14 – 22 SEPT 2013 LONDONDESIGNFESTIVAL.COM
Platform at Habitat Platform SW3 5XP Road, 208 King’s www.habitat.co.uk/platform See page 199 for details See page 199 for Design Network Africa, a CKU Design Network Africa, a CKU shifts at the current looks project, in design developments and exciting the continent. happening now across Showcasing over 20 pieces of new of overShowcasing 20 pieces by 16 contemporary furniture in East, countries 10 from designers and Southern Africa. West 14 September — 20 October14 September Graphic Africa Graphic LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2013: DESIGN IS EVERYWHERE
Over the 11 years of the London Design Festival, a vast diversity of local and international design has been showcased and celebrated. This year is no exception, with more than 300 events open to all across the capital.
The Festival is a punctuation moment in the year and acts as a reminder that design is all around us, permeating every part of our lives.
From the commercial to the conceptual, from the subtle to the spectacular, from the weird to the wonderful, we invite you to enjoy the great breadth of design that the London Design Festival has to offer in 2013. LDF Guide_Layout 1 7/18/13 3:31 PM Page 1 ∞≤√
INTRODUCING ANGELL, WYLLER & AARSETH BRANDS LTD, CLERKENWELL Introduction 5
INTRODUCTION
Chairman Director Sir John Sorrell CBE Ben Evans
Design is everywhere in London, in In a city like London, it is hard to be Great Britain and across the world. noticed. That is the whole point of the It is so much part of everyday life that Festival, a concentrated time when people take it for granted – except design is very visible. when it doesn’t work and they curse whoever got it wrong. With more than 200 different partners this year and 300 projects and events, This year, during the 11th London there is something for everyone. Start at Design Festival, I hope people will take our hub venue, the V&A, where there is a moment to think about how vital a programme of bespoke commissions design is to our lives and how great and talks, climb our landmark project design can improve quality of life. the Endless Stair outside Tate Modern and visit the key design destinations, The huge volume of design activity each home to hundreds of designers. taking place across the capital reveals the stunning creativity of some of the It is often said that London is a most stimulating minds in the world. collection of villages, and in the wider Festival the design districts are places I am particularly interested in how where you can see clusters of design those minds can help make the world a projects all within walking distance of better place. This is what the Festival’s each other. The districts can be found conference, the Global Design Forum, across the city. is all about, with delegates from around the world seeking to inspire the future This guide and our website can help and identify the way forward for design you find what you want to see and what and its impact on the world. you don’t yet know you want to see.
I hope you have a great Festival. I hope you find it and above all, enjoy. Features 08 London – The Design Capital of The World? 13 About London Design Festival Landmark Projects 14 Endless Stair 19 Global Design Forum 26 London Design Medal 30 London Design Festival at the V&A 51 V&A Displays and Exhibitions 59 V&A Talks and Events 80 Design Destinations 89 Design Districts THIS IS HEAVEN 42 From GF Smith
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GFS1.017_LDF_Advert_06.indd 1 24/07/2013 10:39 8 londondesignfestival.com London – The Design Capital of the World? 9
LONDON – THE DESIGN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD?
Immediately after the London Design London is an international design Festival in September 2012, esteemed hub – it’s world-class education journalist Julie Lasky published an system attracting talents from around article in the New York Times about the world, many of whom choose London’s design prowess in the context to stay and find work here or set up of the world’s other great creative cities. their own businesses. Such micro The article opened with this statement: and SME businesses are buoyed by “Apologies to Milan and Tokyo. Regrets a mature marketplace and access to to Stockholm and Paris. Forgive me, collaborative partners, as well as a Eindhoven, Berlin, Barcelona and, most sophisticated demographic and particularly, New York. But London is client base. the design capital of the world.” Such a statement, while flattering, prompted us to ask ourselves why the capital is OUNCE FOR OUNCE, perceived in such a way. BLOKE FOR BLOKE, London is considered by many to be Europe’s central meeting point, and BRITAIN PRODUCES Spun by Thomas Heatherwick, London Design Festival 2010 indeed visitors from around the globe flock to the English-speaking megacity BETTER DESIGNERS the global stage and more and more energy to the commercial and cultural for business, leisure and a sizeable businesses are waking up to “designing sectors. These talents have endured dose of culture. Steeped in history on AND DESIGN what they do”. years of hardship brought on by the the one hand, London never sits still high cost of living – the main drawback on the other, and progress marches IMPRESARIOS THAN Despite all of the aforementioned of living in one of the world’s most on unabashed. attributes, complacency is the great expensive cities. Still they want to make ANYWHERE ELSE danger to the health of London’s a go of it here and most persevere with London’s huge mass is home to a Julie Lasky, The New York Times design scene. The sector is incredibly an attitude that if you can survive here, multicultural mix of young hopefuls competitive and is becoming more you can survive anywhere. and families, all attracted to the city so with the strengthening of the for the financial prospects and the Indeed, design is a burgeoning sector design offerings in other countries. There’s no escaping the fact that jobs tolerance of new values. International and one that embraces multiple Regional and central governments are few and far between these days; influences have infused the very disciplines, including industrial, product, are increasingly embracing design to economic turbulence has taken its fabric of the city, stimulating the furniture, interiors, automotive, digital, boost cultural collateral on the global toll on employment. The burden of a masses across every pursuit, from interactive, graphics, illustration, stage and attract significant fickle income stream coupled with high cuisine, theatre, music and film to art, branding, packaging, textiles, applied inward investment. overheads tends to weed out those architecture and, of course, design. arts, and craft. Beyond that, design independents who are half-hearted There’s an open-minded attitude straddles a number of different Every year, established London-based about the industry. The ones who are towards new ideas and a willingness sub-disciplines that encompass designers are joined by a flurry of prepared to make a go of it understand to explore and challenge the status science, engineering and technology. complacency-busting design grads, that hard work is key, and that being quo – often with a healthy dose of Furthermore, design is crucial to many of whom studied in top local simply “good enough” is, well, not irony and humility. securing competitive advantage on colleges and are fired up to bring fresh good enough. ELEGANCE:RECLAIMED 10 londondesignfestival.com *Combination of Reclaimed British stone in bespoke geometric Adam pattern pattern Adam geometric bespoke in stone British Reclaimed of *Combination
Credit: Visit London
There is a multidisciplinary nature to demonstrate their awareness of the survival here: you need to develop industry’s economic contribution. a multichannel portfolio of activity Furthermore, commercial sponsors to diversify your risk. Within the recognise the business benefits of industry this gives rise to a culture reaching such an influential audience, of collaboration. The most highly and continually illustrate an eagerness developed talents merge together and to commission and be associated with form strong conceptual unions, the challenging design ideas. output of which manifests in many varied permutations. London’s design scene is animated by the annual spectacle that is the The annual celebration of these London Design Festival. It marks a collaborations comes in September great expressive moment when culture, during the London Design Festival, commerce and creativity collide in when events, exhibitions and unpredictable and spectacular ways. installations pop up across the capital. The Festival has gained traction over In such a hotbed of energy and ideas, the years, attracting more and more the process of reinvention never sits exhibiting partners, opinionated idle. For the gangs of individuals driving media, as well as members of the such change, this city of 7.8 million public who have become increasingly residents acts as a perfect playground design literate. The Festival also in which to sculpt and hone our garners support and endorsement reputation as, yes, the design capital from our politicians, who increasingly of the world. LAPICIDA.COM
-0/%0/r)"330("5&r."--03$"r04-0 500 400 (0)1423 +44 CALL: OBJECTS, AND SURFACES STONE FINEST THE FOR “The London Design Festival has !rmly established London Design Festival Landmark Projects 13 itself as one of London’s leading cultural events and this year’s theme of ‘Design is everywhere’ can only LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL LANDMARK PROJECTS build on its international reputation for in"uencing innovative and important design. We are delighted to The London Design Festival marks ambition to place contemporary be able to continue our support for the festival as it an important moment in the design design into unusual settings; and continues to reach new audiences whilst celebrating calendar when creative excellence is ambition to create pure spectacle given prominence in the capital for for you to marvel at. the very best in design.” everyone to enjoy. For the past six Joyce Wilson, Area Director, London, years, we’ve been commissioning We work all year to broker the the world’s best designers, as well partnerships between designers, Arts Council England as pioneering new talents, to create manufacturers and venues. Crucially, extraordinary installations that are these Landmark Projects are made displayed in some of London’s most possible with the generous patronage prominent and best-loved spaces. of our sponsors who have supported our ongoing quest for ambition and We call these installations Landmark excellence over the years. Projects as they represent spectacular punctuation points around the city The following pages feature during the Festival period. Ambition information about our projects is a recurring characteristic across and events for 2013. every project; ambition to continually challenge the definitions of design; More information: ambition to change the context and londondesignfestival.com/ push the capabilities of materials; landmark-projects
Image left: Music Memory box by Chloe Meineck. Image right: Totem by Adam Nathaniel-Furman. Design Museum, Designers in Residence 2013. BE OPEN Sound Portal, Trafalgar Square 2012 See all of the Designers in Residence at the Design Museum until 12 January 2014 Designmuseum.org 14 londondesignfestival.com Endless Stair 15
with the Thames panorama of London, “Tulipwood is amazingly strong and ENDLESS STAIR provides a context to which dRMM’s stiff for its weight compared with Escher-inspired installation can make many other species. Tulipwood CLT a distinctive contribution,” says offers a really exciting addition to the Alex de Rijke, Co-Founder of CLT family,” says Adrian Campbell, dRMM Architects. Associate Director, Structural and Lead Engineer from Arup. “This project Tulipwood is a plentiful and sustainable provides fertile opportunity for this American hardwood export, elegant sculpture to act as a test bed composed here for the first time as for the creative use of timber.” cross-laminated timber (CLT). CLT is a method of exploiting the structural properties of timber to create panels that can form buildings quickly, efficiently and sustainably. Traditionally, CLT is made using softwood because it THERE IS A “WOOD provides a cheap and readily available source of wood fibre. Endless Stair REVOLUTION” GOING ON pioneers the use of a hardwood species, which is inherently lighter and IN THE CONSTRUCTION stronger than its softwood equivalents. The CLT panels for Endless Stair were SECTOR... Visualisation of Endless Stair at Tate Modern. Image by Cityscape produced by Imola Legno, a major David Venables, AHEC timber distributor in Italy. Endless Stair sees the London Design Architects and Dean of Architecture Festival reviving its longstanding at the Royal College of Art, working relationship with the American closely with engineers at Arup. De Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) in a Rijke has described timber as “the new playful, yet technically ambitious public concrete”, predicting that it will be the project installed with the powerful dominant construction material of the backdrop of one of the city’s best-loved 21st century. landmarks, Tate Modern. “There is a ‘wood revolution’ going on Installed outside Tate Modern, the in the construction sector and dRMM towering structure invites visitors to is one of the architects at the forefront climb and explore a series of 15 so it is very fitting that their dramatic Escher-like interlocking staircases Endless Stair design will significantly made from a prefabricated construction inform the debate, show hardwood in using 44 cubic metres of American a new light and challenge traditional tulipwood donated by AHEC members. thinking within the construction As a viewpoint, Endless Stair provides industry,” David Venables, European breathtaking views along the Thames. Director, AHEC, says.
The complex construction is designed “The programme of modern art and by Alex de Rijke, Co-Founder of dRMM architecture at Tate Modern, combined 16 londondesignfestival.com
This is the most recent in a series of Seam Design using equipment by innovative projects that AHEC has Lumenpulse. Endless Stair has been commissioned for the London Design fabricated and installed by a specialist Festival, including the Timber Wave team at Nussli. (pictured), designed by AL_A, which stood outside the main entrance of the Endless Stair is located on the Victoria & Albert Museum in 2011, and riverside of Tate Modern, Bankside, the Sclera pavilion designed by David SE1 9TG Adjaye in 2008. Opening hours: 13 September–10 October Mon–Sun 9am–dusk
More information: londondesignfestival.com/ endless-stair americanhardwood.org
Supported by the American Design challenge. Hardwood Export Council Structural solution. Designed by dRMM Environmental profiling. Engineered by Arup CLT produced by Imola Legno Fabrication and assembly by Nussli Innovative projects with sustainable timber. Lighting by SEAM Design
Tulipwood lumber kindly donated by AHEC members: Allegheny Wood Blue Ridge Lumber For the Endless Stair project, AHEC J&J is using data from its recent Life Cycle Northland Corporation Assessment (LCA) research project Northland Forest Products to produce a full ISO conformant Pike Lumber environmental profile for the structure. Shenandoah Hardwood Lumber Co It will be the first time this will be done Verde Wood International www.americanhardwood.org for a major installation at the London Follow us on Twitter ahec_europe Design Festival.
Endless Stair is open for the public to ascend during the day. The structure is closed overnight but illuminated for public viewing with a scheme designed by London-based design practice Global Design Forum 19
BMW i GLOBAL DESIGN FORUM
Sheer Driving Pleasure The London Design Festival’s thought leadership event, the Global Design Forum, debuted in 2012 and was a sell-out success. More than 250 delegates from around the world filled the theatre at Central Saint Martins’ impressive campus in King’s Cross for a day packed with informative presentations and debate. The outcomes of the event informed the content for our Global Design Summit in Hong Kong in November 2012 and discussions in Taipei and Seoul in March 2013.
This September, the international conversation continues at our flagship Global Design Forum event in London, generously supported by BMW Group, Coutts and UK Trade & Investment. Our mission is to set the global agenda for design by giving the stage to DESIGN IS EVERYWHERE. designers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and educators to highlight the growing BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS issues and opportunities for design. GOOD ENOUGH. THE As the world starts to emerge from the slowdown, what is the role of design in GLOBAL DESIGN FORUM the economy and people’s lives? How does groundbreaking innovation thrive AIMS TO CHALLENGE BAD and find its market? How can design DESIGN AND INSPIRE successfully permeate and transform struggling business sectors? Why is it NEW THINKING ABOUT important to have a global perspective? What scope is there for design to THE KIND OF GREAT alter and define the infrastructure and image of cities around the world? DESIGN THAT MAKES THE On the evening of 16 September, and the whole of the next day, these are WORLD A BETTER PLACE just a handful of the topics being tackled by an impressive line-up of Sir John Sorrell, Chairman of the London Design Festival international speakers.