London Design Festival was launched in 2003 by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Ben Evans CBE. Building on London’s existing design activity, they wanted to create an annual event that would promote the city’s creativity and attract the country’s greatest thinkers, practitioners, retailers and educators to create an unmissable celebration of design.
The vision of London Design Festival is to celebrate and promote London as the design capital of the world. The festival will take place for the 19th time from 18-26 September 2021.
See also: Best Design and Art Museums in London
London and Design go hand in hand. It is part of our story. London Design Festival is a platform for hundreds of design stories to be told. Each of them talks to an expanding audience hungry for design ideas and enjoying the quality and diversity of what’s on offer. It all confirms London’s status as the global centre of design.
Ben Evans CBE, London Design Festival Director
Here you have some curiosities:
The festival is responsible for creating design icons and must-see and must-experience buildings: In addition to the works of Hadid and the Bouroullecs, there are Alison Brooks Architects’ The Smile (2016) and Endless Stair (2013) by Alex de Rijke.
Framed by Stuart Haygarth (2010) was inspired by Dorothy’s travels on the Yellow Brick Road (in the Land of Oz) and by an abstract interpretation of contemporary street art.
Since 2007, the festival has commissioned some of the world’s most celebrated designers to create sensational temporary structures. The first, Zaha Hadid, was the incredible concrete Urban Nebula, which was on display at Southbank Centre and put polished concrete at the heart of the design action.
See also: Zaha Hadid Architects’ Latest Project Hidding In A Caribbean Island
Outrace by Kram/Weisshaar from 2010 featured eight Audi robots that created calligraphy from visitors’ text messages. Because the technology depended on spotlights, it had to run until midnight, as the messages were easier to see after sunset. When AL _A architects set up Timber Wave outside the V&A in 2011, the installation was so difficult that the museum’s main entrance was closed for almost two weeks.
The festival shines a new light on the city and gives new splendour to the familiar. In Jaime Hayón’s Tournament (2009), a giant chessboard was integrated into Trafalgar Square, bringing to life a cityscape as in Alice Through The Looking Glass.
Get to know a special project:
The Cube by VELUX® by Henning Larsen
This artistic installation will serve as a sanctuary for Londoners to relax and unwind. Built by VELUX® and designed by Danish architects Henning Larsen, the unique installation consists of a mosaic of skylights. The Cube by VELUX® lets the combination of daylight and fresh air let your mind wander. Located at Observation Point on South Bank, the installation allows visitors to control the skylights via the VELUX ACTIVE app.
London Design Festival is a fantastic event which brings together designers from across the globe and demonstrates the capital’s position as a powerhouse for the creative industries. London is known for its creativity and continues to attract the best companies and talent from around the world. I’m delighted to support London Design Festival, which shows that London is open to great ideas, innovation and people from all backgrounds.
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London