London Design Biennale has opened on June 1st, 2023, at Somerset House, bringing together participants from around the world to celebrate new forms of international cooperation through design. The Biennale, now in its fourth edition, will display more than 40 installations focused on the theme ‘The Global Game: Remapping Collaborations,’ chosen by this year’s Artistic Director, the Nieuwe Instituut, Instituut, led by Aric Chen. In addition to the national participants, the Eureka exhibition will showcase cross-disciplinary innovations from UK’s leading research centers.
London Design Biennale 2021 Medal: Chile - Tectonic Resonances. Image Courtesy of ER
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."
Responding to artistic director and curator Es Devlin's theme ‘Resonance’, designers from different countries, territories, and cities showcased how they envision new perspectives and solutions to global issues, exploring topics such as sustainability and the environment, globalization, migration, and the future of humanity. The diversity of the contributing curators was not only present in the solutions they presented, but in how they displayed them as well. While some opted for the tactile experience of exploring natural elements, others relied on one of the most prominent themes of the 21st century: digitalization and the virtual world.
London Design Biennale is currently unfolding at Somerset House, with 38 exhibitions from across six continents showcasing the role of design in addressing global challenges. Curated by Artistic Director Es Devlin, the event centres around the theme ‘Resonance’, inviting designers and artists to consider the ripple effect of “ground-breaking design concepts on the way we live, and the choices we make”. At the third edition of the London Design Biennale, the national pavilions highlight new perspectives on world issues, exploring sustainability and the environment, globalisation and migration, history and daily life.
The London Design Biennale and Chatham House announced a new call for designers to address issues of crisis around the world. Called Design Resonance in an Age of Crisis, the initiative aims for radical design solutions to critical problems across four key areas: Health, Environment, Society, and Work. The announcement follows the news that the Biennale has been postponed until 2021.
The 2020 London Design Biennale has officially been postponed until 2021. Established in 2016 by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Ben Evans CBE, London Design Biennale promotes international collaboration and the global role of design. The third edition of London Design Biennale, will now take place in June 2021, curated by Artistic Director Es Devlin.
Metronome(s). Image Courtesy of London Design Biennale
The French Pavilion at the London Design Biennale 2020 will explore the theme of resonance through metronomes. The design team will comprise of designer Sebastien Servaire, Margot Myers and curator Anne-Laure Pingreoun. Up to 50 countries, territories and cities will exhibit at the third edition of London Design Biennale this autumn. They will respond to Artistic Director Es Devlin's call to action exploring how design can provide solutions to the major crises of our time.
Experimental design practice Studio INI's has designed a kinetic installation to represent this year's Greek Pavilion for the 2018 London Design Biennale. Entitled ΑΝΥΠΑΚΟΗ (Disobedience), the installation responds to the Biennale theme of Emotional States. Selected for the central courtyard exhibit, the design is comprised of a 17 meter-long wall constructed from a steel spring skeleton built up with recycled plastic which flexes, morphs and breathes around the human body.
The Silent Room. Image Courtesy of London Design Biennale
Opening next month, the London Design Biennale returns with an impressive cast of characters. In its second iteration, the Biennale begins September 4 under the theme ‘emotional states’ and will run until September 23. After the 2016 inaugural launch, the event has expanded to include 40 countries, cities and territories. Taking over Somerset House, including the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court and River Terrace, the event will explore ideas ranging from social equality and pollution to migration and cities.
In this video from CNN Style, London designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby discuss Forecast, a wind-powered installation they created in collaboration with V&A Museum for the first London Design Biennale. With the intent to help city residents find their way “at a time of turbulence,” the installation responds to the Biennale's theme "Utopia by Design."
One of the most public and politically relevant debates about spatial borders, that of the United States and Mexico, has been probed in a project currently being exhibited at the London Design Biennale. Helmed by Fernando Romero and his team at fr*ee, "Border City" puts forward the idea of a binational city on the border, a place where cultures "both clash and blend to create something altogether unique."
The states along the border of these two countries now have a population of over 100 million people - ample to facilitate the introduction of a new city. fr*ee explained: "Border City is the first integrated masterplan for a binational city conducive to both sides of the border, employing tools of enterprise such as special economic zones to argue for its viability." The masterplan is unrolled in detail at the London Design Biennale, as seen in the video below. The exhibition is open from the 7 – 27 September.
A total of 34 countries will participate in the inaugural London Design Biennale, according to a press release from the organization. Set to open on September 7th, the Biennale will center on the theme Utopia by Design, looking at “sustainability, migration, pollution, water and social equality,” among other issues.
The theme was chosen in honor of the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s “Utopia,” and the Biennale will be “the centerpiece” of the Somerset House’s year-long programme celebrating the text. “We chose the inaugural theme, Utopia by Design, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s classic, and to reflect on the rich history of the modernist design it inspired,” said Christopher Turner, the Director of the London Design Biennale.
The Biennale “will present newly commissioned works in contemporary design, design-led innovation, creativity and research,” bringing together “designers, innovators and cultural bodies” to explore “the role of design in our collective futures.” A diverse group of countries from five continents are set to participate: Albania, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, SouthAfrica, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, UK and the USA.
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_-_Pavillion_for_France_at_London_Design_Biennale_(4).jpg?1581537648 "Metronome(s). Image Courtesy of London Design Biennale")
_-_Pavillion_for_France_at_London_Design_Biennale_(2).jpg?1581537615 "Metronome(s). Image Courtesy of London Design Biennale")
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