In 12th century China, flat panes of smoky quartz were held up against the eyes as a very early form of sunglasses. Vision aids like magnifying panes and crude convex lenses date back even earlier. Glasses, at least in the intricately designed form that we know them today, did not come into focus until the 18th century, which is where Design Museum Holon's 'Overview' exhibition sets off.
The upper gallery is filled with over 400 examples from collector Claude Samuel dating from the mid-1700s to the 1980s – the first time they have been seen in a museum. Samuel's diverse collection marks key turning points in eyewear's evolution, from early opera binoculars to iconic Elton John specs, delivering on curator Maya Dvash's aim to 'examine cultural milestones and the central role eyeglasses played in defining social and cultural phenomena'.
Sunglasses, by Pierre Cardin, 1960, from the Claude Samuel collection.
Working down through the museum's floors, increasingly contemporary examples appear, with the lower gallery offering myriad interpretations of the question, 'What are eyeglasses?' from 50 Israeli designers.
Take Omer Polak, whose collection of four colourful pairs of glasses each represent a character from the Tel Aviv neighbourhood of Florentin. His studio is surrounded by carpentry workshops that manufacture tables and kitchens, usually made from Formica-covered plywood. Polak references these manufacturing technologies and materials in miniature for his 'Florentin 001' collection, comprising layers upon layers of scrap Formica collected over the years, re-imagined into a novel fabric.
’Florentin 001’, by Omer Polak
Other notable examples include Gilli Kuchik and Ran Amitai of Baker Studio, who concentrated on the simple motion of folding glasses for their designs. The innovative, collapsible 'Elastic Hinge' glasses channel the structure of tent poles, with flexible thread passed through ducts inside the frame and temples.
The exhibition concludes by looking forward, with Design Museum Holon's in-house Design Lab engaging with the future of eyeglasses through an interactive display of virtual reality units. Created in collaboration with Holon Cinematheque, visitors are welcome to watch a host of virtual reality films with the futuristic glasses on. With VR production proliferating in 2016, it seems eyewear (despite its impressive history) could be on the verge of its most exciting moment yet.
’Framework’ glasses, by Michael Tsinzovsky
Left, gold art-nouveau ’Folding Lorgnettes’, 19th century. Right, vision examination lenses, from the USA, late 1800s. Both from the Claude Samuel Collection.
Brass opera binoculars from England, 1981, from the Claude Samuel Collection
’Famous Windows’, by Luka Or
Sunglasses by Pierre Cardin, 1960, from the Claude Samuel Collection.
Metal and ivory phoropter test glasses, from England, mid-1800s, from the Claude Samuel Collection
’Elastic Hinge’ glasses, by Gilli Kuchik and Ran Amitai of Bakery Design Studio
INFORMATION
’Overview’ is on view until 29 April. For more information, visit the Design Museum Holon website
ADDRESS
Design Museum Holon
Pinkhas Eilon St 8
Holon, 5845400
-
The Park: step inside Jeremy King's mid-century dinerOne of several 2024 openings from restauranteur, Jeremy King, food critic Ben McCormack books in at The Park
-
Six brilliant bars for your 2025 celebrations, hot off the Wallpaper* travel deskWallpaper’s most-read bar reviews of the year can't be wrong: here’s inspiration for your festive and new year plans, from a swanky Las Vegas lounge to a minimalist London drinking den
-
Misfires and Monstrosities: three vehicular design disasters that show taste is in retreatFrom a multi-million dollar piece merchandise to a wretched Rolls-Royce, these are the low points of the year in transportation design
-
Saul Steinberg: behind the scenes at Triennale Design MuseumTriennale Design Museum and publishing house Electa present ‘Saul Steinberg Milano New York’, a new exhibition (until 13 March 2022) that pays homage to the American artist through 350 works. Join us for a behind-the-scenes peek at it's installation
-
Ten years of Muller Van Severen, at Design Museum GhentA new exhibition by Belgian design duo Muller Van Severen (until 6 March 2022) features a retrospective of the studio’s ten years as well as a curation of pieces from the Design Museum Ghent collections
-
Noguchi show celebrates his reverence for GreeceDesign show ‘Objects of Common Interest: Hard, Soft, and All Lit Up with Nowhere to Go’ opens in collaboration with Wallpaper* Designers of the Year, Objects of Common Interest, at the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York (until 13 February 2022)
-
‘Design not for children, but for everyone’: Jewish Museum Berlin’s new play spaceOlson Kundig architecture and design practice brings kids’ play space ANOHA Children’s World to life inside a vast former wholesale flower market, at the Jewish Museum Berlin
-
A landscape of playful animals pops up at Design Museum HolonChild-centric designer Sarit Shani Hay presents an imaginary natural landscape that references Ron Arad's Design Museum Holon architecture and is inhabited by soft, cushioned sea lions, seals and bears
-
Charlotte Perriand’s life and work explored at London’s Design MuseumLondon’s Design Museum presents ‘Charlotte Perriand: The Modern Life’, an exhibition turned the spotlight on one of the most iconic creators of the 20th century
-
Meet the Design Museum’s all-female Designers in ResidenceThe multidisciplinary cohort includes Enni-Kukka Tuomala, Abiola Onabule, Cynthia Voza Lusilu and Ioana Man, who developed a series of multidisciplinary projects with the Design Museum, responding to the theme of ‘Care'
-
Campana Brothers look back on 35 years of revolutionary designOn view at modernist Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, ‘Campana Brothers – 35 Revolutions’ is a retrospective of the Brazilian designers’ impactful oeuvre
