The DESIGN COLLECTION DISPLAYS REASSESSED symposium will explore collection displays as sites of knowledge exchange and active engagement. It will interrogate how design objects and interiors are displayed, discussed and interpreted, and for whom. What does curating these kinds of collection displays represent and mean today? And how might this practice look in the future? What new museological approaches are needed? We look forward to meeting in person to discuss and debate an ever-changing field – a conversation between scholars and practitioners across borders, institutions and disciplines.

SYMPOSIUM REGISTRATION IS OPEN:
The registration fee ticket is 2000 NOK and includes:
Three full days with four keynote lectures, fifteen talks and guided tours; Lunch, coffee and refreshments for all three days and two drinks receptions; Entry to the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design.

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SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

The symposium will be recorded but not streamed.

28 October

10.00–11.00 and 15.00-16.00 Registration at conference desk, museum lobby.

Guided Tours: When buying your symposium ticket, please also select one of the following two options:
Tours Option 1 (numbers limited):
Includes guided tours at collection displays conducted by specialist curators at two local museums:
9.15 Meet convener Denise Hagströmer (wearing a pink cap) in Solli Plass square at the 30 bus stop (direction: Bygdøy) for bus tickets and departure 9.30 to:
10.00 The Norsk Folkemuseum (about life and culture in Norway from the 16th century to the present)
11.30 Lunch at the Norsk Folkemuseum
12.30 Depart by public transport bus from the Norsk Folkemuseum
13.00 The Historical Museum: the Norwegian Viking Age and Heritage exhibitions
16.00 Guided tour at the National Museum, conducted by specialist curators: The historical and modern design collection display. Meet in the museum lobby.

Tours Option 2 (numbers limited):
Includes guided tours of collection displays and a temporary exhibition at the National Museum, conducted by specialist curators and architects:
11.00 Tour of the historical and modern design collection display. Meet in the museum lobby.
12.30-13.30 Lunch at the museum
16.00 Tour of the ART·HAND·WORK exhibition. Meet in the museum lobby.

17.30-19.00 Drinks reception at Oslo City Hall

29 October
Please enter via the museum side entrance in Dronning Mauds gate.

8.45 Welcome addresses and introductions
Director Ingrid Røynesdal, the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Melissa Rinne, Senior Specialist, Kyoto National Museum and Chair of ICOM-DESIGN, and symposium convener, Dr Denise Hagströmer, Senior Curator, the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design

Keynote lecture
Dr Sebastian Hackenschmidt, MAK – Museum für angewandte Kunst, Vienna
Prolonging the Magic: Vienna 1900 in Post-Production

Discussion

Break

Theme 1: Approaches to Reinstallations
- Valérie Montens and Sophie Balace, Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels
Reframing Decorative Arts Displays at the Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels: Challenges and New Directions
- Jessica Andersson Sjögerén and Josefin Kilner, Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg
Design Stories Reimagined: A Thematic Approach to Curating at Röhsska Museum
- Dr Monica Obniski, High Museum of Art, Atlanta
Taking a Position with Design

Discussion

Lunch

Keynote lecture
Dr Leena Svinhufvud, Architecture and Design Museum, Helsinki
Shifting Baseline Syndrome. The Challenge of Displaying the Story of Finnish Architecture and Design

Discussion

Break

Theme 2: Perspectives on House Museums
- Prof. Gabriele Toneguzzi and Dr Emanuela Bonini Lessing, Luav University of Venice
Beyond Heroization: Living Heritage and Contemporary Collection Displays
- Helena Gomez, Vizcaya Museum and Garden, Miami
Pastiche as Practice: Contemporary Interventions at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
- Haitang Zhang, Glasgow School of Art
The Challenge of Virtual House Museums: Reclaiming Intimacy, Atmosphere, and Trust

Discussion

Break

Theme 3: Sustainability and Self-Questioning
- Eleanor Watson, Design Museum and Kingston University, London
The Curse of Permanence: Curating Design Collection Displays in an Era of Rapid Climate Change
- Dr Cilla Robach, National Museum, Stockholm
Curating the Audience?
- Dr Bárbara Coutinho, MUDE - Museu do Design, Lisbon
Recycling Is Not Enough: How Museography and Scenography Can Promote Sustainability and Raise Awareness about the Durability of Things

Discussion

Ends circa 17.00

17.15: Option to join a guided tour of the historical and modern design collection display, conducted by Senior Curator Denise Hagströmer. Meet in the museum lobby.

30 October

8.45 Start. Please enter via the museum side entrance in Dronning Mauds gate.

Keynote lecture
Marco Magni, founder and chief architect, and Maria Cristina Rizzello, architect and partner, Guicciardini & Magni Architetti, Florence
Designing at the National Museum. Specific Installations for Global Themes

Discussion

Break

Theme 4: Design Mediating Design or Exploring Process
- Prof Anders V. Munch, University of Southern Denmark and Joachim Allouche, Museum of Southeast Denmark and University of Southern Denmark
- Made in Denmark: Using design collections to reconnect citizens with the realities of production
- Dr Pamela Bianchi, École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris-Belleville
Encyclopaedic Displays for Open Narratives
- Evelien Bracke and Eva Van Regenmortel, Design Museum Gent
Models from the Past for the Future. A new collection display for Design Museum Gent

Lunch

Keynote lecture
Corinna Gardner, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Designing for a Better Future. Intent and Purpose in the Twenty-first Century Collections Display

Discussion

Theme 5: On Specificity and Subject Matter.
- Henri Cosemans, University of Antwerp
Beyond the Coach House: Carriages and the Challenges of Museum Display
- Dr Vanessa Ferey, Sorbonne University, Paris
Cognatheques as Living Displays: Reassessing Bottle Collections through Sensory Design and Territorial Museography
- Dr Julia Meer, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg
Activating the Collection – Mind the Gaps and Dare to Be Vulnerable!

Discussion

Concluding remarks
Dr Sarah A. Lichtman, Chair, Pratt Institute, New York

17.30–18.30: Drinks reception in Salongen, 1st floor.

19.00: Symposium dinner at the Theatercaféen restaurant

31 October to 1 November: Post-symposium
The post-symposium will include guided tours of museums, including house museums, studio visits and other venues, all in the Oslo area, with travel by coach, public transport bus and boat, and will also include lunches.

1 November 19.00: Informal post-symposium farewell dinner at a pizzeria nearby the museum.

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Tickets and further information: https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/exhibitions-and-events/national-museum/arrangementer/2025/10/design-collection-displays-reassessed/

Symposium Dinner 30 October (numbers limited): The Symposium Dinner ticket is 700 NOK and includes three courses and drinks.

POST-SYMPOSIUM 31 October to 1 November (numbers limited): The post-symposium ticket is 1000 NOK and will include guided tours of museums, including house museums, studio visits and other venues, all in the Oslo area, and will also include lunches. Further info will be announced on the symposium website in early September. Informal post-symposium farewell dinner: 400 NOK per ticket.

ACCOMMODATION: A limited number of single rooms have been reserved at the Oslo Guldsmeden Hotel, Parkveien 78, 10 mins walk from the National Museum, at 1515 NOK per night, including a buffet breakfast. These rooms are held until 20 September and are available on a first come first served basis. Please email the hotel: osloguldsmedenhotels.com, reference: ‘Nasjonalmuseet-ICOM-DESIGN’, phone: +47 940 13 091.

THIS SYMPOSIUM IS ORGANISED BY the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design in collaboration with the International Council of Museums, ICOM, and the international committee ICOM–DESIGN (formerly ICOM-ICDAD), International Committee for Decorative Arts and Design.

ICOM membership is NOT a requirement to attend this symposium.

Contact:
Dr Denise Hagströmer, PhD (RCA)
Senior Curator
Symposium Convener Design Collection Displays Reassessed
ICOM-DESIGN Board Member
denise.hagstroemernasjonalmuseet.no
+47 478 78 987
National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
P.b 7014 (St. Olavs plass), NO-0130 Oslo
www.nasjonalmuseet.no