12th September 2023

What our clients are doing for #LDF23

London Design Festival is a big moment for the city’s creative scene. Exhibitions pop up in every nook and cranny, showrooms promise to save the world and designers briefly flirt with becoming DJs. But amongst the fun and the noise, some really stellar people are putting design into action – creating beautiful, story-rich pieces that show us the world in a new light. That’s what this list is all about.

Andu Masebo presents one of the Alfa Romeo Cloverleaf components used in Part Exchange.

V&A Emerging Designer Commission: Andu Masebo

Story-driven designer exhibits furniture family built from a single car, Part Exchange

Part Exchange

16 September–15 October 2023

V&A South Kensington

As a designer, Andu Masebo is as interested in the stories objects tell as the objects themselves. Nowhere is this better expressed than his forthcoming project for the annual V&A Emerging Designer Commission, launching during London Design Festival on 16 September 2023 and running until 15 October 2023.

Part Exchange comprises a family of furnishings, including a daybed, freestanding shelves and a coffee table, that tell the full 25 year history of a single car, an Alfa Romeo Cloverleaf. On display at V&A Museum South Kensington, the pieces composed from disassembled components of the car will be presented on a plinth fashioned from material recycled from previous exhibitions.

Purchasing the car at the end of its usable life, Andu sought out previous owners of the car to inspire the design of the furniture pieces. Moving between Jean from Yorkshire in 1998, to William from Manchester in 2005, Nigel from Blackburn in 2007, Niel from Walsall in 2017 and its final owner Chris from London in 2020, the car has been used in many different locations and was owned by five owners throughout its 25 year history. Photography and wall texts in the gallery space will share these stories with the public, reflecting diverse experiences of adolescent exploration, time spent with friends, the thrill of the open road and family life.

"While I'm not suggesting that we should all start turning our cars into furniture, I am interested in attempting to develop a new aesthetic of reuse. An aesthetic that sees sustainability not as a moral concession but as an opportunity to enrich the meaning of things, old and new.”

– Andu Masebo, designer

Find the latest details on V&A.

Artwork by Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu.

Without Shape Without Form

Unstruck Melody at the V&A

Unstruck Melody

16 September–15 October 2023

V&A South Kensington

From Without Shape Without Form, Unstruck Melody is a unique collaboration with British-born Canadian artist Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu. As part of the London Design Festival at the V&A South Kensington, this special installation includes tapestry, and film which explores ideas of spirituality and self-discovery through Sikh teachings. The display will be on view from 16 September 2023 – Sunday, 15 October 2023.

Curated by Deep K Kailey, the founder of WSWF, the former fashion director of Tatler and Vogue India, the project is a classic example of her belief in bringing art, mental health, culture and spirituality together. The artist, Nirbhai (Nep) Singh Sidhu, works with textile, sculpture, painting, video, and sound. Interested in the metaphysics of form and spatial rhythm, his poetic and symbolically-rich work explores formlessness as a metaphor for the divine and endless possibilities.

Friday Late performance and talk

There will also be an immersive Simran sound performance and a talk between the artist and curator during the V&A’s special late opening, Friday Late, on 22 September 2023.

Roba El-Essawy and Miles Spilsbury will play in response to Simran by Charanjot Kaur, activating an immersive soundscape that evokes a state of peace and clarity. The event will also feature a talk by the artist and curator of Unstruck Melody, who discuss Simran, Seva (selfless service) and Sangat (community of practice) which centres their practice

Find the latest details at V&A.

Portrait of Darren Appiagyei, by Gareth Hacker.

Darren Appiagyei

Craft in Brompton, talk at London Design Fair

Known for his story-rich materially-driven wooden pieces, Darren Appiagyei is taking part in a group exhibition at The New Craftsmen and will appear on a panel on business for the LDNdesign Talks Theatre.

16–24 September 2023

4 Cromwell Place, South Kensington SW7 2JE

Darren’s work will feature as part of ‘Join, Assemble, Hold’, an exhibition at The New Craftsmen for LDF 2023. Set within a domestic interior, his hand-wrought pieces are set within suspended installation of regional baskets alongside pieces by Ash & Plumb, Alex Walshaw, Takahashi McGil and Studio AMOS, while a hand-carved installation by Max Bainbridge is in an adjoining room. The exhibition celebrates rare and endangered basketry techniques, offering insight into heritage skills unique to the British Isles, revived for the contemporary world.

Further info:

thenewcraftsmen.com/pages/london-design-festival-2023

Saturday 23 September 2023

13–13.30

LDNdesign Talks Theatre - next to Hall 4 (The British Craft Pavilion) in London Design Fair (The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London)

And as part of LDNdesign series, Darren will join Sophie Sellu (GRAIN & KNOT) and Julius Arthur (House of Quinn) in a talk chaired by Roddy Clarke to discuss ‘Growing a sustainable business.’

Further info:

londondesignfair.co.uk/ldndesign-talks-stage-2023/

Street posters by UNCLE with graphic design by TEMPLO. This image is a render.

Are you using your power?

Design Can’s unmissable message for London Design Festival 2023

During London Design Festival 2023, equity campaign Design Can is sending a bold message to the UK’s creative sector across hundreds of advertising boards: are you using your power?

Designed by cause-led brand agency TEMPLO, and printed and distributed by UNCLE, the message will appear on 400 advertising boards across London from 8 to 21 September at a time when creative businesses are gathering in the city – kick-starting a conversation about how everyone should play a role tackling inequality.

Whether it’s decision makers at the top, junior staffers carrying out tasks, or those yet to get their foot in the door, we can all make an impact – even if it’s solely helping to spread the message and influence those around them. Echoing their ‘You Can’ statements, a series encouraging people to use whatever power they have, the billboard statement intentionally takes a provocative tone as a bold call-to-action for the sector as a whole.

The campaign will officially launch at a Design Can party at NOW Gallery on 14 September, and a QR code on the billboards will link to a digital call-to-action on design-can.com, where users can also find further resources around allyship and inclusion.

“Since launching in 2019, Design Can has worked with individuals and institutions across the creative sector. It was founded to support people to live up to the values they claimed to hold. Now, we’re calling on everyone who wants to see an inclusive sector make some noise. The time for change is now.”

– Sabine Zetteler, founder, Design Can

Visit design-can.com for the latest updates.

Smile Plastics’ Heron colour.

Smile Plastics

Showing in Shoreditch with 2LG

As part of London Design Fair, Smile Plastics is collaborating with creative duo Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead, founders of 2LG studio, on a bountiful installation. Entitled You Can Sit With Us, a 14-seat dining table will feature different designers showcasing their work, with the centre designed and fabricated by Smile Plastics.

And, in conjunction with Make Relief, Smile Plastics materials have been used to fabricate the registration desk for Material Matters. Taking inspiration from Danish textile designer Tanja Kirst, the piece forms an artistic geometric surface with Smile Plastic’s Heron colours, which is also continued through the supporting podiums and plinths.

Other highlights include a launch party at Tala’s flagship showroom, which will be followed by a breakfast morning with Dezeen where Smile Plastics will share behind-the-scenes details about the collaboration.

Follow Smile Plastics for the latest details.