to mark its 20th anniversary mint presents trans-form, an exciting collection of over 60 material-forward designers focusing on altering the state of matter through the design process. this year’s show is curated by lina kanafani’s.
along with the brompton design district bdd mint is focusing on material consequences by zooming in on the transformative power of materials and methods that will re-think our relationship with objects.taking sustainability and functionality a step further and showing how designers of today are altering the state of matter through the design process.
mint is an interior design store based in london offering exclusive works by internationally renowned designers and emerging talents.
london design festival is collaborating with 14-18 now, the uk’s arts programm for the first world war centenary – on a commissioned project inspired by the first world war concept of dazzle.
the creative studio at the v&a is being “dazzled” throughout the nine days of london design festival by design studio pentagram in a commissioned project inspired by a type of experimental camouflage used during the first world war.
the idea of “dazzle”, a camouflage painted on to the surface of ships, was pioneered by british artist norman wilkinson, who prepared numerous designs for vessels, including us merchant ships, targeted by enemy u-boats. drawing on avant- garde artistic movements such as cubism and vorticism, as well as animal camouflage, these bewildering shapes and angles were designed to confuse the enemy as they struggled to make out the dazzle ships against shifting waves and clouds.
pentagram’s approach was to re-interpret the construction of dazzle camouflage from a purely graphic origin into a typographic exploration. using the wilfrid wilson gibson poem “suspense” as its source, pentagram’s design abstracts the letterforms and words into an immersive experience by placing the visitor inside the dazzle room.
dazzle is the culmination of the dazzle ship series co-commissioned by 14-18 now, the
uk’s arts programme for the first world war centenary, and liverpool biennial. “since 2014 we have launched five hugely popular dazzle ships, in liverpool, london, edinburgh and this year a dazzled fire boat in new york,” says jenny waldman, director of 14-18 now. “we are thrilled to be working with london design festival and pentagram to give audiences the chance to reflect on a crucial moment when art and design contributed to saving lives in the first world war.”
dazzle is part of the dazzle ship series co-commissioned by 14-18 now and liverpool biennial.
supported by bloomberg philanthropies.
14-18 now is supported by the national lottery through arts council england and the heritage lottery fund, and from the department for digital, culture, media and sport.
bloomberg philanthropies
bloomberg philanthropies works in over 120 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. the organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: arts, education, environment, government innovation, and public health. bloomberg philanthropies encompasses all of michael r. bloomberg’s charitable activities, including his foundation and his personal giving. in 2017, bloomberg philanthropies distributed $702 million.
during this year’s ldf, skandium will transform its four-storey townhouse in south kensington into a scandinavian eco home, populated exclusively with scandinavian design products with a level of ethical commitment. skandium has invited montana and skagerak to implement the transformation.
an ever-increasing number of people are looking to minimize environmental impact when decorating their homes, turning to sustainable technology, and interior and architectural innovation. thus, skandium aims not just to curate a collection of responsible design, but to demonstrate that it can be a vibrant, beautiful, and liveable solution to interior design.
to that effect, montana has enlisted architect helena laursen, recipient of the frame award milan, to design two of the floors in their signature bold, captivating colour palette. whilst skagerak will transform the basement and garden using their collection of fsc-certified furniture designed by a contingent of 30 international designers and collaborators.
all floors will be finished with furniture, lighting and accessories from skandium’s catalogue, and each piece accompanied with their individual story of sustainability.
on thursday 20th september, joakim lassen, ceo of montana, and jesper panduro, ceo of skagerak, along with a panel of experts will be discussing sustainability and responsibility in furniture design, and enlightening guests on the scandinavian ethos of sustainable living.
skandium is a british company founded in 1999 by three passionate scandinavians: christopher seidenfaden, christina schmidt and magnus englund. opening its doors on the 15th september 1999 at 72 wigmore street, london, skandium has since grown to be one of the leading retailers of scandinavian design in the world, offering a highly edited selection of design pieces, homeware and gifts and is the go-to place for discovering the latest scandinavian talent. skandium will now have three london flagship stores, a recently relaunched webshop, and operates the republic of fritz hansen store in fitzrovia.
the exhibition illustrates the breadth of work and scale of achievement of each of the four winners across the categories of london design, design innovation, emerging design and lifetime achievement.
visitors are invited to room 55, clore study area to explore each designer’s work, in an exhibition curated and designed by okolo.
this year’s exhibition, inspired by the idea of a card house, will guide visitors through texts, images, illustrations, prototypes, materials and objects, narrating the creative story of each designer. designers will be presented not just as creative individuals, but in the context of their creative world, understanding their signature styles, and exploring the influences behind their work.
the 2018 medal winners
panerai london design medal: hussein chalayan
lifetime achievement medal supported by fortnum & mason: eva jiricna
design innovation medal supported by sap: neri oxman
emerging design medal supported by storey: grace wales bonner
london design festival celebrates and promotes london as the design capital of the world and as the gateway to the international creative community. the festival returns to venues and institutions across the city from 15-23 september 2018.
London Design Festival stages five major trade shows, known as Design Destinations. These are the commercial pillars of the Festival and are key meeting places for designers, manufacturers, buyers, specifiers, the media and design enthusiasts to discover new product releases and identify current trends. The design destinations are: 100% design, decorex, designjunction, focus 18, and london design fair #LDF18
flooring creatives, bolon will launch nature-inspired collection, elements, in an exhibition showcasing the company’s commitment to sustainability. the range reflects the textures of the natural environment and is inspired by materials such as linen, oak, ask, cork, birch and marble. the exhibition will highlight bolon’s two new sustainable initiatives, closing the circle and cradle to cradle with noglue®, and reflect on its history of environmental consciousness which started when its founder, nils-erik eklund began making woven rugs from vinyl waste sourced from a stockholm factory in 1949.
during london design festival 2018, spatial laboratory loop.ph will animate the design museum atrium with a spectacular installation titled mind pilot. the interactive installation will allow you to pilot a helium filled airship through the power of your mind.
mind pilot will encourage the idea of an inclusive future where people with varying physical abilities can use technology such as mind power to experience and operate flight.
the lightweight, airship will be operated and able to fly in multiple directions within a tethered framework. the pilot wears a virtual reality headset that stimulates the sense of being in flight, and a device that measures brain waves and sends signals that navigate the balloon through the space.
if you’d like to pilot the airship, free tickets are available on a first come, first served basis at the booth on the mezzanine.
mind pilot designed by loop.ph and commissioned by ameena m. mcconnell, curator at large of the design museum with support from arts council england’s change makers fund.
a collaboration with liaigre, rainforest is an immersive installation arranged as a large mobile playing with shadows and the soothing sounds of porcelain. inspired by nature, it highlights a link between the finest materials such as wood and ceramic and the interior architecture house.
made of thousand ceramic pieces, valeria nascimento’s creation takes the viewer on a journey through different flora and peaceful scenery.
liaigre is a french design house designing and creating interior spaces and furniture for over 30 years; it is known for its simplicity, quality, balance and beauty. representative of french taste as well as embodying a restrained style, liaigre is founded on exceptional know-how in keeping with the lineage of cabinet makers and decorators of the 18th century or the modernists of the 30ies. its individuality is asserted not only in its interior architecture and decoration but also in the design of its furniture collections – comprising 400 pieces accessible in 30 showrooms across europe, usa and asia.
to mark paddington central’s first year as a design route at the london design festival, british land is celebrating the arrival of the innovative and thought-provoking snøhetta book pavilion.
snøhetta are a pioneering architectural and design firm based in oslo and new york with high-profile buildings including the alexandria library in egypt and the only cultural building on the world trade center memorial site. for this special project, snøhetta were inspired to create a contemporary visual form which adhered to the traditional principles of a library; snøhetta then created a mechanical, rotating pavilion of oversized books that flip to create a variety of spaces, ranging from quiet and reflective to extrovert and public. the spaces allow visitors to immerse themselves into a world of books when standing inside the structure.
located in kingdom street, the installation highlights british land’s commitment to creating places people prefer. delivering spaces that make a positive difference to people’s lives is integral to british land’s design ethos, as is its dedication to creating environments where people can work, relax and socialise. equally, snøhetta’s work also strives to enhance a sense of place, identity and relationship to others and the physical spaces we inhabit
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all visitors to the snøhetta book pavilion are encouraged to explore, interact and reflect on the build and revel in an installation that has been built with a very specific purpose in mind. it’s an essential stop on this year’s design route.
discover the conscious creators at selfridges. from turning the tide on plastic pollution to closing the loop on waste, selfridges is continuously searching for ways to buy better and inspire change. this year selfridges invites you to discover the ‘conscious creators’, a collection of designs that have been made with sustainable and ethical trading in mind.
exclusive products: from pentatonic’s range made from waste material to oyuna x sustainable fibre alliance’s cashmere collection and eco pixel’s recycled designs. bespoke experiences: from designer-led talks on sustainable living to installations and more.