The London Design Festival 2024 programme has been announced, with a focus on international talent and a renewed mission to celebrate ‘creativity, innovation and the power of design to shape our world’. Supported by the Mayor of London and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the London Design Festival’s next edition will take over the city with installations and exhibitions at key cultural institutions and design districts
London Design Festival 2024: what to expect
Landmark projects across London include an installation by ‘a future facing designer’ in collaboration with London Design Festival partner Johnnie Walker, and Vert, an installation at the Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art by Diez Office and AHEC, in partnership with climate farming experts OMC°C. An innovative proposal for cooling cities, the installation will include a structure made from American red oak holding a biodegradable net with a curated selection of around 20 plant species. ‘The living ecosystem will support local biodiversity, serve as a habitat for essential insect populations, enrich the urban environment, and provide a sheltered space where visitors to the Festival can gather and relax.’
Meanwhile, Duo by Turkish designer Melek Zeynep at the Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall is a symbolic installation comprising a series of prisms, ‘encapsulating the essence of 'two': a dialogue, a duality, an agreement, and the dynamic interplay between the centre and periphery.’
Other festival commissions include a partnership between London Design Festival Emerging Design Medal winners, Power Out of Restriction (POoR Collective) and Battersea Power Station, which will result in a community-led riverside installation by the London-based collective, and Craft x Tech Tohoku Project, launched in Japan this past May and on view at the V&A’s Prince Consort Gallery.
Giles Tettey Nartey's 'Communion', shown at the Wallpaper* Class of '24 exhibition at Triennale Milano during Salone del Mobile 2024
Also at the V&A will be Giles Tettey Nartey’s ‘Communion’, originally created in partnership with AHEC for Wallpaper’s Class of ‘24 exhibition at Triennale Milano, and further commissions by emerging designers Arjun Singh Assa, Liang-Jung Chen, and Angela Ford, as well as Modular by Mensah with Bridge of Weir Leather and Muirhead.
‘London Design Festival 2024 promises to be another strong year,’ says Ben Evans, London Design Festival Director. ‘The lineup is set to offer fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that will captivate and inspire our audiences. Equally important, the Festival continues to champion inclusivity and provides crucial opportunities for emerging talent to shine. We take great pride in the Festival's role in expanding the reach of designers and creative businesses, reaffirming design's profound impact on our society.’
London Design Festival 2024 runs from 14 - 22 September
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Bugatti Tourbillon, an analogue hypercar that keeps its digital powder dry, 2024-styleIn a world awash with landfill product, cars like the new Bugatti Tourbillon are extremely unlikely to add to the problem
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The latest portable tech for boosting productivity out on the roadNine new gadgets for agile workers to get out and about with, from pocket projectors to slimline keyboards, charge blocks and more
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Proclamation House is a hempcrete urban sculpture nestled under peppermint treesBuilt from hempcrete and stone, Proclamation House, a sculpturally angular build in Perth, Western Australia, carves out an intriguing niche on a quiet suburban street
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‘The future is hypermobile’: portability guides Tom Dixon’s Coal office exhibitionsLondon Design Festival 2023: at Coal Office, Tom Dixon explores themes of hypermobility in collaboration with cutting-edge contemporary brands, mixing AI, tech and research
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Ozwald Boateng reimagines Poltrona Frau classicsSavile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng was invited by Poltrona Frau to interpret its iconic designs through colour and pattern, marking the beginning of an ongoing collaboration
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Emerging stars and established makers unite in show for London Design FestivalCurated by Jan Hendzel, ‘11:11’ at Staffordshire St Gallery in Peckham, south London, features a diverse breadth of design, from ceramics and textiles to woodworking and jewellery
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At St Paul’s Cathedral, sound becomes light through an installation by Pablo Valbuena‘Aura’ by Pablo Valbuena at St Paul’s Cathedral for London Design Festival 2023 (and until early November 2023) makes sound tangible through light
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Simone Brewster evokes a forest of cork oak trees in central LondonFor London Design Festival 2023, Simone Brewster presents ‘Spirit of Place’ on The Strand in collaboration with Amorim cork, intended to ‘capture the essence of the forest’
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Andu Masebo turns a red Alfa Romeo into furnitureAndu Masebo gives new life to an old Alfa Romeo, creating playful furniture, on show at the V&A South Kensington during London Design Festival (and until 15 October 2023)
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Normal Phenomena of Life is a pioneering new brand for ‘grown to order’ productsNormal Phenomena of Life, by Faber Futures and Gingko Bioworks, is the first biodesign-native lifestyle brand that aims to change how we produce and consume
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Meet the London Design Medals 2023 winners, showcasing ‘creativity and innovation that shapes our world’The London Design Medals 2023 are awarded to engineer Hanif Kara, architect Pooja Agrawal, social enterprise POoR Collective and artist Magdalene Odundo
