Please do not play with the exhibits. Although the items in this collection might look like toys, they are here at Canada’s Design Exchange (DX) in a purely aesthetic capacity, created and displayed as design exercises and fine art objects. This Is Not a Toy has been curated by that guy Pharrell Williams – the first time the musician has been involved in putting together a museum exhibition – and in addition to providing some of the exhibits from his personal collection, Williams has also had a hand in one of the most impressive pieces in the show. The Simple Things, a collaboration with Takashi Murakami and Jacob the Jeweller, is a sugar-rush of colour and consumables within a grinning fibreglass and metal head.
As well as objects from some of the world’s best designer toy producers This Is Not a Toy is an interactive audio-visual treat too, and there are interviews with contributing artists such as KAWS to listen to, stop-motion videos, short films from the likes of FriendsWithYou, and a look at the manufacturing and customisation process of vinyl toys. Closing date for the show is 19 May.
