It’s all in the process: Mexico City’s Archivo celebrates design and production

As Mexico City gears up to accept its title of World Design Capital in 2018, Archivo Diseño y Arquitectura, the capital's designated space for the collection and exhibition of the country's design, is celebrating its growing pool of talent through its latest offering, 'Diseño en Proceso' ('Design in Process').

The exhibition features a wide selection of over 50 proposals by a mix of 36 established and emerging Mexican designers. The premise of 'Design in Process' is to expose the inner workings behind each finished product, and to take an in-depth look into the experimental and developmental steps each creative undertakes in the early stages of their design. The exhibit showcases an eclectic selection of products, textile design, architecture concepts and urban planning proposals, all of which aim to bring the public closer to the intricacies of production.

Isauro Huizar and Mario Ballesteros – the curatorial and display team – believe that the most interesting and important discoveries take place during the creation of a project’s more abstract, early stages, and felt that Mexico lacked a platform on which to present and discuss this work. The duo wants 'Design in Process' to act as a barometer of future trends, an overview of working methods in Mexico, and to become an ‘active window of unfinished ideas’.

Running until 12 August, the exhibition is the inaugural event in Archivos's exciting summer program, titled 'Verano Archivo', and will also act as the first installment of an annually recurring show, which will set out to celebrate the past, present and the future of design in the Mexican capital.