Bethan Laura Wood x London Design Museum
PLATFORM Solo Show

Model Making and Display Scenography
2025

The exhibition was held across the entire first floor of the museum, accessible to all visitors

PLATFORM is an annual display dedicated to showcasing contemporary design practice. The series kicked off with Bethan’s work showcasing a body of work comprising of more than 70 objects, representative of the designer’s creative journey.

I worked across a variety of tasks such as creating new models for the Museum, repairing old archive, and communicating with the curation team on executive decisions regarding the content of the individual displays.

HyperNature Tree

Commissioned by Perrier-Jouët, HyperNature is an installation piece made from layered acrylic, hand-formed brass, coloured laminates, and illuminated components; transforming industrial materials into a radiant, tree-like organism. The piece celebrates the dialogue between nature, design, and the sensory ritual of champagne, extending the brand’s ongoing exploration of contemporary creativity.

I built a new model borrowing from previous paper prototypes for the Museum installation, showcasing the studio’s approach to material understanding and dexterity.

Bethan photographed next to the 1:1 HyperNature Wisteria Tree, 2018

Product Placement with Perrier-Jouët Glasses, Photograph by Angus Mills

Hyper Nature Tree Paper 1:4 Model, Laser Cut & Hand Assembly

Pre- Assembly: Sorting components per categorized branch

Each branch was built around a supporting flat curved profile, which defined both the angle and direction of the structural element, allowing the piece to create a flowing three-dimensional form across both axes

The model was placed on a spinning wheel, highlighting the intricacy of its construction

Hyper Nature Tree Paper 1:4 Model, 80 x 40 x 40 cm

Criss Cross — Kite

Criss Cross is a family of suspended light grid configurations of ‘blooming flowers’. Designed for large communal spaces such as hotel atriums and stairwells, it uses shifting light, colour, and perspective to encourage viewers to explore the space from different heights and angles. Drawing on the vibrant floral culture of Mexico, market colour palettes, Art Deco, and 1960s Pop graphics, the project was developed in collaboration with glass artisan Pietro Viero.

For the Design Museum exhibition, I fabricated the Kite version from the Criss Cross series and using soldered metal braces to reflect the structure and construction of the original piece.

Criss Cross - Kite, 2019. Photography by Emanuele Tortora

Hand assembly, soldering and brace support representing the construction of the final piece

Closeup Details, Full Dimensions 8 x 8 x 30 cm

Plastic tubes, beads, acrylic sheets, solder, string

Kite Light Variation, 2013. Photograph by Seth Browarnik & Fernando Laposse

Particle — Stack

Particle is a modular furniture series created during Bethan’s residency at London’s Design Museum, inspired by the museum’s location at Butler’s Wharf and its history as a former banana warehouse on the River Thames. Referencing crates and packaging materials once used to transport imported goods, the interlocking and stackable pieces are designed for flexible use in different combinations. The body of the elements is dressed in a repurposed OSB Board veneer interwoven by individual pieces, each fitting perfectly with each other.

The project archive was revisited, with selected sample trays chosen for the installation and older models carefully restored to ensure a high quality display.

Particle stack, 2010

1:5 scale restored cardboard models

Scenography Arrangement for Particle In-Display

Visitors looking around the exhibiiton, on the back the Criss Cross Kite model was displayed

Detailed shot of selected material trays for the wood veneer samples of Particle stack

Meisen Caterpillar Cabinet

Meisen Caterpillar is part of Bethan’s Meisen Cabinet and Desk family, a collection that began as an investigation into handles, whose intricate construction became like jewellery for furniture. All the pieces were finished in bespoke ALPI veneer inspired by Bethan’s love of Meisen kimonos. In the Caterpillar piece, the flowing psychedelic patterns cascade from top to base, referencing the iconic Alice in Wonderland character while bringing movement, colour, and a sense of imagination to the form.

The ‘Behind the process’ display in the Museum featured a series of iterations for the Caterpillar handles. I was responsible for the repair of older models, creating new variations and the scenography within the individual display.

Meisen Caterpillar Cabinet, 2022. Photograph by Emanuele Tortora

Arrangement of 1:1 scale models of handle experimentations along with working prototype

Closeup Shot

Meisen Handle In-Display Scenography within the ‘Adornment’ section of the exhibition which focused on thematic play of ornamentation on surfaces

After Party — Sweet Dreams

To celebrate the second anniversary of de Bijenkorf’s Room on the Roof artist in residence programme, Bethan created After Party – Sweet Dreams, a hypnotic installation inspired by still life paintings and portraits in the Rijksmuseum. In the first window fruity desserts, embroidered textiles, and embellished table linens come together to transform classic party motifs into a surreal, sickly sweet scene. The second window reimagines woven tea towels as a glittering after party disco.

I carried out touch ups on areas of the beaded textile pieces that required mending, and curated the arrangement of samples for the accompanying display.

Windows Installation of After Party Sweet Dreams in de Bijenkorf, 2017. Photograph by Ewout Huibers

Detailed shot of selected models, featuring the tea towel set in the background

Retouched Sweet Dreams Pillows

Sample Selection and In-Display Scenography

Tongue Rosenthal

The Tongue Tea Set is named after the flat ribbon like forms that move across its geometric body, creating features from the handle to the spout. Where these two “tongues” meet, the design references Walter Gropius’s iconic TAC Tea Set for Rosenthal, recalling the seamless curve between the lid and handle. Bethan extends this dialogue by drawing on other moments from Rosenthal’s history, from Eduardo Paolozzi’s playful wiggles to the hot pink flamingos that once lived in the centre of the factory.

Apart from touching up the previous paper model, other responsibilities included cataloguing the archive and reporting to the installation team regarding the handling of the items.

Tongue Rosenthal, 2019

Refined 1:1 scale Paper Model

Exhibition Acknowledgements

Bethan photographed on Exhibition Floor, 2025