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Plastics - Why Not? A Perspective from the Museum of Design in Plastics

The Museum of Design in Plastics (MoDiP) was created in 2007 and is the only accredited (i) museum in the UK with a focus on plastics. The chapter looks at attitudes to plastics and reasons why such a museum might be considered extreme and explains the reason for such a collection and its criteria for acquisition.

Four online MoDiP exhibitions: Substitute: animal vegetable mineral (http://www.modip.ac.uk/exhibitions/substitute-animal-vegetable-mineral), You can do it with plastics (http://www.modip.ac.uk/exhibitions/you-can-do-it-plastics), Plastics for gold (http://www.modip.ac.uk/exhibitions/gold), and Encore! Re:formed plastics (http://www.modip.ac.uk/exhibitions/encore) provide evidence of how the collection is used to research the impact of plastics on design and to present the findings.

Substitute presents research into plastics in relation to other material groups demonstrating the many ways in which plastics have taken their place not only by imitating them, and thus helping to preserve the life of endangered species, but also making entirely new solutions to age-old design problems possible. You can do it with plastics investigates the design freedom of plastics and the variety of design of which they are capable. The other two exhibitions present research into plastics in relation to specific subject areas. Plastics for Gold is focused on the significant and multifarious part plastics play in raising sporting achievement and making sport accessible to a wider public. Encore explores different ways in which plastics, contrary to popular belief, make the world more sustainable.

There is no other museum in the UK or elsewhere that is consistently researching the impact of plastics on design and presenting its findings through online exhibitions.

Portfolio

(i) Chapter in book

(ii) CD of MoDiP exhibitions

(iii) Paper copies of MoDiP exhibitions

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(i) The accreditation scheme, administered by Arts Council England in partnership with CyMAL: Museum, Archives, Libraries Wales; Museums Galleries Scotland and the Northern Ireland Museum Council, sets nationally agreed standards for museums in the UK.