Oman at the 2025 London Design Biennale – All photos are by ©London Design Biennale, unless stated otherwise.

Design. Until June 29, the 2025 London Design Biennale transforms Somerset House into a global playground for ideas. More than 30 pavilions and installations are dotted throughout the historic building, all riffing on Surface Reflections—the theme set by Artistic Director Samuel Ross, which asks how our inner worlds and outer surroundings continuously shape one another.

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Japan Pavilion.

“In turbulent times, we need bold, objective minds,” Ross explains. “This year we’re peeling back the layers of ecology, death, belonging, raw materials, water, ritual, digital architecture, emergency housing, even sentient fungi—nothing is off-limits.” The result? A vivid patchwork of identity, memory, craft and tech that plays out through walk-in sculptures, soundscapes and mesmerising performances. Here are a few stops you won’t want to miss.

Rachel Botsman at the 2025 London Design Biennale.

Abu Dhabi – Tides and Traditions. Step into a cool, ocean-scented space where the House of Artisans pays tribute to the UAE’s maritime heritage. Curated by Reem Alhosani and Shahad Hamwi, the multisensory journey honours time-honoured crafts—think intricate ropework and shimmering mother-of-pearl—in a celebration of cultural continuity.

Abu Dhabi Pavilion.

The Recursion Project: Levh-i Mahfûz by Melek Zeynep Bulut invites you into a captivating world of reflection and form. In this installation, handcrafted cubes made from Turkish terracotta clay—each with two mirrored sides—are delicately suspended to shape a larger cube. As you move around it, you’re encouraged to play with perception: What’s real? What’s a reflection? And what can design reveal about who we are? By questioning what makes a surface, the showcase explores the possibilities of going beyond surfaces, matter and form to create a new dimension.

Melek Zeynep Bulut at the 2025 London Design Bienale – ©Mark Cocksedge.

Roots of Trust by Rachel Botsman. The British designer brings a fresh perspective to the world’s oldest known organisational chart, created in 1855 for the New York Railroads. Originally designed by engineer Daniel McCallum, it flips the usual top-down structure, showing leaders as the roots supporting their teams. Reimagined in delicate laser-cut paper, the piece explores how visuals can shape how we think, work, and lead.

Rachel Botsman at the 2025 London Design Biennale.

Oman – Memory Grid by Zawraq. Step into an immersive experience that reimagines traditional Omani pottery as vessels of memory and meaning. As you move through the installation, you’re invited to reflect on how objects—old or new—help us hold onto what we care about most. What do these vessels reveal about what we choose to protect, share, and pass down through time?

Oman Pavilion.

Japan – Paper Clouds: Materiality in Empty Space by SEKISUI HOUSE – KUMA LAB with a haunting score by violinist-composer Midori Komachi. The exhibition is a poetic tribute to The Nelson Stair and the surface textures, translucency, lightness and inner strength of Washi paper. Ethereal floating paper forms float up in the space. KUMA LAB’s first Washi dress prototype explores the potential of paper in sustainable architecture and fashion. The installation also comes alive with music, offering young performers a chance to learn and share non-Western traditions through live performance.

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Chile – Minerasophia: Underground Cycles by Mále Uribe and Constanza Gaggero is an art and design research project exploring Chile’s deep connection to its mineral-rich land. While mining has transformed landscapes and culture, the project celebrates the lost wisdom of traditional craftsmanship passed down through generations. The audiovisual piece Underground Cycles invites viewers to rethink minerals, not just as resources, but as carriers of heritage, value, and meaning.

Chile Pavilion.

Malta – URNA. How do we grieve in the 21st century? Malta responds with a poetic ritual for cremated remains, introduced after new legislation in 2019. The pavilion invites visitors to imagine future memorials that still feel deeply human. The installation is the result of a collaborative effort involving Arts Council Malta, a multinational team, and leading innovators from industry.

Malta Pavilion.

VCUarts Qatar – Matter Diplopia. Nine imaginative projects by VCUarts Qatar students, faculty, and alumni explore the country’s fast-changing landscape. Highlights include Chrysalis, a kinetic air-purifying sculpture; Stone Plus—modular tables crafted from repurposed local stone; and Tatreez Unbroken, a powerful embroidery piece by Palestinian refugee women, which blends Arabic and Latin scripts in a heartfelt tribute to culture, resilience, and identity.

VCUarts, Qatar Pavilion.

Hong Kong – Human-Centred Design: Visuospace by Hee Sun (Sunny) Choi and Ka Ho (Kyle) Yu. The exhibition explores how urban spaces impact our emotions and behaviour. Using a Neuroscientific lens, the project examines how we perceive movement, depth, and space. By connecting psychology and design, it highlights the importance of creating human-centred environments that support emotional well-being in rapidly changing urban landscapes.

Hong Kong Pavilion.

China – China Genome: Surface Reflections of Cultural DNA by the School of Design and Art at Jingdezhen Ceramic University. Porcelain is more than just clay and fire—it’s a mirror of culture and history. In English, “China” means both the porcelain and the country, showing the material’s special meaning. Through AI-generated glazes, 3D printing, and traditional pottery, students and faculty come together to explore ancient techniques and imagine fresh, exciting futures for this timeless craft.

China Pavilion.

All photos are by ©London Design Biennale, unless stated otherwise

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