Discover the Best of London Design Festival: Things to See, Do, and Experience
As the city of London gears up for the annual London Design Festival, visitors and residents alike are in for a treat. This highly anticipated event, which will be held from September 16th to 24th, showcases the best of the city’s designers, artists, makers, and producers. With a program that spans 13 boroughs and includes a wide range of events, exhibitions, and installations, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at six of the most exciting things to see, do, and experience during this year’s festival.
1. “Sunrise on this island” Exhibition at Sadie Coles Gallery
The Sadie Coles Gallery in Mayfair is hosting an exhibition that explores the history of British design through the stories of three thrones. Created by three different creators – Tom Dixon, Eduardo Paolozzi, and an anonymous 17th-century wood turner – these thrones showcase the material and cultural advances that have shaped British design over the centuries. Accompanied by a selection of found objects and artifacts, this exhibition offers a fascinating glimpse into the nation’s design heritage.
2. The Localist Café at Shoreditch Arts Club
The Localist Café is a fully operational restaurant that celebrates British design by featuring tableware and furniture created by 40 local designers. Collaborating with architecture studio Buckley Gray Yeoman and the Shoreditch Arts Club, furniture studio Six Dots Design has created a space that showcases the eclectic range of makers in the city. From chairs made in Peckham to tableware from the Peak District, this café offers visitors a unique dining experience that showcases the best of British design.
3. “The Spirit of Place” by Simone Brewster
Artist and designer Simone Brewster has teamed up with Amorim, the world’s largest cork producer, to create an installation that celebrates the potential of cork as a material. Inspired by her visit to the Amorim forests in Portugal, Brewster has designed five larger-than-life cork vases that explore the conditions necessary for the thriving of cork trees. This installation can be admired by taking a walk along the Strand, offering visitors a unique opportunity to experience the intersection of design, nature, and sustainability.
4. Modernist Properties Tour by Tokyobike
For architecture enthusiasts, the Modernist Properties Tour offers a unique opportunity to explore London’s modernist housing estates. Led by graphic designer and author Stefi Orazi, this bike tour takes participants through three neighborhoods – Camden, Islington, and the City of London – where they’ll see architectural masterpieces such as the Brunswick Center, Golden Lane estate, and the Barbican. Fitness coach Ed Conway also offers a 90-minute architectural running tour for those who prefer to explore on foot.
5. “Small Spaces in the City: Rethinking Inside the Box” Exhibition at Roca London Gallery
This exhibition at the Roca London Gallery explores the challenge of designing livable microspaces. Curated by Clare Farrow Studio, this exhibition features a short film by Candida Johnson, performance art by Richard Beckett, and various design concepts and solutions for small spaces. From dancing in a 22m2 dressing room to exploring the benefits of healthy bacteria in our living spaces, this exhibition offers unique insights into the world of microspaces.
6. Grand Passion Pianos Showroom
At the Grand Passion Pianos showroom in Fitzrovia, design and music come together in harmony. This year, the showroom unveils a bespoke grand piano by French-American designer Hilton McConnico, alongside other unique Pleyel designs. On September 18th, pianist Jonathan Ferrucci will perform a special recital on McConnico’s piano, accompanied by a digital artwork that simulates the operation of the instrument. This immersive experience promises to be a highlight of the festival for music and design enthusiasts alike.
In conclusion, the London Design Festival offers an incredible opportunity to experience the best of British design and creativity. From exhibitions that tell the story of British design heritage to installations that explore the potential of new materials, there’s something to inspire and captivate everyone. So mark your calendars, get ready to explore the city, and immerse yourself in the vibrant world of design during this year’s London Design Festival.
Summary:
Get ready to explore the best of London design at this year’s London Design Festival. With a wide range of events, exhibitions, and installations spread across the city, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. From exploring the history of British design at the Sadie Coles Gallery to dining in a café dedicated to local production, there are plenty of unique experiences to be had. Don’t miss the chance to see the incredible cork vases along the Strand, take a bike or running tour of modernist housing estates, and visit the exhibition at Roca London Gallery that explores the challenge of small spaces. Lastly, immerse yourself in the world of design and music at the Grand Passion Pianos showroom. The London Design Festival is a celebration of creativity and innovation, offering visitors a unique insight into the world of design. Don’t miss out on this exciting event!
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London is back in action every September with the London Design Festival, which this year takes place from 16th to 24th September. Founded in 2003 by Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans, the week-long celebration of the city’s designers, artists, makers and producers now spans 13 boroughs, with recent additions including Battersea and ‘Dalston to Stokey’. The expansion builds on the founders’ mission to showcase the many creative clusters in the capital. This year the program includes a celebration of cork along the Strand and an exhibition dedicated to the stylistic evolution of the grand piano. Here are six of the best things to see, do and walk around as design takes over the city.
1. Sunrise on this island
The Sadie Coles gallery in Mayfair presents a vision of the history of British design over the last four centuries, told through the stories of three thrones. They are the work of three different creators: Tom Dixon, Eduardo Paolozzi and an anonymous 17th century wood turner.
From the steel bars of Dixon to the hand-turned ash and fruitwood of Baroque design, the exhibition presents three visions of a symbol of dynastic authority and explores the material and cultural advances that shaped the identity of British design. A selection of found objects and artefacts, reminiscent of the treasures found in the antique shops of the main streets, accompany the triptych. Together they tell a story of the nation’s past. A guided tour by curator Simon Andrews will take place on 19 September. (Through September 24, Sadie Coles HQ)
2. The Localist Café
© Olena Oliinyk
Joseph Ellwood, of furniture studio Six Dots Design, has collaborated with architecture studio Buckley Gray Yeoman and the Shoreditch Arts Club to create The Localist Café, a fully operational restaurant featuring tableware and furniture by 40 British designers. With chairs made in Peckham, plates from Hackney, consoles and flexible steel chairs from Barnaby Lewis in Bermondsey and tableware from David Mellor Design in the Peak District, the cafe will support the city’s (and country’s) eclectic range of makers, demonstrating what either it could resemble a space truly dedicated to local production. The café will be open to all and items on display will be available for purchase through Six Dots. (21-23 September, Shoreditch Arts Club)
3. The spirit of place by Simone Brewster
A rendering of Simone Brewster’s large cork vases © Simone Brewster and Amorim
One of the most important projects of the design festival is the collaboration between artist and designer Simone Brewster and Amorim, the largest cork producer in the world. Brewster visited the Amorim forests on the Herdade de Rio Frio estate in Portugal and was inspired by cork’s potential as a material that could be used more widely in architecture. She decided to create sculptures that celebrate her possibilities. With her distinctive flair for the enormous (her portfolio is full of statement furniture and oversized objects), she designed an installation of five voluptuous cork vases reaching 2.5 meters high . Each shape is inspired by one of the conditions necessary for the tree to thrive, including upward space and biodiversity. They can be admired by taking a walk along the Strand. (16-24 September, Strand Aldwych)
4. Modernist Properties Tour
A Tokyobike tour of modernist housing estates © Yu Fujiwara
Graphic designer and author of London’s Walking Guides Stefi Orazi will lead a bike tour of the city’s modernist housing estates in conjunction with the festival, organized in collaboration with Japanese bicycle brand tokyobike. Participants will cross three London neighborhoods: Camden, Islington and the City of London, passing by architectural masterpieces such as the Brunswick Center in Bloomsbury, designed in the 1960s by Patrick Hodgkinson; Farringdon’s 1950s Golden Lane estate; and perhaps the city’s most ambitious and radical housing unit, the Barbican. If you don’t like cycling, you can go on foot. Fitness coach Ed Conway will lead a 90-minute architectural running tour starting in King’s Cross and ending in Bloomsbury – a route that will highlight mid-century and brutalist locations such as Weston Rise and Clerkenwell’s Spa Green Estate, this last designed by modernist architect Berthold Lubetkin. (Cycling Tour, 16 September, 10am-1pm, £25. Running Tour, 17 September, 10am-11.30am, £20)
5. Small spaces in the city: rethinking Inside the Box
A livable micro-space © Clare Farrow Studio
This exhibition at Roca London Gallery explores the challenge of small spaces from the perspective of both designer and user. How can designers make microspaces livable? Can small spaces be pleasant? Curated by Clare Farrow Studio, highlights include a short film by Candida Johnson featuring the Royal Ballet’s William Bracewell as she dances in her 22m2 dressing room and performance art by Richard Beckett, associate professor at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture. , who will spend several days in a gallery booth lined with forest floor microbes. The installation is part of his ongoing research into the benefits of reintroducing healthy bacteria into our living spaces. (Until 27 January 2024, Roca London Gallery)
6. Grand Passion pianos
An avant-garde 1926 Pleyel grand piano, off-black and burl
In Fitzrovia, design and music will reach a crescendo at the Grand Passion Pianos showroom, where a bespoke Pleyel grand piano by French-American designer Hilton McConnico will be unveiled, alongside other singular Pleyel designs, including a 19th-century model in rosewood and an avant-garde 1926 grand piano in off-black. On September 18th the famous pianist Jonathan Ferrucci will play a special recital on McConnico’s piano, one of the last pieces created by the author. He will perform his solo piece against the backdrop of a digital artwork designed to simulate the operation of his instrument. mind. (September 16-24, Grand Passion Piano Showroom)
Inès Cross is editorial assistant at HTSI magazine
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