camille walala returns to london design festival in a characteristically colorful manner. the french-born designer has been commissioned by grosvenor britain & ireland to energize and enliven south molton street, in the heart of london’s west end, with a bold and beautiful family of street furniture.
combining head-turning color and geometric shapes in monumental proportions, the result is walala lounge, a set of 10 sculptural benches, accompanied by planters – some freestanding and some integrated into the structure of the benches – and a series of oversized flags that will be strung, bunting-style, from shopfront to shopfront, converting the area into an immersive corridor of color.
fully pedestrianized and lined with british and international boutiques and cafes, south molton street will be transformed into a place to pause.
walala’s vision is to create an open-air urban living room – a place for people to come together to chat and relax in central london – with a burst of color and irrepressible joy. the walala lounge will comprise an unpredictable array of cuboids, cylinders and arches made from brushed steel and tricoya® mdf, while a number of the designs incorporate planters and rug-like bases to enhance their engaging, home-like appeal.
as 3d sculptural objects, the benches and flags mark walala’s continuing evolution from two to three dimensions – a process which began in 2017 when she created villa walala in exchange square, broadgate as a landmark project for the festival, that took the form of a playful castle installation constructed from soft vinyl building blocks.
supported by grosvenor britain & ireland and city of london.
14-22 september 2019
location:
south molton street
london
w1k 5qe
tube > bond
#ldf19 #walalalounge
life labyrinth – designed by patternity – brings to life the healing powers of one of the most ancient geometric symbols on earth.
based on a giant three-dimensional spiraling labyrinth formation, life labyrinth is a pattern-based journey that takes visitors on a personal meditative walking experience that is proven to have both psychological and physical health benefits: harmonizing body, mind and spirit.
patternity’s bold monochrome style reflects the brickwork of westminster cathedral and the communal seating pays homage to the geometries of the cathedral’s architecture.
surrounded with plants, graphic shapes and gentle sounds, the space is a destination for creative contemplation, reconnection and positive intention amidst the hustle and bustle of london life.
guidelines for walking the life labyrinth feel free to walk the labyrinth alone or with others. notice the sky. feel the support of the earth beneath you. listen to the sounds. there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. all paths lead to the centre. most of all, pay attention to your experience.
1. intention + connection
connect with your breath, be here now. call to mind a positive intention – for yourself, others, or for the planet as a whole.
2. trust+experience
surrender to the spiraling path. walk purposefully as you meditate on your intention. feel it in your body.
3. reflect + celebrate
take a moment of gratitude. imagine your intention rippling to life. celebrate yourself for walking the life labyrinth.
supported by victoria and victoria westminster business improvement district.
further support by materialise creative design and tarkett.
tube > victoria
#LDF19 #LifeLabyrinth
designer dan tobin smith and creative studio the experience machine, in partnership with gemfields, present void; a multi-sensory spatial installation at collins music hall, islington.
visitors will become part of an immersive experience, traveling through a series of large-scale projections that showcase the expanded space inside gemstones and map the blurring boundaries between nature and design.
a selection of mozambican rubies and zambian emeralds from gemfields’ mines, which date back millions of years, are brought to life through photography of tiny microcosms magnified to become abstract, galaxy-like structures accompanied by other semi-precious gems created in rare geological processes, these unique mineral formations are discovered, suspended and frozen in time.
the installation considers the concept of containment and scale, employing spatial design to explore the natural borders formed within these unique mineral formations.
by translating moving image into a contained physical form and scoring the experience with harmonized layers of the human voice – by female electronic drone choir nyx – visitors are invited to enter within the portrait of a gemstone’s natural inclusion.
special events:
sunday 15 september, 16:00-17:00 [ details ]
live performance by nyx
£5 – ticketed event. please click link to purchase.
tuesday 17 september, 11:00-11:45 [ details ]
masterclass with renowned gemmologist and jewellery specialist joanna hardy and designer dan tobin smith
free – ticketed event. please click link to reserve your space.
tuesday 17 september, 19:30-20:15 [ details ]
masterclass with renowned gemmologist and jewelery specialist joanna hardy and designer dan tobin smith
free – ticketed event. please click link to reserve your space.
wednesday 18 september, 19:00-20:00 [ details ]
live performance by nyx
£5 -ticketed event. please click link to purchase.
supported by gemfields.
tube > angel | essex road
#LDF19 #VOIDWITHIN
sir john sorrell, chairman of london design festival, invited leaders of london’s cultural institutions to collaborate with some of the world’s most prolific designers to create a ‘legacy’ piece of design – an object of personal or professional relevance to them.
each of the pieces – 10 in total – are beautifully crafted in american red oak, an exciting and sustainable hardwood species that grows abundantly in american forests, and will be fabricated at benchmark furniture in berkshire. nine of the pieces will be presented as a group exhibition at the v&a, after which they will relocate to the homes or institutions of each of the commissioners. the 10th piece, the nest, will be installed at the natural history museum.
“we called upon cultural leaders in london and asked if they would like to contribute to this thought-provoking project,” says sorrell. “we then invited some of the world’s top designers and were delighted when everybody immediately said yes.”
“ahec (american hardwood export council) is always pushing the boundaries for american hardwoods and we wanted to create a project that celebrates the use of red oak to demonstrate not just how beautiful it is for furniture making, but also to test the performance and quality of this abundant wood,” says david venables, european director of ahec. “it’s a fabulous project with incredible designers. we can’t wait to see what emerges from these unique collaborations.”
the 10 commissioners and designers are;
alex beard cbe chief executive, royal opera house, with terence woodgate
amanda nevill cbe ceo, british film institute, with sebastian cox
hans ulrich obrist artistic director, serpentine galleries, with nina tolstrup and jack mama, studiomama
sir ian blatchford director and chief executive, science museum group, with marlène huissoud
iwona blazwick obe director, whitechapel gallery, with yael mer and shay alkalay, raw edges
sir john sorrell cbe chairman, london design festival, with juliet quintero, dallas-pierce-quintero
kwame kwei-armah obe artistic director, young vic, with tomoko azumi
dr maria balshaw cbe director, tate, with max lamb
tamara rojo cbe artistic director, english national ballet, with martino gamper
dr tristram hunt director, v&a, with jasper morrison
supported by american hardwood export council.
tube > south kensington
#LDF19 #LEGACY
fenton house, a 17th-century merchant home in hampstead, offers people a fascinating insight into history and heritage, but it’s probably not the first place you’d have looked for cutting-edge contemporary design.
commissioned by the national trust, gitta gschwendtner has invited 5 fellow designers to create seating in response to 17th century fenton house in hampstead.
gitta gschwendtner, carl clerkin, frith kerr, maisie broadhead, michael marriott and nina tolstrup invite you to slow down, sit down and look again in this exciting collision of old and new.
also a special happening, on the 17th september gitta, nina, michael and carl invite you to please sit at fenton house as they discuss their designs and perspectives. a chance to meet the designers and explore the house and garden in the evening light, over a glass of wine. tuesday 17th september 6pm-8pm. £12 (includes a glass of wine). booking essential
please sit runs from 12th september 2019 to spring 2020.
14-15 & 18-22 september 2019
wed-sun 11am-5pm
hampstead grove
hampstead
nw3 6sp
tube > hampstead
iri-descent by liz west is a suspended arrangement of 150 skeleton-framework cubes located in the atrium of the historic fortnum & mason store in piccadilly.
clad with dichromatic film in two differing colorways, the cubes appear to change color as visitors move around the atrium and between the floors above and below. There are two color variations interlaced throughout – warm and cool – offering a multi-colored range of hues. the highly reflective film also mirrors its surrounds and transmits complementary colors outwards.
iri-descent forms part of an ongoing series of spatial light works, based on research into color theory and light fields, that aim to transform architectural spaces and public environments.
west works across a variety of media, mixing luminous color and radiant light in a provocation of sensory reactions. with iri-descent, she aims to encourage visitors to engage with the space in a new way, and to examine their own personal relationship to color and light. fortnum’s heritage and iconic landmark location provided the inspiration for the installation.
west said: “i am delighted to have been invited to work with london design festival in the atrium of fortnum & mason. it is a particularly joyful commission to work on due to the passion, knowledge and commitment of everyone involved. i have thoroughly enjoyed conceiving this and finding delicious materials to ignite the work and people’s imaginations and perceptions.”
zia zareem-slade, customer experience director, fortnum & mason said, “fortnum & mason is no mere shop, but is an immersive destination, sensorial experience, and place of wonder and joy. throughout every floor there is a visual feast and an explosion of color – and so with that in mind, we’re delighted to be teaming up again with london design festival and liz west to present ‘iri-descent’. a piece that creates curiosity, captures joy and plays with light and sparkle in such a beautiful way, we’re excited to see in our atrium and to share it with our customers”.
supported by fortnum & mason.
14 – 22 sept
monday-saturday 10am–9pm, sunday 11.30am–6pm
fortnum & mason
181 piccadilly
w1a 1er
tube > piccadilly circus station | green park station
#LDF19 | #IriDescent
bamboo (竹) ring, or ‘take-wa 竹わ’, is an experiment in the concept of weaving, as explored by kengo kuma.
japanese architect kuma (founder of kengo kuma & associates) has most recently designed the v&a dundee, his first building in the uk, as well as the new national stadium for the tokyo 2020 olympics along with taisei corporation and azusa sekkei.
inspired by the john madejski garden and curated by clare farrow, the doughnut-shaped structure – like a nest or cocoon – has been created by weaving rings of bamboo and carbon fibre together. for kuma, working with ejiri structural engineers and the kengo kuma laboratory at the university of tokyo, the installation is an exploration of pliancy, precision, lightness and strength: by pulling two ends, it naturally de-forms and half of the woven structure is lifted into the air.
bamboo has been used traditionally in japanese architecture in part due to its linearity and flexibility, and as a symbol of strength and rapid growth. the basic component of the structure – a 2m-diameter ring – is made from strips of the bamboo phyllostachys edulis. by combining carbon fibre, a contemporary material, with the traditional material of bamboo and laminating each ring, the resulting effect achieves a certain rigidity while maintaining the unique material properties and beauty of bamboo – a remarkable, sustainable material that resonates with kuma’s childhood memories and looks into the future of architecture.
bamboo (竹) ring, or ‘take-wa 竹わ’, is intended to be a catalyst for weaving people and place together.
tube > south kensington
#LDF19 #BambooRing
sam jacob is designing a new installation within the grand entrance to the v&a to highlight the need to rethink the global plastics system; to consider its full lifetime journey; and to design future-use into every product.
the installation for london design festival follows the recent announcement that sam jacob studio has been selected to transform the cromwell road entrance.
titled sea things, the concept will take the form of a large scale two-way mirrored cube suspended above visitors with an animated motion graphic internally reflected to an infinity that seems both as wide as the ocean and as large as the challenges we face. the project has an aim to evoke a powerful sense of emotion, so visitors come away feeling empowered with a better understanding of their role alongside technology and design to make the world a more sustainable place.
upon entering the space, the installation – which is both a digital and physical manifestation of the global single-use plastics crisis – has an intention to immediately impact visitors.
in addition, jacob has taken inspiration from the v&a’s ceramic galleries and will remake a selection of water vessels from the v&a’s collection. from recycling to experimental post plastic materials, the intervention will emphasize issues of value – the design of water vessels in global culture and history, along with the value of plastic itself – whilst demonstrating the potentials and opportunities for the future.
sam jacob says, “it’s fantastic to be able to work on such an urgent issue and to be able to draw both on the knowledge of the v&a and the global intelligence of sap. working between research on the immediate future but with roots in culture and history of design is an inspiring place for a designer to operate.”
the project aligns with sap’s ‘plastic cloud’ project, which leverages the power of technology to turn the tide on ocean plastics. the software giant is working with global partners to create the digital infrastructure that will improve the economics of the global plastics system and increase after-use value of plastics.
tube > south kensington
#ldf19 #seathings #samjacob
for the london design festival 2019, renowned british designer lee broom presents a brand new installation entitled kaleidoscopia, an experiential showcase that plays with kaleidoscopic impressions.
kaleidoscopia will be unveiled on 17th september at the shoreditch showroom, and in signature lee broom style uses visual illusion to create an intimate exhibition with maximum impact. visitors will be invited into an enclosed space to discover lighting products within a highly reflective environment, forming a sequence of multiple images and mesmerizing optical illusions. only when inside kaleidoscopia will visitors experience the full transformative visual impact of the installation, inspired by the interior of a kaleidoscope.
the show incorporates an installation of lee broom’s acclaimed orion lights. hung both horizontally and vertically, the installation highlights the versatility of the product which allows the end user to create bespoke constellations of light with infinite adaptations. with its endless illumination and hypnotic soundtrack, the kaleidoscopia experience will take viewers on an enthralling journey of altered perspectives.
lee broom commented:
“i am always inspired by new and innovative ways in which i can present our products every year during design week and london as a city has always been incredibly open to innovation and creativity. that’s why i’m always excited to present something new during the london design festival.”
press launch:
tuesday 17 september, 9am-4pm
exhibition opening times:
17-22 september 2019
tuesday-friday 10am-7pm, sat 10am-6pm, sun 11am-5pm
tube > old street / shoreditch high street
#ldf19 #leebroom #kaleidoscopia
located in the creative heart of east london, the london design fair is a four-day event that brings together 550 exhibitors from 40 countries, including; independent designers, established brands, international country pavilions, features and exhibitions.
as the most international trade destination during the annual london design festival over 29,000 influential; retail buyers, architects, interior designers, press, designers and design-savvy public attend to see and specify the very latest; furniture, lighting, textiles, materials and conceptual installations from around the world.
date = 19-22sept
tube > liverpool street / shoreditch high street
