Now in its 12th year as one of the world’s biggest and most innovative cultural events, the London Design Festival will return to the capital this month bringing with it more than 350 installations and arts experiences. Whether you’re hoping to discover the best new bespoke furniture and yacht interior designers or are looking for innovative tips on displaying fine art on your superyacht, this is the place to find them.
Based at Somerset House, but incorporating a range of cultural venues including the Victoria and Albert Museum and a variety of public spaces, the festival will seek to showcase London’s extraordinary design talent and creative economy.
A key part of this will be via the popular Landmark Projects, which last year saw installations placed in Trafalgar Square, and in 2015 will celebrate the regeneration of Greenwich Peninsula with a fantastical inverted electricity pylon by Alex Chinneck. Other not-to-be-missed installations come in the form of Barnaby Barford’s Tower of Babel (an ode to the great pastime of shopping), Champagne Perrier-Jouet and mischer’traxler’s hand-blown glass creation Curiosity Cloud and Frida Escobedo’s reimagination of the V&A’s John Madejski Garden into The Mexican Pavilion: You Know You Cannot See Yourself So Well As By Reflection.
Other highlights include an exhibition of works by the winners of the British Land Celebration of Design Awards 2015 and a presentation featuring the six winning ideas in the social media-led #PoweredByTweets design contest – one of which is a pigeon patrol to monitor air quality.
The 2015 festival will also see the return of the V&A’s popular talks and workshops programme. Each day will take one of seven themes – graphics, luxury, future, making, international, industry and digital design – and key speakers include furniture designer Tom Dixon, Studio Swine, artist Kim Thomé and graphic designer Harry Pearce.
As usual, a host of other design events will be running alongside the London Design Festival and are well worth a visit. Top picks include the Decorex International forum at Syon Park, the 100% Design trade show at Olympia and the internationally-led Focus/15 event at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour.
The London Design Festival takes places from September 19-27 2015 at Somerset House, London. Visit londondesignfestival.com.