london design biennale – DesignApplause

designjunction. london design festival 2018.

Sep 13, 2018

now in its eighth year, critically-acclaimed designjunction – which attracted 28,000 visitors in 2017 – is
set to transport to the cultural hub of london’s south bank with a stellar line-up of leading international
brands.

launched in 2011 by a team of design industry experts, designjunction connects the world’s most
renowned design brands, with the world’s leading architects, interior designers, specifiers and buyers.

designjunction has firmly established its reputation for transforming some of the most exciting and
ambitious locations in london into premier design destinations. in 2018, designjunction will transport to
the iconic and cultural south bank, which attracts 25 million visitors each year. surrounded by iconic
architecture, designjunction will expand over three sites; doon street site, oxo tower wharf and
riverside walkway, all of which are owned and managed by coin street community builders.
the doon street site will house 200 international design brands and premium pop-up shops. this
purpose built super-structure will be the largest and most ambitious build designjunction has ever
undertaken presenting furniture, accessories, lighting and homewares in dedicated zones across two
floors. the riverside walkway will showcase a series of outdoor installation projects, whilst oxo tower
wharf will host major brand activations, exhibitions and experiential events.

designjunction will showcase a stellar line-up of brands in 2018, including leading international names
such as erik joergensen, new tendency, northern, gemla, james burleigh, norr11, vitra, icons of
denmark and lsa alongside emerging designers emma cerasulo, studio anansi, woven form, ystudio
and alex orso.

[ designjunction ]

designjunction is a curated exhibition of cutting-edge design. set across three exciting venues on the south bank, expect to discover 200 international brands and boutique shops, hundreds of product launches, outdoor installations, major brand activations as well as delicious pop-up eateries and bars.

launched in 2011 by a team of industry experts, designjunction connects the world’s most renowned design brands with some of the world’s leading architects, interior designers, specifiers and buyers.

since its inception, designjunction has continued to break the mould of the traditional trade show presenting brands in raw industrial locations.
designjunction is more than just a trade show, it’s a unique visitor experience offering a wide range of high-class eateries, design led pop-up shops, installations and other interactive features that strikes the balance between creative and commercial.

turkey’s contribution to the 1st london design biennale.

Sep 7, 2016

organized by the istanbul foundation for culture and arts (i̇ksv), turkey’s contribution to the 1st london design biennale presents ‘the wish machine,’ a project undertaken by the istanbul-based multidisciplinary design studio, autoban. the inaugural london design biennale (7-27 september 2016) features projects from over thirty countries, which were called to respond to the theme of ‘utopia by design’.

the wish machine’ project takes direct inspiration from the ‘wish-tree,’ a cultural tradition deeply rooted in the ancient anatolian faith and found in ancient greek, kabala and persian believes. it operates on a simple mechanism that involves affixing a note or a memento to a branch of a tree as an act of hope born out of hopelessness. ‘the wish machine’ takes this multi-cultural tradition as the key insight into how design and utopia can cooperate.

cadavre exquis: an anatomy of utopia. london design biennale.

Sep 1, 2016

this september, london will host the city’s first design biennale. among these exhibits, culture.pl will showcase a unique and imaginative concept conceived and curated by maria jeglinska and klara czerniewska for the polish pavilion.

created especially for the biennale, jeglinska and czerniewska’s installation questions how the 21st century creates space for new utopias as it reflects on the numerous crises and failures of modernist social, political and urban projects from the previous century. borrowing from the form of the surrealist word association game, the exquisite corpse, it invites the viewer to act as a co-creator of a proposed narrative. by assuming the role of the wanderer, visitors will face the choice between their own path towards an idyllic utopia or a disturbing dystopia. whether their vision will be positive or negative will be up to them. the journey examines questions relevant to the current era and the collective search for a new utopia. does the age of diversity allow space for idealist uniformity and totality? how can utopia be designed? is it possible to devise an algorithm to generate a utopian future? come explore and see where the cadavre exquis leads you.

the exhibit will be open at somerset house from the 7th – 27th of september.

porky hefer at london design biennale.

Sep 1, 2016

southern guild brings porky hefer’s solo show, otium and acedia, to represent south africa at the inaugural london design biennale at somerset house, london. focusing on the theme of ‘utopia’, porky hefer’s suspended creatures welcome you to experience leisure, fear and luxury all in one.