Installations, exhibitions, talks, presentations, openings and forums: 9 days full of appointments for the world of international design, from 17 to 25 September, during the London Design Festival, now at its 20th iteration.
Bankside Design District
As always, the festival spreads into a series of urban districts in which to organize events and encounters: Brompton Design District, Clerkenwell Design Trail, Islington Design District, King’s Cross Design District, Mayfair Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle, Southwark South Design District, William Morris Design Line, Greenwich Peninsula and Park Royal Design District, returning after last year’s debut, now joined by Bankside Design District and Pimlico Road Design District, re-launched in 2022.
Design London @ Magazine London – Photo © Henry Woide
The program also includes the “Design Destinations”: this year, the appointment is with “Design London,” a showcase for brands offering kitchens, bath furnishings, lighting and furniture, from 21 to 24 September at North Greenwich, with international pavilions of countries like Denmark, Korea, Portugal, Sweden and Thailand.
R is for Repair: Clock Radio by Clement Zheng Photo © KHOOGJ
For the 13th year, the collaboration continues with the Victoria & Albert Museum, hosting a series of exhibitions and installations on the theme of transformation, from regeneration of domestic objects to innovative materials.
The Lebanese House by Annabel Karim Kassar – Photo © Ed Reeve
Visitors should not miss R for Repair, organized by the Design Singapore Council and National Design Center of Singapore, with the collaboration of Hans Tan Studio and Jane Withers Studio, where the designers will repair objects in a creative way; Plasticity, a monumental sculpture by Niccolò Casa, utilizing 3D printing by Nagami and produced with marine plastic refuse from Parley for the Oceans; The Lebanese House: save a home, save a city, an installation by Annabel Karim Kassar on the reconstruction of Beirut after the explosion of 2020; and Material Experiments, in the John Madejski Garden, with a glassblowing performance by the Canadian artist/designer Omer Arbel.
Vessels of consciousness by Omer Arbel
For the “Landmark Projects” section, the designer Sabine Marcelis, based in Rotterdam, will create Swivel, an interactive installation of amusing seating made in glass, concrete and marble, to enliven St Giles Square with a celebration of materials and colors until November (project realised in collaboration with Solid Nature), while at Cromwell Place visitors can enjoy “Into Sight“ by Sony Design, a multimedia platform in actual size that offers unusual sensorial effects.
Swivel by Sabine Marcelis
Finally, there is the vital Global Design Forum, with a panel of international speakers, this year on the theme of the evolution of design in response to the needs of the society and the planet.
