With this year’s London Design Festival less than a month away, we pick of the best installations and exhibitions that will be taking place across the capital.
London Design Festival (LDF) is on from 17 to 25 September, with an extensive programme of over 400 events and installations that will be held across the city.
Here, we select our top picks for the week, including a giant curving “wooden smile” and a slab of marble sculpted to look like a pool of water:
Mathieu Lehanneur’s Liquid Marble installation at the V&A
French designer Mathieu Lehanneur will install the next piece from his Liquid Marble series in the V&A Museum’s Norfolk House Music room as part of its LDF exhibitions programme.
The piece follows on from his previous installation in the courtyard of a French chateau, and is made from a single piece of polished black marble that has been sculpted to convincingly resemble a rippling pool.
Bowie-themed Brixton Design Trail
The Brixton Design Trail is returning for a third year at LDF, with a theme that pays homage to musician, style icon and Brixton native David Bowie.
An eclectic line-up of over 40 events, including public art installations, a youth trail and workshops spread across the south London district.
Alison Brooks’ Smile installation
London-based architect Alison Brooks’ Smile installation aims to showcase the structural potential of cross-laminated timber (CLT), and will make use of American tulipwood to create a curved tunnel that rises off the ground.
The timber tube will only touch the floor at one point, and be open at either end. It will feature a series of perforations across its sides that allow natural light in during the day, and create a pattern of light spots when the structure is lit at night.
100% Norway at London Design Fair
The 100% Norway exhibition will focus on the tradition and heritage behind modern Norwegian design, and will feature work by 17 designers who were each challenged to create new products that engage with the country’s design history.
Some pieces – including furniture, homewares, lighting and ceramics – have been created in response to classic mid-century works, while others explore the properties and possibilities of typical Norwegian materials and techniques.
Benjamin Hubert’s Foil installation at the V&A
Benjamin Hubert, who recently unveiled a prototype for the world’s first 3D-printed consumer wheelchair, is working with electrical brand Braun to produce an installation based on the shape of the shaver foil found on the company’s razors.
The installation, titled Foil, will be a 20-metre-long undulating ribbon comprising 40,000 individual metallic elements.
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Dyslexic Design show at designjunction
Ten dyslexic designers from the worlds of illustration, homeware and fashion will be showing work at this year’s designjunction exhibition in London.
The Dyslexic Design show aims to explore the connections between the condition and creativity, focusing on combating the stigma surrounding dyslexia and challenging perceptions of it as a disability.
Ready Made Go at Ace Hotel
Following the success of its LDF exhibition last year, Ace Hotel has partnered with Modern Design Review to present a new collection of products and events by designers including Studio Toogood, Jochen Holz, Silo Studio and Assemble Studio.
Rather than being displayed on plinths, this year’s specially commissioned objects will be installed around the Shoreditch hotel for guests and visitors to use.
Raw Color at The Aram Gallery
The Aram Gallery will present Blend, a solo exhibition by Eindhoven-based interdisciplinary design studio Raw Color relating to its research in colour.
Pieces on show will include a trio of paper-shredders that act in response to visitors’ movements, a group of fans with coloured blades choreographed to show how colour can be blended by motion, and a collection of towels and blankets.
London Design Biennale
The inaugural London Design Bienniale will open to the public on 7 September, 10 days before LDF begins. Exhibitions and installations from international participants will take over Somerset House, and will each be based on the theme of Utopia by Design.
The idea behind the event is to create a major international survey of the state of design, following the model of the biannual art and architecture events in Venice. While the Venice biennales run for three months, the London version will be open for just three weeks.
Glithero’s Green Room installation at the V&A
London-based design duo Glithero is partnering with luxury watch maker Panerai to create a time-based installation emulating the circular motion of the arms of a clock. The pair will use veils of colourful strings that are lifted and dropped in a series of slow, choreographed movements controlled by a motorised arm.
Glithero’s Green Room installation will take over Stairwell G, a little-known area of the museum that boasts large round windows and a dramatic high ceiling.