The jury of the London Design Biennale 2021 has announced today June 24 the winning pavilions to the third edition. Responding to artistic director and curator Es Devlin's theme ‘Resonance’, the Biennale brings together over 30 pavilions to showcase how design can provide solutions to the challenges of our times, from sustainability to globalization, to migration to the future of humanity.
“The winners of the 2021 London Design Biennale Medals truly illustrate the importance of design thinking to help bring social change and economic growth across the world," said John Sorrell, President of the London Design Biennale. While Victoria Broackes, Director of the London Design Biennale, stated the winners "clearly demonstrate how brilliant design can be in telling complex stories that communicate directly to hearts and minds."
Selected by the London Design International Jury—excluding the Public Medal— Chile, Venezuela, Pavilion of the African Diaspora, and Israel were awarded this year’s London Design Biennale Medals, while Germany received a special commendation. The medals were handmade by Shimell and Madden whose design "represented the concepts of collaboration and bringing together countries, territories, and cities," as explained by the organization.
London Design Biennale 2021 Medal: Chile - Tectonic Resonances
The Chilean pavilion receives the medal for the most outstanding overall contribution. As the official statement says, "Tectonic Resonances is about the sound of rocks. Did you know that small stones became the first ritual instruments for sound and rhythm? And that geological events in Chile have an effect on the globe? Chile is a country of rocks that resonate, and for the team behind the Pavilion, this is the starting point for a decolonizing discourse for design in the south."
London Design Biennale 2021 Theme Medal: Venezuela - La Rentrada
La Rentrada has been awarded the Theme Medal for the most inspiring interpretation of ‘Resonance’, the theme of the current edition. The pavilion "seeks to imagine the return of the Venezuelan diaspora. An event that will be marked by a radical questioning of previous systems."
London Design Biennale 2021 Best Design Medal: African Diaspora - PoAD
Recognized as the most exceptional design, "the Pavilion of the African Diaspora (PoAD) was born from the need for a space on the global stage centered on the voices and contributions of people born of the African Diaspora, designed by Ini Archibong."
London Design Biennale 2021 Public Medal: Israel - The Boiler Room
Laureated for by the public, "Israel's pavilion explores the perpetual tension between Globalisation (Networking) and Nationalism (Capsularisation), how they overlap and ignite each other, leading us to an imminent boiling point."
London Design Biennale 2021 Special Commendation: Germany - Spoon Archaeology
Exceptionally, the jury decided to give the German pavilion a special commendation: “Spoon Archaeology” is designed as a study, presenting historical references from a museum collection next to contemporary cutlery designs. The installation presents the material and immaterial cultural heritage of the past and present, and invites the audience to resonate sustainable solutions for the future."
This year’s London Design Biennale International Advisory Committee and Jury included Aric Chen, Ben Evans, Christopher Turner, Es Devlin, James Lingwood, Jonathan Reekie, Marva Griffin Wilshire, Nipa Doshi, Paola Antonelli, Jeremy Myerson, John Sorrell, Suhair Khan, Victoria Broackes, and Waldick Jatoba.
The London Design Biennale 2021, which opened to the public on 1 June, runs to 27 June at Somerset House.
