디자인 뮤지엄의 쟁점에 관한 연구

Background: Design museums began to be established on the basis of modern design history. However, it is still arguable if design museum is meaningful in the 21st century cultural context as it may cause a dispute on the meaning of contemporaneity. Experts of design museums in the West have explored new models for design museum. In the Korean situation, particularly when the establishment of the National Design Museum is in progress, its existential meaning can be an important subject of discussion more than ever. Methods: This study deals with design museum as a subject of critical discussion. First, I search for primary examples that are different from conventional sense of museum. I, then, set up a model for the 21st century museum based on recent museum theories, considering changes of museum environment. Grounded on these examinations, I draw the contemporary meanings and the value of design museum and the research direction for design museum of the new century. Result: Design museum is not merely an extended version of art museum nor a collection institution for design items. Rather, it has its importance, functioning as a hub not only for design activities, but for design archive, preservation and research of contemporary living world. Conclusion: Such issues on design museum provide a basis upon which to explore a new model for design museum of the 21st century. That is, design museum of the new era is no longer a collection of modern designs heritage, but it is a space for the representation of the value of contemporary values. This new model requires a transition from research approaches limited to design history to an extended studies embracing museology, archive studies and archaeology, which suggest and bring up new research methods in the field of design.