Feel the Pull by Pixel Artworks – Courtesy of Clenkerwell Design Week.
Design. We’re excited to share that Archipanic is a media partner of Clerkenwell Design Week 2025. From May 20–22, the festival will bring the London design district to life, taking over streets, showrooms, churches, and even a former prison. It’s all happening in one of the city’s most creative neighbourhoods, packed with architecture and design studios. This year’s must-sees? Stunning installations by Alex Chinneck, Arthur Mamou-Mani, and plenty more surprises.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Clerkenwell Design Week on Archipanic.
A Week at the Knees by Alex Chinneck
At Charterhouse Square, on view until early July 2025 [Map].
Photo by Charles Emerson.
British artist Alex Chinneck created a rippling, four-storey brick façade that appears to slump onto the lawn, like it simply had had enough! Tuned with the surrounding Georgian architecture, the whimsical installation is anything but lightweight. Indeed, it uses 320 metres of steel and over 7,000 bricks, blending design with impressive engineering, complete with a door and curving windows. Read more…
Harmonic Tides by Arthur Mamou-Mani
May 20-22, St John’s Gate [Map]
Photo by Sam Frost.
Architect Arthur Mamou-Mani turns the timeless motion of water into an immersive walkable experience under the historic arches of St John’s Gate. The installation features two gently curving, wave-like walls — 3D-printed and positioned in parallel to form a tranquil corridor. The installation won the Shaping Water design competition, hosted by Dezeen in collaboration with Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard, which tasked entrants to celebrate the essence of water. Read more…
Feel the Pull by Pixel Artworks
May 20-22, 12 Sans Walk [Map].
Photo by Sam Frost.
Step into the unexpected beneath Clerkenwell House of Detention, where a bold anniversary installation by Pixel Artworks transforms the historic Victorian vaults into a charged, magnetic art experience. This isn’t your typical gallery stroll — it’s a journey through invisible forces that respond to your every move. Feel the Pull invites you to interact with sound, light, and motion as visuals shaped by magnetic fields ripple and react around you. Art senses your presence, drawing you deeper into its pulse with every step. Come closer. Let go. Feel the pull.
Brick from a Stone: Arch Revival by Hawkins\Brown
May 20-22, 14 Clerkenwell Grn [Map].
Photo by Sam Frost.
Albion Stone and Hutton Stone unveil a pavilion by Hawkins\Brown and Webb Yates. This eye-catching installation showcases two nearly four-metre-tall freestanding vaulted arches, celebrating the strength and elegance of British stone bricks. Each arch is built from a single 102 mm-thick layer of stone bricks, highlighting the material’s impressive load-bearing potential and design flexibility.
New Forms: Tea & Contemporary Design by Newby London
May 20-22, 14 105 St John St [Map].
©Abigail Brown.
Fringe partner Newby London is teaming up with The Goldsmiths’ Centre for a unique exhibition all about tea culture. New Forms: Tea & Contemporary Design showcases beautifully crafted teawares by some of the UK’s finest silversmiths — like Abigail Brown, Alex O’Connor, and Alice Fry — alongside stunning ceramics from Chris Keenan, Jeremy Nichols, and Sasha Wardell. Everything on display is available to purchase, and while you browse, you can sip on a selection of rare and exquisite teas. Entry is free, so pop in and enjoy.
Church of Design
May 20-22, St Bartholomew the Great, 14 W Smithfield [Map].
Photo by Sam Frost.
Set inside a 900-year-old medieval church, Church of Design offers a truly awe-inspiring backdrop for modern design to shine. Expect to see standout showcases from names like French interiors brand Roche Bobois and Italian design icon Moroso. And there’s more: Sandow, the US publisher behind Interior Design, Design Milk, and Metropolis, has just launched its first-ever CDW Product Awards, celebrating the most forward-thinking, innovative designs shaping the future.
British Collection
May 20-22, Saint James Church [Map].
Photo by Sam Frost.
Set in the characterful St James’s Church, the British Collection puts a spotlight on exciting local brands and fresh design from across the UK. Among the highlights, kitchen makers Pluck will debut a new furniture range created in collaboration with timber experts Schotten & Hansen. Meanwhile, Origin Furniture is launching a sleek new steel-framed seating collection by designer David Irwin, finished with high-performance tech knit fabric from Camira.
Automatica tiles vending machine by Simon Astridge
May 20-22, Solus showroom, 80 Clerkenwell Rd – Multiple locations.
Courtesy of Clerkenwell Design Week 2025.
Automatica is an interactive installation by architect Simon Astridge for Italgraniti. Popping up at three locations across Clenkerwell Design Week, it invites visitors to use a token (grab one at the Solus showroom [Map]!) to vend a porcelain tile sample, just like you would a snack. Inspired by the Italian tile maker’s high-tech factory in Emilia-Romagna, the installation playfully explores the connection between people and machines, blending nostalgia with a glimpse into the future.
Alex Chinneck’s ‘A week at the knees’ installation – Photo by Charles Emerson.
All photos are courtesy of Clerkenwell Design Week.
‘Harmonic Tides’ installation by Arthur Mamou-Mani – Photo by Sam Frost.
