The Museum of Portuguese Design (2002)

Abstract

There is a lag between the time of Portuguese traditional arts and crafts industry, which historically demonstrated the capability of self-generating high quality objects, and the present time. Portuguese industry has now to deal with a prevalent non-creative regime of ordering. At the production level, Portugal has been the hightechnology receptor for the past decades. It is now in need of rehearsing the importance of design in a process of industrialisation, which combines the identity/ difference of local conception (relatively peripheral), with the premises launched by the globalisation…caring for a pacific conclusion. As a result of this scenario, we will present our framework of a research strategy in design, which aims are to support the increase of competitiveness in Portuguese industry, to increase it’s self-esteem, to strengthen its identity and to create new economically feasible opportunities.. The international discussion of a project such as this, considering the expected critics that it may be related to, are fundamental in the sense of making it worthy next to potential Portuguese institutional responsibilities.