You’ll have to be quick not to miss them!
Running from September 17th – 25th 2016, there are so many things going on during the London Design Festival, that you can’t expect to casually stumble onto all of them. We have compiled a list of five great installations and their locations below, so whether you’re on your way home from work, hanging out at the pub, or simply hunting for the best design experiences, here are our top five.
MINI LIVING ‘Forests’ Installation by Asif Khan
Asif Khan was praised for his innovative MegaFaces Pavilion for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and was commissioned by Coca Cola for the London2012 Olympic Park pavilion. His creative Beatbox was an imaginative piece that allowed visitors to create a melody of sports sounds by touching its elements.
This year for the London Design Festival, the artist has partnered with MINI to install three interactive forest environments in the East London streets. Khan said the project highlights “…urban potentials in creative ways,”. He has planted these ‘forest bathing’ spaces on three disused sites in Shoreditch, allowing visitors to experience a breath of the countryside within the London metropolis. To build a sense of community, guests are also invited to donate a plant to the public or even take one home.
Vince Court N1 6EA; Charles Square Gardens N1 6HS; Corner of Pitfield Street & Charles Square EC1V 9EY
The Smile
An abstract, but also awe-inspiring sculpture is the masterpiece of Alison Brooks. This 34 metre tube dips in the centre to create its ‘smile’. Both ends of the tulipwood pavilion are raised three metres from the ground, which makes for a dramatic spectacle outside the Chelsea College of Art and Design. The manipulation of cross-laminated timer (CLT) in this architectural piece has been hailed for its innovation with six of the panels being curved. This mammoth structure will definitely bring a smile to the faces of onlookers.
Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground, Chelsea College of Art and Design, 16 John Islip Street, SW1P 4JU
Foil
This evocative river of steel and lighting has been installed by Benjamin Hubert, along with Braun. Measuring 20 metres long, this constantly undulating ribbon has been created with 50 thousand reflective stainless steel panels with triangular bonding. The panels transfer the light of LEDs onto the surfaces of the tunnel-like tapestry, creating a hypnotic experience of movement and light. The movement of the ribbon itself is inspired by Braun’s shaver head and the shape by Braun shaver foil.
Victoria and Albert Museum, Tapestries, Room 94, Level 3, SW7 2RL
Beloved
Situated on the bridge between two galleries in the V&A stands the ‘Beloved’, a 13-metre long mirror structure. Based on the Turkish novel ‘Madonna in a Fur Coat’ by Sabahattin Ali, visitors are invited to peek through narrow openings to see sections of the novel as text, light or cinematic effects. The Tabanlıoğlu Architects (Istanbul) wanted to reflect the way we imagine scenes from a book with a mixture of media. Setting the installation on a bridge further enhances the relationship between the two characters and their two featured cites of Berlin and Ankara.
Bridge by Lift O, Level 3, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
The Green Room
London design studio Glithero, along with watch maker Panerai, have questioned the concept of a clock with this installation. Stand in the centre to look around at the 260 silicone cords of different colours, hanging down in the multi-storey stairwell of the V&A museum. Each of the cords are lifted by a time specific central rotating cam arm, creating a wave of colour around you.
Staircase G, Level 6, Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL
