London Design Festival 2022: must-see events

Sabine Marcelis at the London Design Festival 2022

Sabine Marcelis is one of the (highly anticipated) protagonists of LDF2022. For the Landmark projects section, the Rotterdam-based designer will create the installation Swivel, which will animate St Giles Square until November, a 'playground' of rotating seats i made of glass, concrete and marble, which invites visitors to gather in space, demonstrating the power of design to bring people together.

"This project, like most of my work, is a celebration of materials. I wanted to respond to the space by injecting some color and fun into this urban environment," says Sabine Marcelis.

"By deliberately choosing a natural material in a range of colors I wanted to create a strong contrast with the surrounding architecture and the palette of man-made materials. It is an interactive installation that invites the public to decide how to experience the space. , it could encourage people who don't know each other to interact with each other, friends to sit together, or even suggest to passers-by to create a moment of intimate break".

Another Landmark projects is Sony Design's Into Sight , at Cromwell Place, a full-scale multimedia platform that plays on sensory effects to transform surfaces into an infinite and chameleonic view of changing lights, colors and sounds.

Festival commissions

Among the festivals commissions already announced is Henge, in Greenwich Peninsula, a multi-handed work by LSI Stone, Stanton Williams, Webb Yates and experimentadesign.

A project inspired by Neolithic stone structures, made with Jurassic limestone and marble from 150 million years ago, recyclable and zero emissions.

The result is a space with a circular shape, a gathering place, a sculptural and participatory place, a free meeting place where you can improvise readings of music, poetry and spontaneous performances.

The Festival at the Victoria & amp; Albert Museum

The London Design Festival strengthens its 13th year collaboration with the Victoria & amp; Albert Museum.

The museum, a mecca for lovers of art, fashion, design, customs, traditions, jewelry, history (and much more), will host a series of installations and exhibitions on the theme of transformation, from the evolution of molecules and materials to the creative renewal of domestic objects and the regeneration of the Planet.

Among the numerous projects, R for Repair , led by the DesignSingapore Council and the National Design Center of Singapore, and co-curated by Hans Tan Studio and Jane Withers Studio, where Singapore designers will repair UK objects and British designers Singapore ones, in an animated intercultural exchange from different interpretations of everyday life.

Read also: repair as a creative process generates additional value

In the spaces of the V&A, Plasticity will stand out, a monumental sculpture, designed by Niccolò Casas , 3D printed by Nagami, and made by Parley for the Oceans reusing marine plastic waste.

And again: The Lebanese House: save a home, saving a city , an installation by Annabel Karim Kassar that explores the reconstruction of Beirut after the explosion of 2020, a 'work that will underline the effects of this disastrous event on the cultural identity of the city.

Finally, poetics, the installation-performance Material Experiments , where the Canadian artist Omer Arbel will enchant the public in the John Madejski Garden in an engaging glassblowing studio, transforming antiques into copper and glass purchased at flea markets and vintage shops into a series of 113 new artifacts.

The design districts, the London Design Festival districts

One of the strengths and peculiarities of the London Design Festival is the presence of a network of districts, the Design districts, the beating heart of the event, each with its own history and identity.

This year there will be 12 Design Districts, neighborhoods where events and meetings will be organized during the week: Brompton Design District, Clerkenwell Design Trail, Islington Design District, King's Cross Design District, Mayfair Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle, Southwark South Design District, William Morris Design Line, Greenwich Peninsula and Park Royal Design District returning after their debut last year, and, relaunched in 2022, Bankside Design District and Pimlico Road Design District.

Le Design Destinations

Design Destinations are the fairs that are part of the broader program of the LDF. This year, the appointment is with Design London, scheduled from 21 to 24 September in North Greenwich, a showcase for the brands of kitchens, bathrooms, lighting and furnishings.

In addition to products, international pavilions from countries such as Denmark, Korea, Portugal, Sweden and Thailand will also be present, and meetings and round tables on industry trends will also be organized.

The Global Design Forum

Finally, the Global Design Forum deserves a mention, the program curated by the London Design Festival which this year sees the participation of Arup Foresight, ExploreStation, Commonplace, Digital Urban, The GlassHouse Community Led Design and Tétris Design and Build.

The Forum, through a panel of international speakers, will investigate how design is evolving to respond to the urgent needs that our environment and society in general have to face.