The Museum of Vancouver invites Vancouverites to explore and celebrate innovation in action. Twenty+ designers, live, in concert and stationed throughout the museum’s galleries, discuss their work during Why I Design, a Vancouver Design Week feature event and party on Friday night, September 19.

Date: Friday, September 19, 2014
Time: 8:00pm-11:30pm
Admission: $16 Advance | $18 At the Door | $13 MOV Members
Get Tickets: https://sep19whyidesign.eventbrite.ca

Why I Design aims the spotlight on the process of invention. Participating designers will engage you with stories behind the development of everyday technologies and cool things you’ve never seen before—from play spaces to packaging, furniture to footwear, scuba fins to cemeteries. You can ask the designers—ranging from those launching their careers to innovative leaders in international corporations—what motivates them, how they do what they do, and why Vancouver inspires them to keep doing it.

The participating designers represent enormously diverse creativity. See the latest adventure road bike and a kayak that folds. Touch shapes designed to ground people with autism. Experience the first heads-up display that can be worn while playing any sport. Admire apparel that can weather the worst that Vancouver can throw at you. Test a vest that helps kids feel less anxiety. Learn what makes a play space fun. Find flip-flops that are actually good for your feet. Discover who puts the flash into rock concerts. There’s a lot to explore as you navigate a party that’s dense with designers.

This isn’t an art display or trade show. Why I Design provides an alternative to standard presentations by breaking down walls between disciplines and between designers and the public. It’s an opportunity to interact with the designers of the products and environments that shape your life.

Admission to Why I Design includes entry to the premiere of the exhibition From Rationing to Ravishing: The Transformation of Women’s Clothing in the 1940s and 1950s; and to Neon Vancouver | Ugly Vancouver. Come celebrate with us the transformative power of design during Vancouver Design Week.

The Museum of Vancouver connects Vancouverites to each other and connects Vancouver to the world. Exploring the relationship between creators and users enables us to comprehend how design works and why it matters. The museum, an enthusiastic advocate for Vancouver and its people, is an independent non-profit organization that depends on support from the community.

Why I Design is curated and presented in partnership with Vancouver Design Week. This program is made possible through the support of our major sponsors and institutional funders: Homes & Living Magazine, Ganton & Larsen Prospect Winery, the Design Formation Program at Langara College, the City of Vancouver, and the British Columbia Arts Council. We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

Friday, September 19 is expected to be a busy evening in Vanier Park and Kits Point. The EasyPark lot located in front of the MOV services several cultural institutions in the neighbourhood. Available space in the parking lot and immediate vicinity may be limited. Please allow ample time to locate parking, or consider alternate methods of transportation. For information on how to reach the museum, visit http://museumofvancouver.ca/about.

It's a great time to become a member! http://www.museumofvancouver.ca/programs/membership. Call 604.736.4431 ext 0 for more information.