Features
Brompton Design District, The Times, September 2007
31st August 2007
Guiding light for the London Design Festival
An insiders’ guide to the London Design Festival 2007
Damian Barr – From The TimesSeptember 19, 2007
Fashion Week is the unbelievable in pursuit of the unwearable. Assuming you could afford so much as one Day-Glo lurex legwarmer, you wouldn’t actually wear it. The London Design Festival, now running until September 25, is far more democratic. And you don’t need to be a size zero. Tom Dixon is to product design what Giles Deacon is to fashion. Former creative director at Habitat, Dixon is most famous for his S-bend chair, jack light and a rather sinuous sex toy. His designs are praised as “pieces” for which museums pay thousands of pounds. His showrooms are catwalks for the latest in homefashions: he’s design couture. And later today, to launch the London Design Festival, he’s giving away 1,000 of his latest lights: future collectables for free.
“The Great Light Giveaway” takes place at 5pm on the North Terrace of Trafalgar Square, just below the steps of the National Gallery. Blow is an opaque plastic pendant that looks very much like a big light bulb. It’s designed especially for low-energy bulbs to highlight sustainability issues. All you need to know is that each one is worth £195. If you hate it, eBay it. Or perhaps you could try wearing it – you’ll fit in with thefashionistas.
Festival director Ben Evans shares his top tips for this years festival:
Top five installations
Size & Matter – breathtaking installations by Zaha Hadid and Future Systems outside Royal Festival Hall
Lomography Wall – 100,000 images of design from across the world in Trafalgar Square
Established & Sons – main pieces of the collection in stunning carrara marble shown in a vast underground bunker
26 posters – on sites across London 26 one-off posters that try to say something rather than sell something.
Barber Osgerby – “The Fluke’ nautical installation at the Naval College Greenwich
Top five for young talent
Designers in residence – this years new talent at the design Museum
Make me want you – best graphics graduates from the University of the Arts
Grandmateria – exciting blend of the new in Gallery Libby Sellers
The New World – British Council show of new designers from across the globe
Jaime Hayon – still young enough to include on show at Bisazza
Top five product launches
Twentytwentyone store – ‘Bags of Goodwill’ 40 top designers make bags to benefit fairtrade
The Urbanite Project – Alex Haw’s commission & installation at Tent in the Truman Brewery
100% Design – always something new & interesting at Earls Court
Moroso – British design ‘Soul’ in the new store
Carpenters Workshop Gallery – Martin Baas latest series of handcrafted furniture
Top five to take part in
Lomography Wall – pick up a lomo camera from Trafalgar Square to add your image to the final section of wall
Blueprint talks at Royal Festival Hall – great array of speakers in conversation with free drinks!
ReDesign seminars at Royal Festival Hall – waste re-used & re-designed
Langlands & Bell – bring your laptop for a virtual installation in Somerset House
Brompton Design District – wander from show to show all open late together
Top five of the past five years
Established & Sons Party 2005 – 2,000 people get down in a Hackney bus garage
Truman Brewery 2006 – 12 projects on one site take over Brick Lane
London Design Festival party 2003 – over 2,000 turn up to the V&A to get the whole Festival going
Tom Dixon 2006 – chair giveaway in Trafalgar Square is mobbed and makes the evening news
World Creative Forum 2003 – nearly 100 speakers downloaded their creative thoughts to an eager audience in the Bloomberg building
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