Utilitarian aesthetic of Shaker culture showcased in new German exhibition

A new exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum in Germany spotlights the utilitarian aesthetics of an 18th-century Protestant sect known as the Shakers.

Featuring both historical artifacts and contemporary work, The Shakers: A World In Making includes examples of heavy wooden furniture, elegant agricultural tools and musical instruments, and even a “future-facing” biodegradable coffin inspired by traditional Shaker basket-weaving methods.

The Shakers hold a “unique position within the design canon,” the museum’s curator told Dezeen, having evolved from traditional crafts to eventually influence prominent 20th-century Scandinavian designers: “In many ways, Shaker design anticipated modern aesthetics, though it was entirely unintentional.”