London Design Festival May Newsletter
It has been a big week for the London Design Festival - we announced plans for this year’s Festival taking place 19-27 September. A selection of projects for 2015 have been unveiled with Landmark Projects at Greenwich Peninsula, Somerset House and a range of activity at our hub venue, the Victoria and Albert Museum. More projects and commissions will be announced on londondesignfestival.com soon. |
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LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL LANDMARK PROJECT 2015
A Bullet from a Shooting Star by Alex Chinneck
Supported by Knight Dragon
This year the Festival has commissioned a major project with Alex Chinneck in the Greenwich Peninsula where Knight Dragon is currently developing a new district for London with 15,000 new homes. A Bullet from a Shooting Star takes the form of a regular electricity pylon but given the structural feat it is performing, the design is far from conventional.
A Bullet from a Shooting Star will stand 35m tall and contain a combined length of 1005m of steel weighing 15 tons. 450 pieces of steel will be used with 900 engineered connection points. The foundations will include 19m deep piles within 78m3 of concrete MORE
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London Design Festival at the V&A
The Festival will continue its unique collaboration with the world’s leading Museum of art and design. As the central hub location for the Festival for the seventh year, the V&A will again house a broad range of commissioned activity across the Museum and will include installations, events, talks and workshops. MORE
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You Know You Cannot See Yourself So Well As By Reflection
Supported by the government of Mexico as part of the Year of Mexico in the UK
This summer Mexican architect, Frida Escobedo will create an installation in the V&A’s John Madejski Garden this summer to mark the Year of Mexico in the United Kingdom. MORE
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The Ogham Wall by Grafton Architects
For Irish Design 2015
The V&A will host a major installation created in collaboration with Irish Design 2015, The Ogham Wall is created by Stirling Prize nominee Grafton Architects, in conjunction with Graphic Relief. MORE
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Curiosity Cloud by mischer’traxler
For Champagne Perrier-Jouët
Boutique champagne house Perrier-Jouët returns to the London Design Festival with acclaimed Austrian design team mischer’traxler. The new project, Curiosity Cloud, will explore the transience of nature and the Art Nouveau movement. MORE |
Mise-en-abyme by Matteo Fogale and Laetitia De Allegri
Supported by Johnson Tiles
Designers Matteo Fogale and Laetitia De Allegri are joining forces with Johnson Tiles to create a colourful installation on the bridge over the Medieval and Renaissance galleries. MORE |
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Further activity at the V&A
Design in London: An exhibition to mark the centenary of the birth of Robin Day will take place as part of the London Design Festival at the V&A, with an installation by Turner Prize nominees Assemble. The design and architecture collective Assemble will create an installation responding to Day’s passionate interest in wood, which will be shown alongside original furniture designs, archival photos and tools.
London Design Festival Shop: This year the Festival will set up a shop in the V&A Entrance, designed by London-based design studio Loris&Livia and constructed out of DuPontTM Corian®. It will sell a curated selection of design-related products alongside some Festival merchandise.
The Tower of Babel: From 8 September an imposing six-metre high installation by artist Barnaby Barford, comprising 3000 bone china London shop façades will be on display in the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. At its base the shops are derelict, while at its pinnacle are London’s exclusive boutiques and galleries. MORE
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V&A talks and workshops programme
This year the Talks and Workshops programme offers a selection of lunchtime lectures, gallery talks, hands-on workshops and provocative debates.
Themes comprise: Graphics (19 and 20), Luxury (Mon 21), Future (Tues 22), Making (Wed 23), International (Thurs 24), Industry (Fri 25), and Digital Design (26 and 27). MORE
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Global Design Forum
Returning for a fourth year, the Forum will focus on profiling the industry’s pivotal figures. Maverick thinkers, agitators and originators from around the world will be in conversation with leading journalists at the V&A every week-day during the Festival (21 – 25 September).
This series of Masterclass Sessions will amongst others feature Wolfgang Buttress, the designer behind the UK Pavilion at Milan Expo 2015. MORE
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London Design Festival partners with Somerset House
An exciting new location for a Festival Landmark Project will be the historic setting of Somerset House, which will house a number of projects this year. As a major centre for arts and culture in the heart of the capital, this will become a prominent new destination for Festival visitors.
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In the famous courtyard of Somerset House, internationally renowned architect David Adjaye is collaborating with MINI to create an installation that will reflect the vision and imagination that has made Adjaye globally recognised. Somerset House will also host the work of ten internationally renowned designers in the elegant West Wing Galleries. MORE
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| Partner activity across London |
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| Design Destinations
A number of large group-shows will take place across the city where new and established exhibitors from the UK and around the world will debut their designs. These ‘Design Destinations’ are crucial for designers and manufacturers wanting to reach new markets and provide excellent platforms for new and emerging designers and makers to present their products and innovations.
Image: Design Destinations 2015, 100% Design, Decorex International, designjunction, Focus/15 and Tent London & Super Brands London. MORE
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Design Districts
Design Districts are areas where there are distinct concentrations of design activity and events that can be traversed easily on foot. Each District is organised locally and independently under the umbrella of the London Design Festival. This year will see a new Design District, Bankside, take part in the Festival.
Image: Bankside Design District, Brompton Design District, Chelsea Design Quarter, Clerkenwell Design Quarter, Islington Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle and Queens Park Design District. MORE
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| Design events in London |
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| Cockpit Arts continues their Spring Open Studios this weekend in Deptford, 15-17 May. This is a rare opportunity for visitors to see behind the scenes, meet talented makers and buy beautifully crafted work direct from independent designers. MORE |
Celebrating it’s 6th year, Clerkenwell Design Week will attract the international design community for three days of talks, workshops, product launches, exhibitions and installations in collaboration with more than 60 partner showrooms, 19-21 May. MORE |
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| Returning to ExCeL London 17-19 May for its third edition, the May Design Series showcases 500 international and British brands across five sectors: Furniture, KBB, Lighting, Decor and DX, a pavilion focused upon the use of new technologies and materials. MORE |
The annual London Festival of Architecture — a month-long, citywide celebration of architectural experimentation, thinking and practice — will take place at venues across the capital from 1—30th June, responding to this year’s theme of 'Work in Progress'. MORE |
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Do you have an idea which is #PoweredByTweets?
The London Design Festival has partnered with Twitter on a new Design Challenge. Six ideas will be selected and showcased in an exhibition during the Festival, 19 - 27 September 2015. MORE
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| The London Design Festival 2015 is supported by: |
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