Collection. Models from the Past for the Future

At a time when we need new models and imagination more than ever, the past sometimes proves surprisingly relevant. But how can a design collection in 2026 continue to inspire us? In the collection presentation, curator Evelien Bracke explores, through around 500 objects , how the materials, techniques and design attitudes of the past can make sense for the designer and user of tomorrow. At the same time, it is also demonstrated how our gaze inevitably shifts. What once seemed the ultimate solution is viewed with a more critical eye today.

Back to our roots
We delve into history and also focus on the museum's early years. When it was founded in 1903 as a 'model museum', it was a place  where leading examples were displayed together. Furniture, ceramics, textiles and other sub-collections were exhibited as models to inform and inspire professionals and visitors during a period of social and technological change.

Today we are once again at a  pivotal moment.  There is a growing need for alternative examples and imagination. That's why we are translating the model museum from the past to the present. All the exhibits were once seen as groundbreaking. But which pieces are still surprisingly relevant? And which call for nuance or even criticism today?

Five themes as a mirror
We explore the collection from a contemporary perspective and group the objects around 5 themes that are linked to current challenges : Copy, Comfort, Migration, Folds and Connections. We challenge you to look beyond form: at the technical connections that make a product possible and the ways in which not only people, but objects, materials and ideas migrate through space and time.

As we critically examine our idea of comfort and consumption in a time of energy scarcity , we rediscover the power of smart, sustainable principles from the past. Can folding principles from the past inspire more flexible and ever-shrinking residential environments? And can copying and imitating materials, techniques and nature offer alternatives for the future? Each object becomes a mirror to the world of tomorrow: what do we keep, and what are we bold enough to design radically differently?

A space full of contrasts
Architects Nord + Laura Muyldermans designed an exhibition architecture that reflects the current period of transition. A period of contrasts: on the one hand, there is high-tech innovation, on the other, there is a counter-reaction with a growing need for artisanal materials and techniques.

It was precisely this tension between tradition and innovation that also helped to create the model museum. By combining clay plaster, applied using artisan techniques, with the industrially produced circular steel building system Skellet, the designers show that both low-tech and high-tech often go hand in hand in design practices today.

And we even go a step further. Designers Kana Arioka, OpenStructures (together in Studiolo), touche-touche and Victor Verhelst were invited to create new work inspired by the collection and its themes. Their commissions show how relevant historical pieces can be and how they help us take a different look at the present and future.

Come see, draw inspiration from the past and help design the future.

For Collection. Models from the Past for the Future, a book with the same title will be published (publisher Lannoo), edited by Eva Van Regenmortel.