The politics of memory: (in)visibility of women designers and gender minorities
Archives of design in French-speaking Switzerland
Reflecting on design archives in French-speaking Switzerland has led the museum to question the representation of women and gender minorities among designers, both as creators and sources of inspiration, in its collections and beyond. Until the early 2000s, few women and gender minorities featured in the museum’s collections, particularly in the fields of industrial design and graphic design. In contrast, they are much more prominent in contemporary jewellery, highlighting the gendered dimension of the works held by mudac.
The project Spirits. Excellent for the Head, presented at Milan Design Week 2023 and recently added to the museum’s collection, offers a positive response to this issue. Designed by students in the MA in Space and Communication programme at HEAD – Genève, this project celebrates the work of women designers through a series of glasses and cocktails, paying tribute to figures such as Ray Kaiser-Eames, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, and Eileen Gray, who have long been overlooked in the history of design. Although the project does not focus specifically on women designers in French-speaking Switzerland, it does illustrate how recent initiatives in the region are drawing on the work of women designers to create new narratives, underlining the importance of preserving their heritage within the local territory.
his raises questions about the role of French-speaking Switzerland’s design archives in preserving the work of these designers for future generations. How can effective strategies be developed to identify, document, and preserve their contributions in the museum collection? But also, what are the designers’ own thoughts on the situation, as the main people involved? In this way, the museum wants to open up a discussion on the profiles of the people whose work it conserves and promotes, with a view to correcting any bias in its acquisition and exhibition policy.
This article is part of a series of six themes explored throughout the Archives du Design Romand exhibition, presented at mudac from 13.09.2024 to 09.02.2025. This laboratory-exhibition is accompanied by a rich and varied program, including conferences, round tables, and workshops.