What Are Things For?
PARA QUE SERVEM AS COISAS?
Theatre 13€
Thursday 1 October · until 31 Dec
MUDE's long-running exhibition rereads the history of design and presents Portuguese design as a design process, in a chronological journey back to the dawn of the 20th century, with a scenography built from reused materials.
Synopsis Due to maintenance work in the museum space, online sales are suspended from 7 July 2026 to 19 July 2026. However, tickets can be purchased at the on-site box office. The exhibition “What Are Things For?” aims to reread the history of design and to present Portuguese design in context and as a design process. More than showing the design icons held in MUDE's collection, it seeks to question how and why products are designed, communicated, perceived and consumed. The chronological layout takes us back to the dawn of the 20th century and establishes open dialogues between the design pieces and the documentation, highlighting the issues common to different eras and inviting debate on the practices of the past and their projection into the future of each period. The exhibition design poses a new challenge to museography by prioritising the reuse of various materials from the MUDE building works which, having no further use, would otherwise go to waste. This curatorial decision keeps waste and the amount of refuse to a minimum, investing in the idea of promoting a circular economy and making the exhibition solution a real manifestation of the museum's intention to debate today's consumer society and the need to implement the values of economic degrowth. Opening Hours Summer hours (April to September): Tuesday to Thursday: 10h - 19h Friday and Saturday: 10h - 21h Sunday: 10h - 19h Winter hours (October to March): Tuesday to Thursday: 10h - 18h Friday and Saturday: 10h - 20h Sunday: 10h - 18h The museum is closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January. On 24 and 31 December, the museum closes at 16h. Last entry at 15h30. Prices Long-Running Exhibition - What Are Things For? | 13€ DISCOUNTS Young Students (13-25 years old), Seniors