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Exhibitions

Material related Exhibitions curated or co-curated by Efrat Barak, connecting materials, design thinking, innovation, and culture

Extreme Lab

Part of "State of Extremes" at Design Museum Holon, 2020

Chief Curators: Aric Chen, Maya Dvash and Azinta Plantenga

As part of Design Museum Holon's 10th anniversary Exhibition, I have curated the category focusing on innovative materials and technologies. Some of the exhibits are commercially manufactured, with environmental aspects, some are bio/biomed startups, some came straight for university labs, and some are design led innovations and applications exploring the potential use and implication of developments and trends from the fields of materials. All are showing a reaction to the extreme states in the world, while some are already creating the future.

Working Together: Design and Engineering

at Design Museum Holon, 2019

Curator: Efrat Barak

Original exhibition exploring principals of design and engineering in James Dyson's work, connecting design and engineering through the view of technical thinking and behavioral thinking. The exhibition is a journey through the milestones and technological breakthroughs that came from the inspiring “inventor-designer-engineer” way of thinking of James Dyson, followed by the work of the company he founded. From the “Ballbarrow” he invented in 1974 to the familiar cordless vacuum cleaner that a few years ago could be perceived as a small niche-product - The exploration of James Dyson's work offers a glimpse into the thought processes, design and technological challenges, and the principals that has resulted in significant changes in the field of consumer products. Made in collaboration with Dyson company.

Guest Materials

at Aharon Feiner Eden Materials Library, 2019

Curators: Efrat Barak and Sharon Murro

Materials and technologies are tools for change and innovation, particularly for manufacturers, designers, and architects, and to all kinds of creators. Materials can be a solution to a problem, one that behaves exactly as it should and, in some cases, materials can lead the creative move itself - research, exploration, trial and error that stimulate new and groundbreaking ideas. “Guest Materials” pop-up exhibition was created in order to offer a spotlight into the diverse and surprising materials and techniques that were developed by local professionals, some use these materials as their own creative path, some sell and collaborate with clients and colleagues. This was a celebration of material innovation and creativity, that included a special event hosting the wonderful designers behind the materials who shared their processes and thoughts with the visitors.

Vision Tes

Part of "Overview" at Design Museum Holon, 2017

Chief Curator: Maya Dvash, Curator: Efrat Barak

The visual process comprises two main parts; the first is the physical process - the lens, the eye, and the visual information receptors - and the second is the perceptual process in which the processing and understanding of the visual information take place. Although this process is considered absolute, it is subject to personal, social, and cultural interpretations that create a gap between physical reality and the information received. The Vision Test exhibition explores three stations of sight: focus, color, and distance. A journey through various viewpoints from the fields of optics and vision which provides an insight into the knowledge of these fields. Each of the stations presents design, material, and technological interpretations for a different visual challenge. The interpretations also propose new ways of seeing, reading, and understanding the world and the environment, and can serve as a personal and useful source of inspiration, and even encourage a search for thought-provoking solutions to challenges in other areas. “Vision Test” was presented as part of the “Overview” exhibition at Design Museum Holon, which explored eyeglasses, vision and design and showcased the exceptional historical eyewear collection of Claude Samuel alongside new original works by local designers.

Smart Materials, Stupid Materials

at Vitrina Gallery, Holon Institute of Technology, 2016

Chief Curator: Shlomit Bauman, 

Co-Curators: Shira Shoval, Efrat Barak and Dana Greenfield

The exhibition 'Smart Materials, Stupid Materials' come to discuss and examine the use of 'smart' and 'stupid' materials as one interrelated field and to challenge the dichotomy between the fields, emphasizing material wisdom, hand wisdom, technology and testing the connection The different material worlds ('smart' and 'stupid'). The exhibition featured the works of a selected local designers from various fields who gave their interpretations of the subject, alongside them, the Aharon Feiner Eden Materials Library, presented a selection of materials from the library's collection on a special scale, offering different interpretations of the term 'smart material' or 'stupid material' The materials selected for the exhibition, some materials in industrial production, some natural or disposable, refer to three main themes that examine the term 'smart' or 'stupid' and offer different interpretations and thoughts on the subject.