will be the vision of Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas, with landscaping by West 8. The design team has been assisted by Lord Cunliffe, a leading member of the original architectural team for the Commonwealth Institute in 1958, and by James Sutherland, the building’s original structural engineer.
Calvin Klein, Inc. is one of the leading fashion design and marketing studios in the world. It designs and markets women’s and men’s designer collection apparel and a range of other products that are manufactured and marketed through an extensive network of licensing agreements and other arrangements worldwide. Brands/lifestyles include Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans, and Calvin Klein Underwear. Product lines under the various Calvin Klein brands include apparel, accessories, shoes, sleepwear, hosiery, socks, swimwear, belts, eyewear, watches, jewelry, coats, suits, fragrances, and cosmetics, as well as products for the home. For more information, visit www.calvinklein.com.
The Design Museum, currently based in Shad Thames by Tower Bridge, is one of the world’s leading museums devoted to contemporary design in every form from furniture, fashion and graphics to architecture and industrial design. The museum works towards everyone understanding the value of design and it is scheduled to move to a new home in west London in 2014. The dramatic new space will enable the museum to become the most inspiring, exciting and engaging design museum in the world. For more information, visit designmuseum.org.