Lauren Rottet Curates Imperative Design

Though exhibitions focusing on design are popping up everywhere, the context in which a new one in Houston, Texas appears, marks a significant development.'Imperative Design', a display of one-off designs by seven pioneering designers, is part of an initiative in Houston's art district to expand the notion that design and art can be appreciated with the same principles.The exhibition was curated by architect and industrial designer Lauren Rottet and brings together the work of Mark Holmes, Zaha Hadid, Arik Levy, Ross Lovegrove, Greg Lyn and David Mocarski alongside her own designs.Rottet explains her impetus, 'Imperative Design connotes the inevitability and importance of reaching a point today in which everyone has access to modern furnishings, but explicitly rejects the idea of disposable, throwaway objects, providing us with more sustainable means for living.'Rottet's reference to sustainability is certainly true and an under-lauded offshoot of design art; we wouldn't readily dispose of a Zaha Hadid chaise or a gold-plated Established & Sons task lamp simply because it didn't fit with that season's colour scheme. But what we find more interesting is the notion that Houston's Barbara Davis Gallery, one of Texas art galleries, has opened its doors to displaying design in the same way as it would art.