Unstruck Melody is a collaborative installation between Toronto-based artist Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu and the U.K. arts organization Without Shape Without Form.Petre Kelleher/Victoria and Albert Museum, London
An ever-crackling hub of creativity and innovation, London recently played host to hundreds of local and international exhibitors as part of the London Design Festival. Vast in size (programming stretched from Tottenham in the north to Brixton in the south and included districts from Chelsea to Shoreditch) as well as scope, the festival, which ran from Sept. 16-24, offered an extraordinary array of clever concepts including products and spaces that highlighted sustainability measures and new takes on traditional techniques.
The festival kicked off with an awards ceremony. Among the four recipients was the ceramic artist Dame Magdalene Odundo, who will be the subject of a solo exhibition – her first in Canada – opening Oct. 19 at Toronto’s Gardiner Museum. She received the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Medal for her oeuvre, elements of which will be on show in Magdalene Odundo: A Dialogue with Objects.
While there was reverence paid to design icons such as Eileen Gray and Charlotte Perriand (their practices were highlighted in new rug collections with Aram and CC Tapis, respectively), there was also ample opportunity for emerging creatives and companies to showcase modern ingenuity.
BRIGHT IDEAS
The unofficial theme of LDF seemed to be “let there be light.” Silvera, a decor boutique located in the borough of Chelsea, showcased the new Pale Rose collection from Louis Poulsen comprised of sultry iterations of the brand’s coveted styles that resemble the delicate petals of a romantic bloom. In tony Marylebone, Mud Australia – which opened an outpost there in late summer – introduced its porcelain lighting collaboration between founder and designer Shelley Simpson and Zachary Hanna, who was named to the Australia Design Review’s 30 Under 30 list last year. One of Mud Australia’s new styles, the Pop Lamp, is easily transportable, which was a buzzy concept throughout the festival. British design luminary Tom Dixon also celebrated the introduction of a series of luxe hand-held battery-operated lighting called the Portables.
British design luminary Tom Dixon also celebrated the introduction of a series of luxe hand-held battery-operated lighting called the Portables.Handout
ANNIVERSARY DATES
To fete 40 years of her eponymous brand, American designer Holly Hunt revealed a selection of new decor items at her showroom in Mayfair. Also on site were Christian and Heidi Batteau, co-founders of Assemblage, an Arkansas-based studio known for its sumptuous hand-made wall coverings. In Shoreditch, whimsical Scottish creative Donna Wilson celebrated her eponymous label’s 20th year with the launch of a made-to-order knit and felt wall hangings collection. The brand’s festival pop-up displayed a selection of styles recently added to Wilson’s Abstract Assembly furniture line.
HEAR AND NOW
Unstruck Melody, a collaborative installation between Toronto-based artist Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu and the U.K. arts organization Without Shape Without Form, is a pensive and profound combination of sound, sculpture, tapestry and film. The grouping of works, on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s South Kensington location until Oct. 15, reveals Sikh teachings about community-mindedness and self-discovery in the context of sumptuous visual and aural output. The installation’s LDF programming included a listening session that intertwined live music and Simran, the spiritual practice of centring the mind through deep listening and focused repetition.
TOP SHOPS
Award-winning designer Bryan O’Sullivan opened the doors to a new gallery next to the famed Claridge’s hotel, and you can imagine what kind of opulent fare is found within. Boasting a celestial custom-made ceiling mural by the artist Sam Wood, the cozy address features an array of lavish goods including the studio’s plush Croissant sofa and the juicily hued Jellyfish mirror, so named for its quirky ruffled silhouette. The House by M.A.H, an evolving concept showroom launched by local interior stylist Laura Fulmine, displayed a wealth of considered objects from a set of vintage hand-blown Murano wall lights to delicate ceramic urns by Giuseppe Parrinello and home accessories by Toronto-based industrial designer Maha Alavi.
Award-winning designer Bryan O’Sullivan opened the doors to a new gallery next to the famed Claridge’s hotel.Milo Hutchings/Handout
MATERIAL GAINS
The most predominant philosophical thread running between exhibitors at LDF was the navigation of sustainable design with regards to materials. There was a multistorey exhibition called Material Matters at the Bargehouse building on the south bank of the Thames, which included Jack Brandsma’s assortment of designs made with hemp fibres, magnesium oxychloride (a.k.a. sorel cement) and potato starch – part of a project called Material Magic. Mycelium, the root structure of fungi, had a significant presence including in MushLume’s pendant lights and furniture by Osmose Studio. Jasper Morrison Studio presented an array of bamboo items, as well as a new wine cooler made from cork. The buoyant, recyclable material also popped up in a vibrant installation by Simone Brewster, which was commissioned for this year’s LDF.
CREATIVE FIBRE
Winnipeg-based textile artist Lia Karras presented examples of her wonderous weaving techniques using material off-cuts and fibre remnants. “Being in London for the London Design Festival and showing my work at the London Design Fair was an amazing experience,” Karras says about participating in the London Design Fair – a three-day event included in the festival’s programming – for the first time. “The city was full of designers and artists all sharing their work and exchanging ideas. The design world seems to be in a moment of transition as we all grapple with the current social, environmental and economic issues. It was encouraging and inspiring to see so much optimism, ingenuity and creativity in one place.”