Design by Time explores how the dynamic passage of time can be embodied within design objects. Instead of being stable and obdurate, the works brought together here embody durational movement. Some designers embrace natural and mechanical processes—the growth of plant materials, the pull of gravity, the transformational potential of fire. Some translate temporal activities into visual forms, such as music and drawing. Examples come from many sectors of the design world: textiles, carpets, vessels, lighting fixtures, fashion, clocks, and furniture for example.

Design by Time is the first exhibition to identify and bring together designers whose interest is in expressing the passage of time, a visual expression of life, through the design of objects. They come from across Europe and the US, 22 artists and collaboratives from 8 countries. There are both known and emerging practitioners, including iconic names, such as Maarten Baas and Hussein Chalayan, and recently graduated designers such as Jacob Olmedo.