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Top 5 things to do at the London Design Festival 2018
Heading to the London Design Festival 2018? Here are the 5 things you must-see at the first of the year-end design festivals
London is one of our favourite destinations – it’s stunning architecture is a sight for sore eyes and it’s what most of our favourite designers call home. And every year in September it turns into a bustling hub for creative design dialogues during the London Design Festival week. With several new design districts popping up in London, we compiled a list of the top five events and displays we’re waiting to catch at the design show:
1. Material of the Year: Plastic – beyond the chipper
With the debate around plastic gaining momentum around the world, London Design Festival 2018 focuses attention on innovative and inventive ways it can be reused by announcing it as the Material of the Year. With single-use plastic threatening the environment, four designers have been selected to show plastic waste in a new, creative light by designing useful as well as aesthetic products with the material.
2. Landmark Projects
When visiting London Design Festival, keep an eye out for specially commissioned installations by renowned designers, artists and architects. Don’t miss Alphabet by London based graphic design consultancy Kellenberger-White and Time for Tea by Dutch design duo Scholten & Baijings. The former has developed colourful chairs modelled on the 26 letters of the English alphabet that can be used to sit on, hold meetings or arranged into words while the latter celebrates global tea rituals by incorporating products from various brands and tea sets especially developed for them in Japan’s Arita region.
3. Guest country pavilion: Japan
Every year, LDF invites a guest country to showcase their talent in a special setup. With Wabi Sabi dominating interior trends for a while now, it’s only fair that the guest country this year is Japan. We’re looking forward to traditional Japanese materials, handcrafted products and of course, new and emerging designers from the land of design greats Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma and more.
4. Electroanalogue
If there’s one British designer that can be counted on to spring a surprise, it is Tom Dixon. The designer, along with Bill Amberg Studio, Teenage Engineering, sound artist Yuri Suzuki, sound lab and bar Spiritland and Ege will transform his newly acquired headquarters into a giant, interactive and immersive display that will engage visitors’ sight, sound and touch.
5. London Design Biennale
Focusing on the theme of Emotional States, 40 countries will explore the relation between design and human emotions – Anger, Contempt, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Sadness and Surprise through engaging installations. Displayed at the Somerset House, these showcases will explore the design stories of the countries.
Toffee Bed is one of the products by Chinese designer Wang He, founder of Wanghe Studios. His works will be exhibited at the 36 Countries Pavilion during London Design Festival 2018.
London Design Festival’s Material of the Year, Plastic will take on many forms. Four designers will be portraying used and discarded plastic in a new light including Kodai Iwamoto, who will be showcasing tubular vases made of repurposed PVC plastic piping.
It would be quite simple for anyone to mistake Weez & Merl’s creations to be made of marble. In fact, the distinct marbling effect seen in their works is achieved by melting plastic bags together.
The festival provides a platform for several young and upcoming artists to showcase their innovative ideas and creations on the world stage. For instance, Barcelona based Toru, founded by Jordi Ribaudi in 2015 which focuses on vegetable tanned leather in design will also be a part of the 36 Countries Pavilion.
