Archivo is the only project in Mexico dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and rethinking design and architecture.
Archivo is focused on researching and advocating design, as well as in exploring its history and evolution, questioning its principles, and exploiting its potential as a tool for everyday transformation.
Through our permanent collection—consisting of 1,800 objects, a specialized library, and a dynamic program of research, exhibitions, and activities, Archivo has established itself as a pioneering space and an essential reference for design and architecture in Mexico and abroad.
(ESPAÑOL) TRANSPORTE
general
DIRECTOR
ASSISTANT CURATOR
PROJECTS MANAGER
RESEARCH
Our collection is a resource that we extend to all public as a research tool. We’ll share information about its relocation soon. For the library, we recommend that you make an appointment by sending us an email where you specify the topics you are looking for.
VOLUNTEERING
Archivo seeks volunteers all year. If you are passionate about design and want to be part of the team, check our programs here.
WEB CREDITS
design: Alejandro Olávarri
realization: dupla.mx
Archivo is not your typical archive. Instead of simply organizing and preserving documents that are only accessible to specialists, we want to produce new readings, perspectives, and ideas regarding material culture in its broadest sense, without restricting ourselves to categorical definitions or expert knowledge.
We are not a repository of records and documents, but of artifacts, testimonies, activations, and any sort of exploration about design. Archivo is an open archive: our storage rooms are accessible and our catalog is open; we share our resources, and we make our processes public.
We see Archivo as the raw material for learning and experimenting with design and architecture, a source of inspiration for designers, where curiosity, knowledge, and critical thought are instilled.
Archivo reasserts the relevance of design in our daily lives. We are pioneers in researching and exhibiting design in Mexico and we offer a unique study collection of everyday design. We’ve broken down our SPACE and work into three areas of activity:
From our foundation, Archivo has focused on acquiring, cataloging, and preserving a permanent collection of popular and industrial design as well as limited edition objects from the 20th and 21st centuries. Convinced that there is a difference between interacting with an object and seeing a representation of it in a book or website, we decided to open our archive in 2016, through Archivo Abierto—our open storage, consultation, and exhibition area, allowing anyone to see our collection up close and to interact with the pieces.
The other half of our permanent collection is the Archivo library, which specializes in architecture, art, and design. It is divided into two: the Personal Collection of Enrique del Moral (CEM) and the Archivo Collection (CAD). Both can be perused in our Reading Room.
You can also explore our entire collections (both the object collection and the library) in our online catalogue.
Design and architecture are meant to be used and experienced, not displayed in a museum or gallery space. So, how and why do we exhibit design?
For Archivo, the answer to this question changes and adapts as time pases and according to different scenarios, but we generally believe that the practice of exhibiting design is important to rediscover histories, make processes public, and to go beyond the surface of a finished product. Our purpose is to strip design from any sense of mystery trying to tie it to a broader discussion regarding cultural and collective processes.
Our exhibitions delve into these concerns and attempt to push their boundaries: they question the nature of authorship in design and the relevance of process; they reveal the engineering logics behind a common artifact or blur the object-based focus of design; they reactivate historical memories, and seek to redefine the relationship between design and contemporary life in Mexico.
You can explore a complete history of our past exhibitions, learn more about our current shows, or discover the ones we have planned for the future.
Archivo seeks to inspire and encourage people to think design in non-traditional ways, to break disciplinary boundaries, and to create a broader view of the practice and its contexts, processes, histories, uses, and impacts.
Archivo is both a practical and educational resource for students and professionals, as well as a space that introduces a broader audience to design and material culture.
We generate and promote original and informed perspectives through a range of formats that are accessible to everyone: research projects and publications, opinion pieces, workshops and collaborations, and even informal gatherings and other kinds of activities.
Archivo is an exhibition space, as well as a research and gathering space; entrance is free of charge and open to the public. We want you to visit Archivo, but we especially want you to use Archivo. We want you to see our exhibitions and spend the day reading our books in the Reading Room or in the garden, having a coffee. We invite you to use our archive for your research or school project, or to participate in one of our conversations and workshops.
We may be a small, independent space, but we offer a considerable variety of resources and activities, as well as an ambitious program, and original, quality cultural offerings.
You can collaborate with Archivo through our volunteer program. If you are part of the design community in Mexico and you have a project or a collaboration proposal that involves Archivo, you can also contact us.
Sometimes we offer spaces for private events. If you are interested in hosting a photo shoot, a book launch, a dinner or a private event in Archivo, you can request information through our e-mail: info@archivo.design.
Archivo is the only project in Mexico dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and rethinking design and architecture.
Archivo is focused on researching and advocating design, as well as in exploring its history and evolution, questioning its principles, and exploiting its potential as a tool for everyday transformation.
Through our permanent collection—consisting of 1,800 objects, a specialized library, and a dynamic program of research, exhibitions, and activities, Archivo has established itself as a pioneering space and an essential reference for design and architecture in Mexico and abroad.
Archivo is not your typical archive. Instead of simply organizing and preserving documents that are only accessible to specialists, we want to produce new readings, perspectives, and ideas regarding material culture in its broadest sense, without restricting ourselves to categorical definitions or expert knowledge.
We are not a repository of records and documents, but of artifacts, testimonies, activations, and any sort of exploration about design. Archivo is an open archive: our storage rooms are accessible and our catalog is open; we share our resources, and we make our processes public.
We see Archivo as the raw material for learning and experimenting with design and architecture, a source of inspiration for designers, where curiosity, knowledge, and critical thought are instilled.
Archivo reasserts the relevance of design in our daily lives. We are pioneers in researching and exhibiting design in Mexico and we offer a unique study collection of everyday design. We’ve broken down our SPACE and work into three areas of activity:
From our foundation, Archivo has focused on acquiring, cataloging, and preserving a permanent collection of popular and industrial design as well as limited edition objects from the 20th and 21st centuries. Convinced that there is a difference between interacting with an object and seeing a representation of it in a book or website, we decided to open our archive in 2016, through Archivo Abierto—our open storage, consultation, and exhibition area, allowing anyone to see our collection up close and to interact with the pieces.
The other half of our permanent collection is the Archivo library, which specializes in architecture, art, and design. It is divided into two: the Personal Collection of Enrique del Moral (CEM) and the Archivo Collection (CAD). Both can be perused in our Reading Room.
You can also explore our entire collections (both the object collection and the library) in our online catalogue.
Design and architecture are meant to be used and experienced, not displayed in a museum or gallery space. So, how and why do we exhibit design?
For Archivo, the answer to this question changes and adapts as time pases and according to different scenarios, but we generally believe that the practice of exhibiting design is important to rediscover histories, make processes public, and to go beyond the surface of a finished product. Our purpose is to strip design from any sense of mystery trying to tie it to a broader discussion regarding cultural and collective processes.
Our exhibitions delve into these concerns and attempt to push their boundaries: they question the nature of authorship in design and the relevance of process; they reveal the engineering logics behind a common artifact or blur the object-based focus of design; they reactivate historical memories, and seek to redefine the relationship between design and contemporary life in Mexico.
You can explore a complete history of our past exhibitions, learn more about our current shows, or discover the ones we have planned for the future.
Archivo seeks to inspire and encourage people to think design in non-traditional ways, to break disciplinary boundaries, and to create a broader view of the practice and its contexts, processes, histories, uses, and impacts.
Archivo is both a practical and educational resource for students and professionals, as well as a space that introduces a broader audience to design and material culture.
We generate and promote original and informed perspectives through a range of formats that are accessible to everyone: research projects and publications, opinion pieces, workshops and collaborations, and even informal gatherings and other kinds of activities.
Archivo is an exhibition space, as well as a research and gathering space; entrance is free of charge and open to the public. We want you to visit Archivo, but we especially want you to use Archivo. We want you to see our exhibitions and spend the day reading our books in the Reading Room or in the garden, having a coffee. We invite you to use our archive for your research or school project, or to participate in one of our conversations and workshops.
We may be a small, independent space, but we offer a considerable variety of resources and activities, as well as an ambitious program, and original, quality cultural offerings.
You can collaborate with Archivo through our volunteer program. If you are part of the design community in Mexico and you have a project or a collaboration proposal that involves Archivo, you can also contact us.
Sometimes we offer spaces for private events. If you are interested in hosting a photo shoot, a book launch, a dinner or a private event in Archivo, you can request information through our e-mail: info@archivo.design.
Archivo is the only project in Mexico dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and rethinking design and architecture.
Archivo is focused on researching and advocating design, as well as in exploring its history and evolution, questioning its principles, and exploiting its potential as a tool for everyday transformation.
Through our permanent collection—consisting of 1,800 objects, a specialized library, and a dynamic program of research, exhibitions, and activities, Archivo has established itself as a pioneering space and an essential reference for design and architecture in Mexico and abroad.
(ESPAÑOL) TRANSPORTE
general
DIRECTOR
ASSISTANT CURATOR
PROJECTS MANAGER
RESEARCH
Our collection is a resource that we extend to all public as a research tool. We’ll share information about its relocation soon. For the library, we recommend that you make an appointment by sending us an email where you specify the topics you are looking for.
VOLUNTEERING
Archivo seeks volunteers all year. If you are passionate about design and want to be part of the team, check our programs here.
WEB CREDITS
design: Alejandro Olávarri
realization: dupla.mx
Archivo is not your typical archive. Instead of simply organizing and preserving documents that are only accessible to specialists, we want to produce new readings, perspectives, and ideas regarding material culture in its broadest sense, without restricting ourselves to categorical definitions or expert knowledge.
We are not a repository of records and documents, but of artifacts, testimonies, activations, and any sort of exploration about design. Archivo is an open archive: our storage rooms are accessible and our catalog is open; we share our resources, and we make our processes public.
We see Archivo as the raw material for learning and experimenting with design and architecture, a source of inspiration for designers, where curiosity, knowledge, and critical thought are instilled.
Archivo reasserts the relevance of design in our daily lives. We are pioneers in researching and exhibiting design in Mexico and we offer a unique study collection of everyday design. We’ve broken down our SPACE and work into three areas of activity:
From our foundation, Archivo has focused on acquiring, cataloging, and preserving a permanent collection of popular and industrial design as well as limited edition objects from the 20th and 21st centuries. Convinced that there is a difference between interacting with an object and seeing a representation of it in a book or website, we decided to open our archive in 2016, through Archivo Abierto—our open storage, consultation, and exhibition area, allowing anyone to see our collection up close and to interact with the pieces.
The other half of our permanent collection is the Archivo library, which specializes in architecture, art, and design. It is divided into two: the Personal Collection of Enrique del Moral (CEM) and the Archivo Collection (CAD). Both can be perused in our Reading Room.
You can also explore our entire collections (both the object collection and the library) in our online catalogue.
Design and architecture are meant to be used and experienced, not displayed in a museum or gallery space. So, how and why do we exhibit design?
For Archivo, the answer to this question changes and adapts as time pases and according to different scenarios, but we generally believe that the practice of exhibiting design is important to rediscover histories, make processes public, and to go beyond the surface of a finished product. Our purpose is to strip design from any sense of mystery trying to tie it to a broader discussion regarding cultural and collective processes.
Our exhibitions delve into these concerns and attempt to push their boundaries: they question the nature of authorship in design and the relevance of process; they reveal the engineering logics behind a common artifact or blur the object-based focus of design; they reactivate historical memories, and seek to redefine the relationship between design and contemporary life in Mexico.
You can explore a complete history of our past exhibitions, learn more about our current shows, or discover the ones we have planned for the future.
Archivo seeks to inspire and encourage people to think design in non-traditional ways, to break disciplinary boundaries, and to create a broader view of the practice and its contexts, processes, histories, uses, and impacts.
Archivo is both a practical and educational resource for students and professionals, as well as a space that introduces a broader audience to design and material culture.
We generate and promote original and informed perspectives through a range of formats that are accessible to everyone: research projects and publications, opinion pieces, workshops and collaborations, and even informal gatherings and other kinds of activities.
Archivo is an exhibition space, as well as a research and gathering space; entrance is free of charge and open to the public. We want you to visit Archivo, but we especially want you to use Archivo. We want you to see our exhibitions and spend the day reading our books in the Reading Room or in the garden, having a coffee. We invite you to use our archive for your research or school project, or to participate in one of our conversations and workshops.
We may be a small, independent space, but we offer a considerable variety of resources and activities, as well as an ambitious program, and original, quality cultural offerings.
You can collaborate with Archivo through our volunteer program. If you are part of the design community in Mexico and you have a project or a collaboration proposal that involves Archivo, you can also contact us.
Sometimes we offer spaces for private events. If you are interested in hosting a photo shoot, a book launch, a dinner or a private event in Archivo, you can request information through our e-mail: info@archivo.design.
How can we find true Mexican identity in Design? Is it something that already exists? Or is it something that is about to come to life? What is the point of defining and categorizing such identity?
The second round of exhibitions presented at Archivo Diseño up until May, included the curatorial proposal of the precincts’ Director, Regina Pozo, Here &There. The exhibition showed utilitarian items of different sources, contrasted to pieces of Mexican popular culture and their international design analogues. We get to contemplate a series of objects that share a same purpose, but have resulted into different shapes. Although we find ourselves staring, by definition, at the same object, the different choice of materials, the implementation of industrial or handcrafted industrial techniques, the technical resolution taken in order to solve the same issue, and even the smallest and most formal detail that tells them apart, make this exhibition an interesting and pensive exercise. The differences we can find, no matter big or small, raise a lot of questions around the spectator; questions necessary to come though a sign and symbol analysis that determine these and all objects in our surroundings. Which elements in these objects define their origin, their identity? Why is it that in spite of such a clear distinction of Mexican objects in this context we are still searching for the identity of Mexican design?
From an individual oriented point of view, speaking of identity implies talking about the processes developed throughout its construction. It could be thought of as the result of introjective and projective processes that part from our being bound up with objects. From this identification on, the subject can identify himself.[1]
At a social level, identity infuses sense into a group and confers it a significative structure that allow it to become a unity. It is a process that confronts itself with any referenced culture; an historical process that’s constantly reshaping itself.[2] In the field of design, it is necessary to merge these two perspectives to understand what puts together the identity of objects.
On the one hand, the designer as an individual goes shaping a personal signature marked by experiences, research, context and even desires and temper tantrums. Defining a personal signature is a long process throughout which one acquires experience and professional practice. I think this process should never end, for it depends on the constant exploration of new solutions and techniques. On the other hand, it can’t be considered an ongoing process when the designer has come to establish a style and finds a distinction that brands a creation as his, as a designer object. It is somehow understandable that once the designer has reached such a projective and formal maturity certain results will be expected, finally finding a place to rest from searching new explorations.
When it comes to anonymous design, the case of so many objects in this exhibition, it is liberating to find those features that characterize an object as Mexican, without carrying the weight of their creator or any of these signatures; the object contains them, because that was the way it was required and how they emerged. These are objects that turn into everyday life icons, lacking such intentions. They have simply merged with their surroundings and our lives, becoming part of our culture. These objects are part of the signs that define us, without the maker’s intention of being that way, nor our intention to adopt them. This trait, inherent to these objects, makes them an ideal reference and start point for an interpretation and study of the symbols that identify them as Mexican. Comparing these symbols to those found in other objects of different cultures is evidence enough to the elements that make them stand out. The differences between each of them result into features that bestow identity on the object.
Here & There presents us with these elements, open to the interpretation of the beholder. We could be dealing with details as evident as the motives found in ceramics throughout different regions -which even bear a cosmic burden- or it could be all about genius being applied to the making of a collapsible basket made of nothing else but wire, in which assembly and folds show traces found in other objects used in Mexican kitchens and even in handcrafted jewelry. Doing this comparative revision becomes necessary to find within them the symbols that we have tried so hard to reflect in out proposals. However, this is only one resource that should be made part of the search, but in the end it isn’t but another link in the chain of the unknown.
As we talk about Mexican design, we can’t stop at mere interpretation of the symbols of already existent objects. As mentioned before, social identity is an ever changing process that becomes both, history and present moment. The identity we perceive in the objects exhibited and the one defining each designer already exists; you can tell by merely looking at them. However, as a collective effort, it would seem that the designers’ guild necessity to find such identity has only been rewarded with frustration due to their incapacity to define it. Perhaps that identity shouldn’t only be looked for through the projection of several individual identities, projecting the designer as an individual or as the object itself. Is it truly identity what we are looking for? Shouldn’t we start by outlining an ideology before aspiring to reach our so anxiously desired definition of identity?
[1] Reflexiones sobre la identificación y la identidad. Pst. Ma. Elena Fuentes Martínez.
[2] Aguado J. C. y M. Portal, Identidad, Ideología y Ritual, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, México, 1992, Pág. 47.
In her review of the exhibition Here and there, Andrea Ortega defines the concept of identity and states that design can be assumed as a unit when being recognized by each individual and associated with objects with which one is familiar .
Andrea Ortega
Andrea Ortega graduated from CIDI UNAM with studies at the KHB-Weissensee Berlín. Founder of proyecto Siembra Merced at ATEA and partner of Chula Verdura, she is dedicated to promote urban farming in cities.