Celebrating the best comtemporay design across the capital this sixteenth edition of the London design festival bring you a variety of experiences from the V&A pop-up workshops, to installations across the city. The largest design event of the year brings the who’s who’s of design out of their studio spaces and right into our capital, consolidating London as the design capital of the world. (Main image: British Land Landmark Project, Alphabet by Kellenberger-White _Broadgate)
Sir John Sorrel CBE, Chairman of #LDF18Â summed up the 2018 event by saying.
“In challenging and unpredictable times, the design industry creates solutions to the main challenges we face, locally and globally. In recent memory, there has never been a more pressing need for the skills and innovative thinking that designers can offer”.
Headline Partner British Land
British Land is the headline Partner of London Design Festival for the third consecutive year announcing some key commissions and activations including key landmark project, Alphabet by Kellenberger-White, as part of the 2018 Festival. Here are some you do not want to miss.
Alphabet by Kellenberger-White at Broadgate
British Land has commissioned London-based graphic design studio, Kellenberger-White to create a landmark project at Finsbury Avenue Square, Broadgate. The design studio, known for their playful approach to typography, has designed a bespoke typeface which will come to life through a series of 26 moveable alphabet chairs. It will transform Broadgate into an interactive, urban playground, that brings together typography, architecture and gravity. Alphabet will be painted in a colour palate formed from industrial paint manufacturer, International Marine Paint. Colourways will include: International Orange, used on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and Cornflower Blue, on the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. This will complement the development activity which is currently transforming the Broadgate neighbourhood.
Paddington Central, a new Design Route for 2018
This year, Paddington Central will be an official Design Route as part of the Festival. An urban waterside oasis, British Land’s Paddington Central campus is one of London’s newest food and tech hotspots. Located next to Paddington Station and the iconic Grand Union Canal, it is home to inspirational public works of art, vibrant cultural events and ground-breaking architecture. Its community works smarter, stays active and lives well thanks to a backdrop that encourages businesses and people to flourish.
Snøhetta Book Pavilion at Paddington Central, Commissioned by British Land
Pioneering architects Snøhetta will present their Book Pavilion, an innovative architectural installation inspired by the traditional principles of a library. Located at 2 Kingdom Street, the installation will offer an immersive experience, which transports visitors into a world of books. The Snøhetta Book Pavilion will feature a range of oversized books which rotate and act as walls to create a range of spaces, from quiet and intimate, to open and public. Parents will be able to read to their child and visitors will be able to read together and share their experiences. Each book will include an insert with the following inscription; Reading gives us somewhere to go. A place to escape. This book lives in the Snøhetta Book Pavilion at Paddington Central but its story doesn’t end when you read the last chapter. Please enjoy this book and then bring it back to the Snøhetta Book Pavilion so someone else can immerse themselves in the joy of reading.
Flip Book Garden by Ido Garini at Paddington Central
Along Grand Union Canal, visitors will be able to discover the Flip Book Garden – an immersive landscape experience and transformative urban garden. Commissioned by British Land to create a stand out interactive installation, Ido Garini (Studio Appétit) has brought to life the exciting child-like sensation of opening a pop-up book by creating an outdoor setting that transitions throughout the day like the flip of a page. Merging the rich Victorian heritage of Paddington Station and its surroundings, together with contemporary and innovative design, the installation invites visitors to immerse in a lavish and inspiring atmosphere.
Daytime Garden The Form of Colour
8am – 3pm
During the day, the installation reveals a colour and pattern explosion that turns the landscape into a distinct multidimensional haven. Ideal for a quick stroll, energising break or spontaneous picnic, the daytime garden invites you to explore a relaxing world of imaginative and surreal botanical creations. This setting offers a vibrant and inspirational experience with freeform seating and whimsical ‘Design Plants’ nestled in between.
Evening Garden Victorian Jungle 3pm – 8pm
Every day at 3pm the garden flips and transforms into a lush urban jungle. A desirable haven away from the bustling city, that offers a sophisticated setting for socialising and unwinding at day’s end. Featuring an exclusive lounge area overlooking Grand Union Canal, the installation is set amongst pop-up floral elements that introduce Victorian botanical features into an urban setting.
The Royal College of Art at Paddington Central
Three thought-provoking installations from students at the School of Architecture at the Royal College of Art will explore the future of residential, lobby space and retail with three showcases in and around Sheldon Square. The Residential Build of the Future installation inside 4 Kingdom Street will present plans for an interlocking one-bedroom maisonette which experiments with new and varied apartment types complementing communal spaces for eating and working.
The Future of Lobby Spaces installation inside 2 Kingdom Street will offer engaging insights into how art and cultural content change perceptions of these spaces. It is an amorphic 3D cloud structure that comprises of flexible furniture, creating moments of privacy within the lobby space.
Presented on giant light cubes under Bishop’s Bridge, the Retail of the Future installation will explore how emerging technology will affect retail spaces and drive shifts in politics, economics and human behaviour. This approach to design aims to identify future problems that may not yet exist. It will showcase four scenarios that will be brought to life in a series of large-format photographic images.
The London Design Festival 2018 is only for one week and has over 400 design-related events, public projects, and installations in the capital. With eleven official Festival design districts to explore and 5 special projects hosted at the V&A, which is now celebrating its 10th anniversary as the official London Design Festival hub. Want to know more click here.  Dates: 16th Sept – 23rd Sept 2018 varied venues.
