Connecting the past and the future
Retrospective from the collection with work from the 20th and 21st century
15 January - 29 May 2011

The past and the present are always connected. And this has persuaded the Graphic Design Museum to make connections between the history and the future of graphic image culture. The exhibition Connecting the Past and the Future shows a selection from the characteristic collection of the museum and makes surprising associations between these objects. From Albert Hahn and Wim Crouwel to the products of EL Hema, work by Stefan Sagmeister and the software tools by John Maeda and Jonathan Puckey. and also the work of Hendrik-Jan Grievink which he made for the MyCreativity conference in November 2006.

The exhibition displays for the first time work from the museum's historical collection coupled to new and recently acquired work made in the 21st century. It shows the bombardment of images and meanings around us that arose through the explosion of media and the proliferation of visual styles.

In Connecting the Past and the Future we show how Graphic Design is an area where designers develop personal fascinations, bring small and large social issues to our attention, link art, design and science and translate information into image.

Cultural Studies: My Creativity Reader: A Critique of Creative Industries
My favourite piece in My Creativity Reader: A Critique of Creative Industries -a collection of essays edited by Geert Lovink and Ned Rossiter- is Annelys De Vet's Creativity is not About Industry:

I have nothing smart to say about the creative industry. This might be because I'm in the middle of it myself, not being able to see it clearly anymore. But most of all creativity can't be compared with industrial principals.
It's not about production, it's about reflection.
It's not about security, but about experiments.
It's not about output, but about input.
It's not about graphs, but about people.
It's not about similarities, but about differences.
It's not about majorities, but about minorities.
It's not about the private domain, but about the public domain.
It's not about financial space, but about cultural space.
Creativity has nothing to do with the economy, or with bureaucracy. It's about cultural value, trust, autonomous positions and undefined spaces.

For the whole review go to the Media/Culture website.