A look back at an exhibition created in 2020 as part of the operation “from the beautiful to the useful”, a history of industrial design 2020-2021 led by Proscitec Patrimoines and Mémoires des Métiers.
A project supported by Proscitec
PROSCITEC invites you to dive into the history of design in the trades and industries of our Hauts-de-France region and in Belgium! Numerous events proposed in 28 museums of the PROSCITEC Network will punctuate 2020 and 2021! Even if the term “design” appeared late, the intellectual, creative and innovative approach implied by this notion has always existed! In the world of work, engineers, technicians and workers have always been able to respond to needs, solve problems and propose new solutions to improve the quality of products, manufacturing processes, working conditions, etc. Today, design and innovation play a dominant role in the production world.
https://proscitec.asso.fr/musees-proscitec/proscitec-patrimoines-et-memoires-des-metiers/article/du-beau-a-l-utile-2174
Whether it is industrial design, architectural design, product design or packaging, discover the richness of this heritage through various themes: food processing, telecommunications, textiles, medicine, transport, glassmaking, etc.
The exhibition on the History of Flour in Steenmeulen
The packet of flour that we all buy today to make cakes, pancakes and other breads holds many secrets! What was the first form of milling made by man and for what purpose? What tools did man develop over time to obtain the famous flour that we love so much in our culinary culture? These tools have amazing histories and reveal completely different designs from one era to another. The Steenmeulen offers you the opportunity to follow the history of the grain of wheat through the various techniques in a comic strip. This large-format comic book will present the tools in a playful way, some of which will also be physically presented, such as the mill, its Persian friend, a merry-go-round mill and other ancient tools!
Storytelling
In a journalistic style, the comic strip takes the form of a chronological historical narrative of the evolution of the forms of the tools used to grind grain to produce flour, from the Stone Age to industrialization. Finally, the design of the mills was transformed into the wind turbine. From one design to another, the comic book proposes to tell a story of the transformation of grain by Man thanks to tools with very different designs from his own invention.
Illustrations
The illustrations accompany the text to complement it and highlight the specific forms of tools throughout the ages. In a modern black & white style, the illustrations are an additional expression of design. We called on the services of an artist, Srem V. to make them in order to have a qualitative and unique result.
Style
The preferred style is the old-fashioned press cuttings to preserve a historical aspect and to bring a playful touch to this retracing of a small piece of the past. The background is made up of a slightly aged imitation newspaper, the typography is borrowed from old newspapers and so is the column layout. The modernity lies in the treatment of the drawing “à la touche” made with a graphic tablet and in the decorative arrangement of the texts.
Format & medium
This original comic book is on display in the museum. It comes with drumsticks that Joseph Markey, owner of Steenmeulen, made a few years ago. A perfect location to, once again, echo the design and especially its evolution over the years. In concrete terms, this comic book is presented on roll-up and transportable kakemonos in order to
to be able to lend, move and make this mini exhibition live. The printing was done on scrolling kakemonos in 80cm by 200cm format in 4 panels.
Visits
Location: The Steenmeulen, 550 route d’Eecke – 59114 TERDEGHEM
Dates, times & prices : From July 2020 to December 2021, from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm. 2€.
Contacts :
03 28 48 16 10
06 78 18 15 73
jeff@steenmeulen.com
www.steenmeulen.com