The entrance to Sketch with panelling by PiM.Studio. Photo by Mark Cocksedge
The exhibitions and talks to put in the diary for this year’s London Design Festival
Guiltless Plastic, Istituto Marangoni, Shoreditch, 19-22 September
For those who missed the first showing of the Guiltless Plastic exhibition in Milan, this is a chance to see the fruits of Rossana Orlandi’s international competition seeking sustainable, recycled plastic products, including pieces by Piero Lissoni and Hester van Dijk.
The Landscape of Symbols/The Landscape of Light, SCP, Shoreditch and Belgravia,14-22 September
The store’s east and west London branches are awash with launches: there is a new tableware collection by Jasper Morrison for Iittala and vessels by Bethan Laura Wood for Rosenthal, as well as additions to its own collection, such as a set of one-off hand-painted pieces by Donna Wilson.
Alexander Schul’s project from the Guiltless Plastic exhibition
David Rockwell in conversation with Max Fraser, 100% Design, Olympia London, 11:00 18 September
American architect and designer David Rockwell will touch on his wide oeuvre, from restaurants to cultural institutions, in this conversation with journalist Max Fraser. He will also reveal his latest furniture collection, Sage for Benchmark, which aims to promote wellness in the workplace.
Matter of Stuff x Sketch, 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, 14 September until November
For the third year running, Matter of Stuff has commissioned designers to create an exhibition inside Sketch. This year, the three participating design firms and one architecture practice were challenged to reuse the materials from an exhibition last year. Architecture firm PiM.Studio used the wooden dowels provides to create a temporary panelling, inspired by Japanese design, for the entrance, while Studio Furthermore incorporated even the waste sawdust made from cutting the dowels into their textured sculptures.
My Naturewatch camera by Interaction Research Studio at Goldsmiths University of London, part of the Brompton Biotopia exhibition
Camille Walala in conversation with Priya Khanchandani, 100% Design, Olympia London, 16:00 20 September
The French designer speaks with Icon editor Priya Khanchandani about her latest installation, Walala Lounge, for this event in partnership with Arper. Ten benches positioned along South Molton Street are patterned in Walala’s characteristically vibrant style, in an effort at ‘weaving colour and joy’ into the pedestrianized shopping area.
London Design Medals, House of Commons, Westminster, 16 September
Four medals recognising design excellence, innovation, lifetime achievement and new talent will be presented by a jury including Es Devlin, Sheridan Coakley and Sir John Sorrell. Previous editions of the prestigious annual award have gone to Dieter Rams, Zaha Hadid and Richard Rogers.
Tom Dixon’s Mirror Ball Gold
Efflorescence, Galerie Kreo, Mayfair, 14, 16-21 September
Virgil Abloh presents his first extensive furniture collection, Efflorescence, with Galerie Kreo. The American fashion designer has produced 20 items of furniture and home ware ranging from coffee tables to vases and mirrors.
Talli x Misbah, London Design Fair, Shoreditch, 19-22 September
Pakistan-based studio Lél Collection has teamed up with the Emirati initiative Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council to create an installation reimagining the Islamic Misbah as ornament. The prayer beads, comparable in appearance to a rosary, have been ballooned to giant scale and combined with macramé, in a programme in which the studio and crafts council exchanged stoneworking and weaving skills.
A detail of Hester van Dijk’s project in the Guiltless Plastic exhibition
Brompton Biotopia, Brompton, 14-22 September
Brompton Design District curator Jane Withers believes design holds the key to solving climate crisis. Among the installations she has commissioned to explore the possibilities are a nomadic pavilion made of recycled materials by Madrid-based designer Jorge Penadés and a series of sustainable and biodegradable animal shelters.
