London Design Festival at the V&A: what not to miss
Next month the London Design Festival returns for the fifteenth year in a row.
The festival has an ambitious programme of over 450 projects and events offering guests an insight into some of the most innovative design.
This year London Design Festival is continuing its long-standing relationship with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which will act as a hub for the festival. This is the ninth year of this collaboration and will see the museum transformed by an outstanding collection of specially- commissioned installations and displays by designers from across the globe.
We can hardly wait so we thought we would give you a sneak preview of some projects that are not to be missed this year.
Reflection Room, Flynn Talbot, Prince Consort Gallery, Room 110
Reflection Room will be the first London Design Installation ever to be housed in the Prince Consort Gallery. The immersive light coloured experience transforms the gallery by lighting each end of the space. Working in partnership with Barrisol and with further support by Tryka LED & Seam Design, Talbot uses 56 custom-made stretch membrane Barrisol panels to expand the width of the room and offer a fragmented view of shifting colours.
Talbot has chosen to use his signature palette of blue and orange lighting.Each panel has Tryka LED profiles which emit vivid orange and blue hues. The way the panels are arranged momentarily transforms the space into a glowing chapel.
Talbot said: “I conceived the idea standing in the gallery, and wanted to add my story on top of the beautiful existing architecture but not to take it over. With all of my work, I want to create new experiences using light that build a connection between people and place.”
Transmission, Ross Lovegrove, Tapestries, Room 94
Lovegrove takes us back in time with this beautiful tapestry inspired by medieval Devonshire Hunting Tapestries on display at the V&A.
Working in collaboration with Alcantra, Lovegrove created the 21.3-metre long masterpiece using Alcantara®, a tactile and sound absorbent material and an alternate to animal based textiles.
Using cold thread, Lovegrove has created an ornamental pattern running along the edge of the sculpture. The gold stands out against the muted tones of the tapestry which reflect the colours that would have been used in the traditional tapestries. Lovegrove said he was responding to the scenes of wealth and aristocratic fashion seen in the 15th century.
Lovegrove says he is excited to be part of the festival: “The V&A is an exceptional place that has no fear of fusing the old with the new, as shown in Amanda Levete’s new design for the V&A Exhibition Road Quarter” says Lovegrove. “Everything is sophisticated and carefully curated, but anything can happen. London Design Festival works with the V&A to create such an exciting programme, proving that art, design, architecture and craft in London retains edge and adventure.”
While We Wait, Elias and Yousef Anastas. Medieval and Renaissance Room 64B, The Simon Sainsbury Gallery
While We Wait is inspired by the Cremisan Valley located on in the seam between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Palestinian architects Elias and Yousef Anastas’ installation explores the relationship between nature and culture in Palestine. It addresses issues surrounding the construction of a wall that runs through the middle of the Cremisan Valley which has separated links between a monastery and the local community.
The immersive installation is made of stone cut to create a lace like pattern. Visitors can enter inside the structure as if entering the Cremisan Valley. The beautiful and complex design is a total contrast to the plain uniform concrete of the separation wall.
Ultimately, While We Wait will be installed permanently in the Cremisan Valley following its unveiling at the London Design Festival.
London Design Festival will run from 16-24 September 2017.
