London Design Festival 2024: The Highlights
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3 weeks ago
What to see before LDF ends on 22 September
New materials, an eye catching commission, eco sensibilities, talks, art and more signify the 2024 edition of London Design Festival, says Wendyrosie Scott.
What To Watch Out For At London Design Festival 2024
London Design Festival annually brings a world of innovation to London and makes me feel like a kid in a sweet shop. Catering to all tastes and like the finest confectioner, it offers delectable delights and opportunities to indulge and discover the new and shiny. Yet with plenty to feast on, there is a more serious note to its sweetness, which ncreasingly incorporates the urgent need for greater emphasis upon balancing environmentalism with aestheticism and functionalism. Here are some highights of London Design Festival 2024.
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‘The Sun My Heart’ By Marjan van Aubel At Somerset House
Marjan van Aubel Studio, a pioneer in solar design, has creatively explored integrating solar technology into everyday life, with pioneering results. Her previous award-winning projects have demonstrated solar energy’s potential to be both functional and aesthetically compelling. Through this installation, van Aubel aims to create an emotional catalyst for change. The effect is immediate and emotional, and there is a profound connection which unexpectedly goes straight to the heart as the apt title suggests.
Inspired by their design studio’s innovative ‘Sunne’ solar lights, specially modified lighting creates a profound sensory and emotional connection to this celestial body. The installation features a mesmerising constellation of 77 suspended lights that chart the sun’s daily cycles, from the gentle hues of sunrise to the warm glow of sunset and a soundscape based on NASA’s recordings of the sun. The immersive experience invites visitors to use a touchpad which triggers a sensor.
Combining art, design and technology, this is surely the future for positive, interactive, well-being. The audio experience is designed to trigger theta brain waves, associated with deep relaxation and meditation, and mirrors the time it takes sunlight to reach the Earth. Waves are produced by our brain cells at rest, creating a contemplative state ideal for reflection on our solar connection. It’s a must-see at London Design Festival 2024. somersethouse.org.uk
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Kartell & Liberty At Brompton Rd
‘The Garden Of Endless Design’ is the concept behind the latest botanical-infused Kartell collection in collaboration with Liberty. Each brand is an established powerhouse but together they compose a contemporary floral symphony. Not stopping at this successful unison, geometry is brought (ahem) into the equation with the recent celebratory Liberty fabric collection, an ultramodern variant of its prints, then complemented by Kartell’s innovative and new high-tech industrial printing process called ‘graphic impression.’ The super cool plastic chairs and sofas are courtesy of their collaboration with designers Piero Lissoni and Philippe Starck. A selection of new Liberty fabrics specially created for outdoor use re-crown Starck’s regal Cara armchair.
As part of the Kartell store installation, a quietly magnificent dried flower arrangement cleverly draws you to the store with its joyfulness. Combining furniture with florals is being placed at the forefront of design; gone is its association with musty, dusty and heavy Victoriana, or visions of elderly ladies living in country cottages seeing out their last days on dark threadbare floral sofas (although what’s so wrong with that?) This is contemporary design with a capital C, and a firm eye on the future. Mary-Ann Bartlett Dunkley, Design Director at Liberty, states: ‘When designing the collection, we envisioned an organic meeting of furniture and lush foliage, growing in unison to form a flourishing garden of vibrant colour. Intricate, hand-drawn motifs combine with the striking, structural elements of Kartell’s designs to seamlessly unite design and the decorative arts.’ kartell.com | londondesignfestival.com
‘Making Room’, A Workshop By Andu Masebo & Mikey Krzyzanowski
I happened upon this showroom when a wondrously shaped and welcoming chair in the window beckoned me in. After chatting with its designer, Andu, any brands looking to mass manufacture this chair would be wise to invite this talented and informed creative. He is already heralded and celebrated, but is surely destined for stellar success, and whose sweet charm is evident in his design. This functional and beautiful furniture, in essence, brings a serenity to its crafted simplicity. He and the welcoming team, including project collaborator Mikey Kryzyzanowski, have free classes and workshops here where, as the week unfolds, the space will find its form… londondesignfestival.com
Festival Commission: Fortnum and Mason X Jaime Hayon
Fortnum and Mason windows consistently light up London with their wit and whimsy, art and creativity, and they encapsulate with quality, flair and the ever-evolving notion that is ‘tradition’. This closely aligns with ceramicist and round-artistic polymath Jaime Hayon, whose delightful designs also cleverly combine craftsmanship, inventiveness and luxuriousness. For both parties, there is a legacy of heritage and creativity which proudly pays homage to opulence, history and luxury and where each mine from an esteemed past to push forward into the future. There is an expectation that Fortnum and Mason will present high-luxe innovation, and Hayon embraces this notion in his inimitably playful manner and delivers a substantial window installation commission.
The presentation charts and celebrates the myriad works he and his studio have produced over its significant 25-year evolution. It is a jubilant display, and like all the greatest anthropologists (for that’s what Hayon has become) is influenced by the creatures and people, tales and cultures experienced. It is a modern creative rendering of human and non-human silhouettes in motion, odd shapes and vibrant hues across varied artistic mediums. It is cunningly depicted as though charting the evolution of humankind, represented in art form, across a series of windows, as though taken from an illustration of an old anthropological text. (Having trained in art and anthropology, it resonates).
Renowned as a luxury retailer and British institution, it is Fortnum and Mason’s most ambitious collaboration and is a resounding success. Self mockingly titled ‘Celebration I’ by the artist, a mix of mediums and materials including bronze, crystal and wood sees Hayon blending naivete, folklore, play and Primitivism, with a distinctly grounded quality symbolic of his work. Listening to the artist describe his longevity and success, inevitably there are a few indulgent pieces. And why not? Hayon’s awareness and business savvy, combined with Fortnum and Mason’s financial support, have enabled a collection which revels in the joy that comes from exploring new cultures and the conversations that emergefrom this, in addition to studio work experimentation. Costly materials and size aside, it’s the smaller pieces which are particularly impactful, such as ‘The Listener’, a poignant sculpture that captures the essence of mindful listening. The figure’s closed eyes and forward-facing ears emphasize the act of hearing with intention, highlighting the importance of absorbing words and sounds without preconceived judgment. And Smilo, a Naive style wooden carving based upon the principles and contemporaneity of Primitivism in art, while created, as Hayon implied, to act as a talisman, reminding his workers that happiness (especially on a bad day at work!) is the most important thing.
Hayon reflects, ‘Rather than overthinking, I allow my instinct to form a direct connection between my feelings and my art.’ This surely enables authenticity. Though jubilant about Fortnum and Mason’s tribute, both parties know that to be ‘an artist’ can be an economic strain. However, each is no stranger to ‘the power of the purse’ in producing work of a certain standard. Thankfully, this pays off. londondesignfestival.com
VERT By Stefan Diez
Vert is a three-way collaboration between the revered Stefan Diez’s industrial design studio, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), and climate-farming specialists, OMCºC.
A monumental wooden installation at the Chelsea College of Art grounds, the modular structure and fabric nets in the piece support 20 species of climbing plants while addressing the impact of urban heat islands in cities. By working on an architectural scale to find solutions to cool our cities in the age of immense climate change, such a compact urban intervention can have evident qualitative and quantitative social and environmental impacts. Currently in its most basic form aesthetically, like many things, a ‘slow-grow’ is worth the wait.
The structure consists of a series of timber triangles holding suspended biodegradable nets. Once the plants were in place and growing, the framework would act to train the horticultural climbers rooted in textile planters at the base of each net skyward. It resultsin a green and pleasant place to sit, meet, rest and reflect. Crucially, it is also projected to cool the surrounding airspace by 8°c, casting four times more shade than a 20-year-old tree, and produce as much biomass as an 80-year-old lime tree. Built from sustainable materials, its aestheticism and tangible environmental benefits represent a transformative approach to urban development using simple design concepts and are constructed from engineered hardwood in red oak glulam. The triangular shape is fundamental to the structure’s performance, allowing for a robust construction that uses minimal materials while being capable of resisting wind from all angles and absorbing the weight of the plants. Its benefits speaks to everyone – as does its welcoming properties,which are very welcome in London! londondesignfestival.com
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Tai Ping Carpets
Tai Ping’s ‘Biophilic Series for Studio’ presents a series of natural colours, raw materials and soothing, patterned rugs. The organic fibres, backing and latex in these un-dyed objects were chosen to minimise their impact on the environment. The collection comprises 16 rugs which draw on organic style forms and landscapes rendered in design. Plus, craftsman Sebastian Cox has added site-specific bespoke wooden installations at the Fulham Road store.
Biophilia is an ever-evolving concept whose central focus is on the profoundly positive impact on people that the natural world plays, symbolosing this via various forms in design, from plants to architectural shapes. Crucially, it also considers and respects all the forms of ‘nature’ within this ecology.
In keeping with its long history of ethical design, Tai Ping’s ‘Biophilic Program’ sees 16 environmentally-conscious carpets. The sustainable compositions bloom and warp as they mimic organic forms from the natural world. An increasingly popular movement in design, biophilia recognises the innate human desire to be surrounded by nature. Raw, natural fibres remain un-dyed, cutting out a major water-consuming element of the manufacturing process and simultaneously creating a serene and distinctive palette of colours. The couture collection takes inspiration from the natural Japanese tie dye technique of Shibori, which creates an inky impression. A variety of shades and ‘natural’ materials including wool, cashmere, silk, jute and flax, result in intricate and elegant designs.
The Global Design Forum
London Design Festival has grown to become a respected source of information and creation. The Talks series brings the best thinkers, practitioners and journalists who present discussions on areas you may previously never contemplated. Go and listen, and use the opportunity to ask questions. This is your festival.
The annual and insightful entity that is the Global Design Forum will be back at the V&A from 14 – 19 September 2024. The programme for 2024 will spotlight the multifarious challenges designers currently face. Daily themes will include Please Design Responsibly; The Healthy City; Resilience and Repair and More than Human.
Over 60 speakers from across the global design and creative community will share new perspectives on how design can be more accessible, inclusive sustainable and at the forefront of change. GDF is free to attend but booking is essential.
This year GDF is partnering with Johnnie Walker Blue Label, VELUX and Türkiye Design Council. londondesignfestival.com
The Final Word
Ultimately, London Design Festival serves as a global platform which gathers the world’s most cutting-edge creatives, designers, thinkers and practitioners from different disciplines to champion groundbreaking notions and address pressing global challenges. It touches on climate change and (the ever-evolving concept of ‘sustainability’) to social inequality, activism, technological disruption and advancement. The event presents solutions to shape a better future and spotlight design’s ability to be the catalyst for change.
London Design Festival 2024 is taking place across London until Sunday 22 September. londondesignfestival.com
