Tim Burton design exhibition explores work and mind of "unique director"

Spooky puppets, original costumes and childhood drawings feature in The World of Tim Burton, an exhibition at London's Design Museum charting 50 years of the American filmmaker's work.

Opening today, the exhibition of over 600 objects offers a glimpse into the mind of director and animator Burton, whose distinctively uncanny films include the 1990 Edward Scissorhands and the 2007 Sweeny Todd.

The Design Museum exhibition is spread across a series of dedicated rooms that unpack Burton's work and inspirations "through the lens of design", according to curator Maria McLintock.

Born in 1958 in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, Burton is renowned for his gothic movies that tend to blend depictions of the real world with imaginary universes.

The first room of the exhibition contains rows of colourful display units shaped like houses that nod to the director's suburban childhood – the banality of which was a huge influence on Burton's creativity, according to McLintock.

"He takes these very archetypal, suburban terrains and turns them on their head, making them eerie," the curator told Dezeen during a tour of the exhibition.

A vast collection of early drawings finished in pen, ink and pencil line the house-shaped structures, featuring recurring Burton characters including the skeleton Jack Skellington, which would later star in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Also on display is a painted metal sign emblazoned with the words "crush litter" – the young Burton's winning entry to a local design competition for Burbank's refuse collection vehicles from 1973.

"Tim Burton is first and foremost an artist, and I think that's what makes him a really interesting person and a unique director," McLintock said.

Moving through the exhibition, visitors can find low-lit plinths displaying props from a range of Burton films. Among the collection are puppets from the 2005 stop-motion animation Corpse Bride, including the spindly, blue-haired bride herself.

"The bride's costume was like a puppet in itself," said puppet-maker and long-term collaborator Ian Mackinnon of the production company Mackinnon & Saunders.

"It was silk embedded with silicone and wires. When you see her dancing in the forest, her veil following the wind, it looks like it's the lightest, most delicate fabric but it's none of those things."

Life-size costumes also feature in the show, such as a red-and-black silk and tulle dress from Burton's 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland, created by costume designer and frequent collaborator Colleen Atwood.

Visitors can walk through a deliberately disorientating corridor characterised by angled door frames and asymmetrical black-and-white chequered flooring, which nods to Burton's 1988 classic Beetlejuice as well as the film's recently released sequel.

Three of the director's towering steel sculptures line the corridor, depicting otherworldly characters with oversized, spiky jaws and twiggy arms – similar to those seen in his early drawings.

There is also a section dedicated to Burton's work beyond film – from photography projects to fashion and music video collaborations.

An immersive soundscape of 300 audio samples plays throughout the space, designed for the exhibition by composer Tomi Rose.

"Each of the soundtracks directly responds to the stories of each of the rooms," explained McLintock.

The World of Tim Burton is an adapted iteration of a travelling exhibition of the same name, which has visited 14 cities in 11 countries since 2014. London's Design Museum is the show's last location before it concludes indefinitely.

"It's a strange thing to put 50 years of art and your life on view for everyone to see, especially when that was never the original purpose," said Burton. "In the past, I have resisted having the exhibition in London."

"However, collaborating with the Design Museum for this final stop was the right choice," he added. "They understand the art, and with the opportunity to adapt the show and highlight the way design interacts with the works, I've been able to view it all through an exciting new lens."

London's Design Museum is known for hosting exhibitions that explore popular culture through the lens of design.

An exhibition dedicated to Barbie dolls and Dreamhouses is also currently on display at the museum, while previous shows dove into sneaker culture and the films of director Stanley Kubrick.

The photography is by Matt Crossick, courtesy of the Design Museum.

The World of Tim Burton takes place from 25 October 2024 to 21 April 2025 at The Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG, UK. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.

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