The word "museum" comes from the Ancient Greek "Mouseion" which meant "any place that was dedicated to the Muses, often related to the study of music or poetry". As non-profit permanent establishments serving society, museums change with the development and practice of society. In addition to researching, collecting, protecting, and showcasing the tangible and intangible heritage, museums in the new era integrate into the community in a diversified and vivid manner, to provide multiple experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection, and knowledge sharing[1]. After two years of waiting, MOD has been comprehensively upgraded and come to service with a brand-new look on November 24, 2022. We invite you to go on a journey of design.

What is MOD?

MOD refers to the Museum of Design of Xi’an Eurasia University. Established on December 16, 2018, the museum is the second one in China and the first one in northwest China that is themed on "design". Located in a university and focusing on the needs of educational concepts and discipline development, MOD researches and analyzes the history of world industrial design and visual communication design, exhibiting epoch-making works having profound impacts on human life.

In the field of education, the core of "design" is the thinking and practice of "problems and solving" based on philosophical thinking. MOD presents brilliant "designs" and at the same time provides a local platform for design research and academic exchanges. It looks back on the birth of modern design and its diversification today on multiple dimensions to understand the relationship between social change and design evolution and to inspire thinking on life, aesthetics, and education.

 (Picture 1 MOD)

Surprises from MOD's Two Pavilions and Two Visitor Routes

No. 1 China Pavilion to explore the aesthetics of Chinese designs

In 2022, MOD adds the China Pavilion which focuses on the evolution of Chinese characters and the development of printing replication technology and shows the design culture from the pre-Qin period to the modern time in four strands: Technology and Media, Evolution of Chinese Characters, Beginning of Mass Communication, and Rise of Modern Design.

 (Picture 2 Overview of MOD China Pavilion)

From natural materials such as animal bones, bamboo, wood, and rocks to man-made products such as bronze, silk, and paper, human beings have been creating new "designs" while recording life and transmitting information. The material carriers and spreading modes of information are constantly changing, and the process of civilization is clearly presented.

 (Picture 3 Zhang's 100-Liter Pottery Pot, Qin Dynasty)

 (Picture 4 Inscribed Wooden Slip, Han Dynasty)

 (Picture 5 Rubbings of the Engravings On Mount Yi in the Qin Dynasty, Copy by Zhen Wenbao in the Northern Song Dynasty)

 (Picture 6 Fragment of Eaves Tile with Chinese Character "长" (literal meaning of long or grow, Han Dynasty)

 (Picture 7 Woodblock Printing of the Diamond Sutra (photocopy), Tang Dynasty)

 (Picture 8 Ancient Books and Periodicals)

MOD has reached exhibition cooperation with Mr. Gao Xiaolong, a famous film and TV director, the chief director of China's national image promotion video, and the video and image director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Based on friendly negotiation, Mr. Gao Xiaolong stored and exhibited more than 200 collections of calendars, books, pictorials, newspapers, and magazines in the exhibition area for the "Rise of Modern Design" in China Pavilion, MOD.

With the development of mass communication and the rise of new urban culture, China's modern designs emerge quietly. From the 1920s to the 1930s, pioneers of China's modern design combined tradition with western art, fostering a fresh design style from practice. From pictorial magazines such as The Young Companion, The Modern Miscellany, and The Cosmopolitan that featured exquisite, eclectic character styles and illustration designs to commercial poster designs and calendars featuring visual images presented by images, colors, character styles, and layout, we can get a glimpse of designers' exploratory spirit of inclusiveness and innovation at that time. Their unremitting efforts laid the foundation for the development of China's modern design.

 (Picture 9 Modern Commercial Poster Design in China)

(Picture 10 Modern Chinese Pictorials, Books, and Magazines)

"The Heaven is subject to changes of climate and weather, the Earth has different geographical conditions, materials have their unique qualities, and people possess creation ability and craftsmanship. Combining the four, we can create exquisite works." In ancient China, people advocated the interlinkage of technology and art, though a clear definition of design was not available. MOD China Pavilion demonstrates the aesthetics of Chinese design based on the development of Chinese characters and media.

No. 2 Modern Design Pavilion to unfold classic and splendid modern designs

The advancement of civilization is fundamentally promoted by designs constantly explored and created by people in production practice. Human beings have continuously expanded cognition, transformed the environment through various unnatural ways, endowed life with meaning, and civilized history. As an expression of subjective will, we are doing "designs" when creating new things. Design has been integrating and shaping the world in a visible way.

In 2022, MOD Modern Design Pavilion traces the origins of modern design, introducing the Arts and Crafts Movement—the beginning of the modern design trend, and schools and diversification of modern design. It sorts out and fills the blank of the exhibition line, bringing together design works of different types such as books and periodicals, posters, furniture, and industrial products. It breaks with the convention of dividing exhibition areas according to design categories, displaying complete and diversified design development history.

 (Picture 11 Overview of MOD Modern Design Pavilion)

Exhibition area for William Morris, "Father of Modern Design and Pattern". Morris advocated art should serve the needs of the public, questioned and reflected on the negative factors of mechanized production, and praised medieval craftsmanship and naturalism.

His works were fastidious about simple, practical quality. In his wallpaper designs, Morris created intricate, stylized patterns based on nature. His designs featured fresh, vivid natural plants and tensional organization, bringing a strong natural atmosphere to people's home life.

 (Picture 12 William Morris, 1834–1896)

 (Picture 13 Strawberry Thief Wallpaper, 1883)

As the founder of modern design, Morris introduced the epoch-making social practice and design theory. His printed patterns are still classic elements of fashion style.

The exhibition area for Morris is set in his iconic wallpaper Strawberry Thief and reproduces a scene of a house in the 19^th century through antique tables and chairs and Morris's family images, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the excellent designs of the 19^th century.

 (Picture 14 Exhibition Area for William Morris)

Art Nouveau design works. As the first design movement of the 20^th century, Art Nouveau was influenced by William Morris's ideas and design practice and highlighted inspiration drawn from nature. With strokes perfectly integrated into its outlines to create intricate, undulating visual effects, Art Nouveau’s decorative designs emphasize curved organic shapes; the artists of the period preferred soft, creamy colors and began to explore the usage of new materials such as cast iron and glass.

Alfons Mucha was a mater during the Art Nouveau period. His works incorporated the elegant outlines of Japanese woodcuts, the rich colors and geometric decorative effects of Byzantine art, and the delicate, ornate depictions of baroque and rococo art. The “Mucha style” figures he created feature emotive, decorative lines, concise outlines, and brilliant watercolor effects. In his depictions pretty, graceful, and youthful female figures, often with beautiful flowing hair, featured alongside decorative patterns.

MOD Modern Design Pavilion newly exhibits Mucha's four lithographs that reveal the beauty and elegance of the “Mucha style”.

 (Picture 15 Zodiac, 1896)

 (Picture 16 Dance, 1898)

Enrich modernism design. The upgraded MOD reorganizes the originally independent exhibition areas for European and American modern poster design and Japanese modern poster design. The most classic modern graphic design works of different styles are selected to show modernist designs of varied schools and styles. In addition, the new MOD adds an exhibition area for industrial products, such as the Juicy Salif Squeezer, MT8 Table Lamp, Olivetti Valentine typewriter, and other unique products with both functionality and aesthetic value, providing a chance for visitors to see ingenuity and beauty and experience the fusion of words, graphics, colors, and materials.

 (Picture 17 Exhibition Wall for Area for Modernism Design Posters and Center Exhibition Area for Chairs by Masters)

 (Picture 18 Exhibition Area for Industrial Products)

No. 3 Space * 2, Flow * 2! Explore the beauty of Chinese and Western designs in an all-round way.

The new MOD retains the simple, sophisticated, elegant, and noble design style. It consists of China Pavilion, Modern Design Pavilion, and Temporary Exhibition Pavilion. Exhibition halls are mainly decorated in black, white, and gray, paired with delicate vertical and horizontal textures, to create a space where visitors can immerse themselves in their experiences.

The MOD originally on the second floor set up the China Pavilion (332 m²) and Modern Design Pavilion (101 m²) on the first floor, expanding its total area to 1,073 m².

After passing the preface hall, visitors can choose which to visit first—the evolution of Chinese design or the diversification of modern design. The arrangement of two visitor routes and two pavilions maximizes the dynamic and fluidity of the exhibition, creating open and transparent exhibition spaces for visitors of different sizes.

 (Picture 19 Guide to MOD China Pavilion / Modern Design Pavilion)

In addition, MOD uses professional, customized showcases and lighting equipment according to the characteristics of different exhibits and exhibition needs. While objectively, completely, and accurately displaying collections' forms, textures, colors, and patterns, it also ensures the safety of the exhibits and meets the needs of visitors to appreciate exhibits or taste the details.

 (Picture 20 Lighting of MOD Central Showcases and Poster Walls)

No.4 Two special exhibitions unveiled! Appreciate the classic and explore the diversified possibilities of design.

(Picture 21 "DESIGN TRIO" Design Exhibition)

 (Picture 22 Surviving Letters—The Legacy of Corbusier and Jeanneret)

MOD invites you to go on a design journey on November 24, 2022.

Tips

MOD Opening Date

November 24, 2022

Please read the following tips carefully before entering the museum as required by pandemic prevention and control.

1. Please wear a mask, keep a safe social distance of one meter, scan Shannxi Health Code, and show a negative nucleic acid test within 24 hours.

2. The maximum visitor capacity is 100 in a period of time.

3. Children under the age of twelve must be accompanied by adults.

4. No smoking, no carrying or using open flames, and no pets.

5. Please take good care of the public facilities and do not touch them or carve paintings at will; otherwise, you may be held responsible for any damage.

6. Please consciously maintain the order of the museum, do not make loud noises, and consciously maintain the environmental sanitation of the museum.