Norm Form

Have you ever wondered why a woman’s bicycle is different to a man’s? Or why a drill looks so different to a food processor? Norm Form displays the work of 50 designers and artists whose work challenges accepted norms about how an object or place should look and function.

This unprecedented exhibition reveals the hidden political messages we miss in our everyday experience of the designed world, and teaches us how to subvert them.

Experience design that speculates on how a gynaecological exam for a man might feel; a customised truck that enables disabled people to take direct action on their physical environment; view hijabs designed for the Swedish police force, or clothing designed to enable women equal access to jobs as firefighters.

The exhibition is a portrait of a radical emerging field with its roots in critical design and protest movements. Curated by a team of experts in the field, ArkDes hosts an exhibition of work at the fringes of conventional design practice.