Giovanna Dunmall
Veralin Fragrance by Emmanuel Philip at Vera, Chapter One exhibition.
The London Design Festival grows bigger every year, yet it continues to be engagingly understated, decentralized, intriguing and eclectic. The sprawling and fantastic Victoria and Albert Museum, as the festival’s fulcrum for the third year running, was a real winner with talks, events and exhibitions, as well as installations by Amanda Levete and the Bouroullec brothers (the brothers’ multicoloured Kvadrat construction in the Raphael cartoon gallery provided a fake landscape to play on in an otherwise quasi-ecclesiastical space). This year (2011), my preferred area was the Brompton Design District in South Kensington, which offered a chance to see the city’s best design boutiques and a variety of small, curated, offbeat shows by emerging designers in empty spaces.
Here, in a carpeted ground-floor flat, I saw a quirky exhibition that centred on a series of found photographs of a woman whom curators decided to call Vera. Various designers had responded to the photos of Vera and her family with speculative pieces that ranged from a beautiful porcelain vase, like that featured in one of the photos, to a maritime-imbued fragrance sparked by a picture of Vera at the beach. The exhibition dealt eloquently with memory, loss and nostalgia, and left me wanting more.
Maid Table by Simone Brewster, exhibited at Flock: Tell Stories.
Next door, in a brightly painted uninhabited flat, I was enthused by Henny van Nistelrooy’s ingenious reversible shelving system – which is also used in London’s ultra-cool Velorution cycle store – and Inca Starzinsky’s unexpectedly sophisticated, multi-chromatic scarves that show X-ray style, close-up images of cross sections of fruit and vegetables. Just around the corner, all-female design collective Flock impressed me with its multidisciplinary blend of the cerebral, the physical and the perverse, displayed in a damp and unprepossessing garage. The space’s slightly louche quality perfectly suited Catherine Anyango’s see-through peeing table (both unexpected and sculptural), Simone Brewster’s seats and tables (a potent reference to female subservience) and Pia Wustenberg’s stacking vessels (at once archaic and functional).
Tolix chair cover by Henry Wilson, part of the Matilda exhibition.
Elsewhere, there was aesthetic beauty and food for thought to be found in Netherlands-based Italian duo Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin’s rugs, commissioned by Gallery Libby Sellers. They narrated Italy’s colonial past and were rich with detail and meaning. UK architect John Pawson’s installation of a massive Swarovski lens in St Paul’s Cathedral’s geometric staircase provided tantalizingly multiple optical takes of the Christopher Wren-designed space. British design supremo Tom Dixon brought his blend of established and emerging talent to his West London, canal-facing HQ (a foldable boat made by two recent Royal College of Art graduates out of a single sheet of plastic stole the show). Another Country’s second collection maintained the slightly Shakeresque aesthetic of the first, but with enough design elements to keep people interested. Its playful accessories range, and its tables and benches with refined metal detailing caught my eye. Up-and-comer British designer Benjamin Hubert shared his new collection made primarily out of leather, granite and marble for Portuguese firm De La Espada, and Australian brand Matilda, in its second year at the festival, made a confident showing. Here, I was most enthused by Henry Wilson’s beautifully worn leather armchair cover for the Tolix chair, Barbera Design’s marble-topped table with bronze legs, and bernabeifreeman’s perforated aluminium lamps.
Of all the talks at this year’s show that called out to be attended, the breakfast session with Marcel Wanders was arguably the best and revealed the Dutch designer’s spiritual, emotional and ascetic side. When he works, he likes to be led by dreams and hearts – his own and other people’s. This year’s festival allowed plenty of scope for dreams. If only a few more of them could be realized.
Elana Castle
As the intoxicating roster of events and exhibitions is revealed in the weeks leading up to the London Design Festival, design lovers are sent into planning meltdown. The 2011 festival was no exception, as organizers presented an even greater show-case of local and international design than usual. In addition, there was a range of striking and interactive public events. The master of minimalism, John Pawson, enticed visitors to the geometric staircase at St Paul’s Cathedral to engage with his installation Perspectives. The architect, in collaboration with Swarovski, made a series of optical devices that created an extraordinary interior view of the rarely seen tower. In equally dramatic fashion, Aamu Song filled an entire room at York Hall with the red fabric of a gargantuan dress, which was worn by a storyteller. Audience members were invited to occupy its huge pockets and enjoy a variety of intimate performances. Closer to home, Matilda presented thirty Australian designers at Design Junction, one of the event’s key destinations. As well as the impressive showcase of talent, there was a pop-up cafe sponsored by the Australian initiative and website How We Create.
Here are a few highlights from some of the main events:
The Victoria and Albert Museum
Pillhead Lamps by a+z design at Tent London.
Image: Elana Castle
The iconic museum retained its position as the festival’s headquarters, its entrance perfectly framed by a majestic red oak sculpture, Timber Wave, designed by Amanda Levete and Arup. The Bouroullec brothers occupied the prestigious Raphael room with a thirty-metre-long, inclined “textile field,” encouraging visitors to lounge in the space. The key exhibition was aptly titled Power of Making, a collaboration with the Craft Council that featured a range of imaginative objects representing varied construction methods and tooling techniques. Here, 3D technology featured strongly, highlighted by Dr Adrian Bowyer’s RepRap machine, as well as a free, groundbreaking desktop printer capable of printing 3D plastic objects and Mike Sheldrake’s surfboards, structured from sustainable timber grids.
Portobello Dock
The dock, a regenerated complex of canal-side wharves, hosted a number of design events. Moooi staged Mermaids, a collaboration between Marcel Wanders and Creatmosphere that incorporated furniture from their collection against a backdrop of underwater photographs, moody lighting and oceanic sounds. Print Club London, which represents print artists including Australian Jeremyville and We Buy Your Kids, exhibited graphic prints, while Tom Dixon shared new lighting and its recycled table and chair combo Scrapwood, by Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek.
Tramshed
Pipe Loop table by Tamasine Osher at Tent London.
Image: Elana Castle
In its second year, Tramshed played host to a number of established and emerging designers in Shoreditch. The primary exhibitor, De La Espada, showcased new work from its notable brands Matthew Hilton, Studioilse, Søren Rose Studio, Leif.designpark and Benjamin Hubert, the latter presenting Pod, a privacy chair made from innovative acoustic fabric PET. Australian cosmetic company Aesop also featured, building on its already strong UK presence.
Tent London
For the freshest talent, Tent London at Truman Brewery didn’t disappoint. In her first exhibit, Tamasine Osher presented a range of offbeat ensembles, including her Pipe Loop table. Latorre Cruz impressed the crowds with his delicate Icarus lights made from crushed mulberry bark fibres, while Jan Plechac dominated part of the entrance foyer with his seamless wire chairs, which mimic design classics. The Rag and Bone Man debuted his collection of industrial lights made from junk collected from the East End of London and architect Michael Chan presented his spacey, padded leather chair collection, which was a personal highlight.
Project
London Design Festival
+44 20 7734 6444
londondesignfestival.com
Design Practices
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec bouroullec.com
Henry Wilson, +61 408 209 600 henrywilson.com.au
Henny van Nistelrooy studiohvn.com
Daniel Barbera, +61 419 889 285 barberadesign.com
Tamsine Osher tamasineosher.com
John Pawson johnpawson.com
Brands
De La Espada supplied by spenceandlyda.com.au, luke.com.au
Tom Dixon supplied by dedece.com
Exhibitions
Matilda matilda-design.com
Vera, Chapter One verachapterone.com
Flock: Tell Stories askflock.com
Source
Discussion
Published online: 1 Mar 2012
Words:
Elana Castle,
Giovanna Dunmall
Images:
Elana Castle,
Gilbert McCarragher,
Joe Gascoigne,
Paul Barbera,
V&A Images
Issue
Artichoke, March 2012
