The Top 5 Art & Design Spots for London Design Festival 2018
This September during
The London Design Festival we're exhibiting at Design Junction, which is showcasing the best in craft and design from across the UK and further afield. In honour of this, we've chosen some of our favourite events for design lovers happening around London this September.
Open House – The Isokon Building
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Open House London is the world’s largest architecture festival, giving free public access to 800+ buildings, walks, talks and tours over one weekend in September each year.
Our pick at this year’s festival is a visit to the iconic Isokon building in Hampstead. Its onsite gallery tells the story of this pioneering, modern apartment block opened in 1934 as an experiment in new ways of urban living, and which has subsequently provided inspiration to countless artists, architects and designers.
Open House Festival runs from the 22nd to the 23rd of September.
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London Design Biennale – Somerset House
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A highlight of the global design calendar, London’s Design Biennale will see some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious designers gather in the capital to show how design impacts every aspect of our lives.
Working with the title 'Emotional States', designers from around the world will exhibit their work and installations across London’s iconic Somerset House. This year's Biennale exhibition will show international design teams illustrating how design can challenge, delight, educate and surprise.
The London Design Biennale is on until the 23rd of September.
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Wood Carving With Craftsman Kunimistu Takatsuki - Oxo Tower Wharf
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Award-winning craftsman Kunimistsu Takatsuki is at the heart of the revival of Gobarashikki - an ancient tradition in wood carving and lacquer work from the Okayama mountains of south-west Japan. During The London Design Festival he will demonstrate the timeless technique of carving classic bowl forms using a hand-powered lathe.
Made from chestnut wood and with lacquer taken from local trees, Gobarashikki is a classic tableware which was briefly lost. At the heart of this revival is Kunimitsu Takatsuki, who is multi-award winning in his craft. During The London Design Festival Kunimitsu will be giving demonstrations in wood carving techniques in collaboration with the Wagumi Design Shop located at the OXO Tower Wharf.
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Renzo Piano, The Art of Making Buildings – The Royal Academy of Arts
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Marking 50 years of work from the man who added London’s Shard to its skyline and gave Paris its Pompidou Centre. The RA features rarely seen drawings and full-scale maquettes from internationally renowned architect Renzo Piano, showcasing the design process behind some of the worlds most iconic spaces. At the heart of the exhibition is an imagined ‘Island’, a specially designed sculptural installation which brings together nearly 100 of Piano’s projects.
Visit this exhibition at The Royal Academy from the 15th of September to the 20th of January 2019.
Design Junction 2018
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A perfect way to spend a London weekend, at an exhibition of cutting-edge craft and design. Design Junction is set across three exciting venues on the South Bank, expect to discover 200 international brands, outdoor installations, as well as delicious pop-up eateries and bars.
From 20th - 23rd of September.