TAPE

We use tape to stick things together. Unlike most of the tools in a designer’s arsenal, which require a fair amount of planning (consider woodworking machines, computer aided processes etc), tape invites impulsivity. We often reach for tape when we need something to be done instantly, but not perfectly. As a result, tape provides a direct translation from your brain to your body–an opportunity to understand by creating. The objects that tape enables are an honest, unmitigated reflection of the way a designer makes decisions. These moments of frantic, harried, frenetic invention happen in almost any design process, but they are often absent in the final result. What if instead, tape could be an end unto itself?

The exhibition at 8×7 Gallery for Toronto Design Week 2026 will feature nine design studios, each one investigating adhesive tape. Each studio's methodology for exploring tape can be pragmatic, poetic, historical or personal. Together, these objects will create an installation that looks at why and how the designers are connecting things: permanent or temporary, improvised or planned, literal or metaphorical.

Drinks generously provided by Burdock Brewery and Geez Louise :)

Designers
Alexandra Gerber
Bertjan Pot
Earnest Studio
Jamie Wolfond
Leclercq Viallet
Leon Ransmeier
MSDS Studio
Persia Mckinney Duncan
Rebecca Sun Collins

Also check out other Arts events in Toronto, Exhibitions in Toronto.