Viviana AttardCalling all the design lovers!
If you get excited at the sight of the voluptuous shapes of Zaha Hadid’s architecture or you start drooling over the latest Vitra design, you can’t miss the LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL (LDF). Staging across the city, from North to South and East to West, it’s packed with a myriad of installations, workshops, talks, parties running from the 17th to the 25th of September 2016.
Along these events, there are talks, installations and workshops organised locally and independently under the LDF umbrella by seven ‘Design districts’ (Bankside Design District, Brixton Design Trail, Brompton Design District, Chelsea Design Quarter, Islington Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle).
In total, there are more than 400 events. The program is dense and, actually, a little bit daunting at first. Too many exciting things to choose from! For this reason, we have cherry-picked some for you to start with. However, this doesn’t mean that we won’t try to visit as many as it’s humanly possible!
If you want to check the full programme, click here.
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Top Highlights
RIBA Regent Street Windows Project
If you happen to be in central London, pop by Regent Street. Apart from being a shopping mecca where you could indulge in the last fashion piece, during the LDF you can also admire the special makeover of the retail windows along the street designed and executed by the Royal Institute of British Architects who are filling them with striking installations. You can follow the event on social through #RIBAwindows.
5 – 25 September.
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The Green Room at the V&A
Born out of a collaboration between design studio Glithero with Italian luxury watchmaker Panerai, an impressive installation will fill one of the 17.5-metre stairwells of the famous museum. Featuring silicone cords, each of them connected to a central rotating device, it will result in a wave of moving color that can be experienced from multiple levels.
17 – 25 September.
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The Smile
This ‘unidentified flying object’ designed by architect Alison Brooks is set to be one of the landmarks of this LDF 2016 edition with its 34 metres of length and 3 metres in height. Recalling the form of a ‘Smile’ because of its curved form that pushes upward to its open ends, it’s made entirely of tulipwood.
17 – 25 September.
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100% Design
If you are looking for a proper trade fair, this is the place to go. This year theme is Experience and it explores how design can guide, frame and improve the way we live and work. Although this is mostly a trade-only fair (from Wednesday to Friday), is also open to the general public on Saturday.
21 – 24 September.
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Design Junction – Kings Cross
Four hubs surrounding the famous design school, Central Saint Martins, will host luxury design brands showcasing everything from furniture and lighting, to fashion accessories and textiles.
22 – 25 September.
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London Design Fair – Truman Brewery
Previously known as Tent London and Super Brands London, this year the two events have merged under the London Design Fair. Featuring 450 exhibitors from 29 countries it’s meant to be the best place to discover new design trends across the globe.
22 – 25 September.
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London Design Biennale – Somerset House
The first ever London Design Biennale, in partnership with Jaguar and Somerset House, features installations, artworks, prototypes and designs from 37 countries and territories.
Visitors will interact with brand new work by world-leading architects, designers, scientists, writers and artists that include large-scale kinetic sculpture, immersive digital installations, culinary pop-ups, performances and VR renderings of the future.
Each exhibit is a response to the Biennale’s 2016 theme Utopia by Design, chosen as part of Somerset House’s UTOPIA 2016: A Year of Imagination and Possibility, to mark the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s text.
Open daily from 11am; Tickets: £15/£10
7 – 27 September.
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