London Design Festival

This is the busiest time of the year for all us design bods, and with such a wide selection of trade shows, events and exhibitions going on in September, it takes some planning to fit them all in. One is the London Design Festival – a nine-day citywide celebration of design, taking place 17-25 September.

Events are staged in up to 150 venues across the capital, but the main hub for the LDF is the V&A Museum. Its wide selection of events and exhibitions include Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s Textile Field, an installation that combines art and relaxation by using gently inclining coloured foam as a sensual environment where visitors can kick-back while being immersed in the installation.

Offering both cultural and commercial events, LDF includes a wide selection of international exhibitions, product launches, seminars and talks – and plenty of parties. Funded through a combination of public and private sources, in 2010 the festival saw an estimated 350,000 visitors attend events and, judging by the line-up, this year’s figures ought to match if not better last year’s.

A must-see for 2011’s show is the launch of Lee Broom’s new collection – his debut upholstery collection entitled Salon, which is inspired by the curved lines of Thirties’ upholstery, contrasted with modern stud detailing (main image, below). Broom has transformed his Shoreditch-based studio/ showroom into a contemporary design salon where on 19 September the six pieces of the collection can be seen.

For a bit of childhood nostalgia, head over to Covent Garden between 15 and 25 September where LEGO has commissioned industrial designer Sebastian Bergne to design a large-scale public installation using the iconic LEGO toy bricks. The final design (below, top inset) has been built by Duncan Titmarsh – the UK’s only LEGO certified professional – and can be found at The Piazza.
londondesignfestival.com

This article was first published in fx Magazine.








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