Wessex Connected: EMERGING FROM THE WAR - Design. Day one of a series held in Pewsey, Wiltshire.
Thu 11 Sep 2025 10:30 - 15:00
Description
The war years brought many changes including the development of new technologies. . This day will explore the major UK exhibitions Britain Can Make It, 1946, and the Festival of Britain in 1951. It will also consider how the development of new materials influenced the product design and manufacture of items used in our everyday lives.
Lecturer - Vivienne Lawes
The day consists of three lectures with a coffee break 11.30 - 12.00 and lunch break 1.00 - 2.00.
Session 1: Founding Principles of Utility: Arts & Crafts and the Bauhaus
Utility objects emphasised integrity of design and ease of manufacture, key principles of the Arts & Crafts Movement and the Bauhaus Art School respectively. This session will delve into the design and production ethos that British designers drew from the recent past to create attractive domestic objects suitable for wartime frugality.
Session 2: The Utility Scheme and Post-war Recovery
The Utility Scheme was one of the significant modes of production in the years around the Second World War. In the period of post-war recovery, the scheme continued and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London launched more experimental products in the Britain Can Make It exhibition,1946. This showcased not only new goods but also new ways of exhibiting them, and paved the way for the Festival of Britain.
Session 3: The Festival of Britain, 1951
The centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851 was celebrated around the country but was centred upon London's South Bank and Battersea Park. This session demonstrates the innovative strategies of display and contextualises new designs launched at the Festival of Britain, putting them into the context of new technologies and the fusion of art and science.
Image by Freepik