Aura by Pablo Valbuena at St Paul’s Cathedral @ London Design Festival 2023 – Photo by Ed Reeve, courtesy of LDF.
Design – Until September 24, the London Design Festival 2023 celebrates creativity in the British capital with exhibitions and installations across thirteen design districts. We selected twelve must-visit highlights. Enjoy!
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about the London Design Festival 2023 on Archipanic.
Aura by Pablo Vabuena
Saint Pauls Cathedral [Map].
Aura by Pablo Valbuena at St Paul’s Cathedral @ London Design Festival 2023 – Photo by Ed Reeve, courtesy of LDF.
To mark the 300th anniversary of architect Sir Christopher Wren’s death, London Design Festival teamed up with Artichoke to present Aura, a striking installation by France-based Spanish artist Pablo Valbuena. Aura listens to the sound, voices and music generated in Saint Paul’s and materialises them into a spectral, three-dimensional aura at an architectural scale. “The installation examines the potential of time, sound and light to create a contemporary response to the Cathedral,” explains Pablo Valbuena.
Halo by Studio Waldemeyer
Saint Stephen Walbrook Church, 39 Walbrook, EC4N [Map].
Halo at St Stephen Walbrook by Moritz Waldemeyer – Photo by Ed Reeve, courtesy of LDF.
At Christopher Wren’s Saint Stephen Walbrook Church, Moritz Waldemeyer presents Halo, a transcendent light installation defined by a pendulum informed by planetary movements and creating a luminous halo suspended from the apex of the church and tracing a celestial-like path around the church’s main altar. Halo also bathes the grand dome of the church in an otherworldly aurora borealis-like illumination. “The installation invites us to pause, reflect, even meditate and leave our fast-paced daily routine behind.”
Material Matters
September 20-23 – Oxo Tower Wharf, SE1 9PH [Map].
Solidwool, Hydro, Planq, at Materials Matter – Courtesy of London Design Festival 2023.
The second edition of the Material Matters fair returns to the atmospheric Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, to celebrate the importance of sustainable materials in design and architecture. Visitors can discover how clean-tech start-up company The Tyre Collective captures and re-constitutes rubber particles. Danish textile designer Tanja Kirst demonstrates the beauty of combining orange peel, seaweed and hemp into textiles without compromising aesthetics.
Isola exhibition @ Material Matters, London Design Festival 2023 – Photo by Anwyn Howarth.
Milan-based platform Isola presents a selection of designers from across its international community. London-based studio Pearson Lloyd presents the Material Change exhibition showcasing “the ongoing research to improve the circularity of the mass-produced products for which we are responsible.”
Japanese Washi paper blooms at the V&A
Cromwell Road – Medieval & Renaissance Room, 64b – SW7 2RL, [Map].
Installation image of ‘Hana Mikoshi’ at the Victoria & Albert Museum – Photo by ©Victoria & Albert Museum.
Together with the Gifu Prefecture in Japan and London-based Hayatsu Architects, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London presents a dazzling ‘flower shrine’ and sculptural seating installation decorated with 50,000 sakura-inspired washi paper flowers handcrafted by craftspeople in Japan.
Hypermobile by Tom Dixon
Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, 4-10 Bagley Walk, N1C4DH – Free [Map].
Hypermobile Tom Dixon in The Broadcast Studio – Image credit: Peer Lindgreen, courtesy of Tom Dixon.
Portability, miniaturisation and rechargeability are the key concepts of the new Hypermobile exhibition by Tom Dixon, often associated with sculptural statement pendant lamps or huge space-filling chandeliers. “The changing demands of society inspired the new Portables collection. They symbolise the general shift towards flexibility and blurred boundaries between work and play, indoor and outdoor settings and increased flexibility in all our electrical devices, including personal transport, communication, entertainment, and more.”
Spirit of Place by Simone Brewster
Strand Aldwyc, WC2R 1ES [Map].
Spirit of Place by Simone Brewster with Amorim – Photo by Ed Reeve, courtesy of LDF.
Artist, designer, educator and cultural change-maker Simone Brewster teamed up with Amorim, the world’s biggest cork processing group, to create the Spirit of Place urban installation. Five large-scale sculptural vessels made from Amorim’s cork forest in Portugal stand up at Strand Aldwych. “If we use cork for more architectural purposes, we’re helping fight against some of the key issues of our generation,”
Mandala Lab at the Rubin Museum of Art
Union Square Canary Wharf, E14 9QH [Map].
Mandala Lab by The Rubin Museum of Art – Photo by Ed Reeve, courtesy of LDF.
Until November 25, Canary Wharf’s Union Square hosts an interactive space that explores how challenging emotions can be transformed into wisdom. Inspired by powerful Buddhist principles, the Rubin Museum’s Mandala Lab features five thought-provoking, playful experiences—including videos, scents, sculpture, and curated percussion instruments—that guide you along an inner journey focused on self-awareness and awareness of others.
London Design Fair
Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E1 6QL [Map].
Judi Archer at London Design Fair – Photo courtesy of London Design Festival 2023.
London Design Fair, the UK’s largest and most influential design show, returns to the iconic Truman Brewery. Among many features include the vibrant Power of Colour immersive entrance designed by 2LG Studio. International pavilions from countries including Sweden, South Korea and Ukraine showcase design talent worldwide. The Design Alumni Pavilion showcases and supports emerging local talent, while a special section is dedicated to high-end local crafts.
11:11
49 Staffordshire St. SE15 5TF [Map].
11:11 exhibition @ London Design Festival 2023 – Photo via IG, follow @staffordshirest.
The 11:11 design and craft exhibition showcases the works of 11 leading, established UK-based artists and designers – including Martino Gamper, Simone Brewster, Raw Edges, and more – alongside 11 emerging, up-and-coming creative practitioners from Southwark and the surrounding areas of south London. The exhibition takes its name from New Age and numerological beliefs, where 11:11 is seen as a special set of numbers rooted in synchronicity, chance, new beginnings and growth opportunities.
The LEGO® Piece Garden
Ace Corner, 149-150 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6HU [Map].
LEGO© botanical collection – Courtesy of LEGO©.
Play is an essential part of the creative process and of design thinking. Taking a playful approach is also the best way to encourage collaboration between people. From here, The LEGO® Group and creative website It’s Nice That joined forces to create The LEGO® Piece Garden installation and playroom featuring the brand’s Botanical Collection. “We’re inviting Londoners to step into a peaceful and calming space resembling a blossoming community garden to build their brick-built blossoms.”
Time Is Running Out by OMSE x PlasticFree
100 Shoreditch High St, E1 6JQ [Map].
Time Is Running Out exhibition – Courtesy of Plasticfree and OMSE studio.
The Time Is Running Out exhibition “was born out of the urgency to mobilise the global creative industry to drive positive change through more conscious practice,” online platform PlasticFree and London-based creative studio OMSE told Archipanic. Twenty-four clocks made from seaweed, hemp paper, vegan leather and bio-fibres were developed in collaboration with pioneering material makers, acclaimed artists, designers, architects, and change-makers to illustrate what is possible.
Metamorphosis by Niko Koronis @ Carpenters Workshop
Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road, W10 6AZ [Map].
Metamorphosis exhibition of Niko Koronis at Carpenters Workshop Gallery London – Photo by Carpenters Workshop Gallery London.
Carpenters Workshop Gallery London presents Metamorphosis, a new exhibition of key works made of Belgian Black marble by the Greek architect and designer Niko Koronis. “In keeping with his radically experimental approach to sculpture, Niko Koronis continues to blur boundaries between nature and artifice, material and form, rigidity, and play.”
