On Saturday September 14th London Design Festival 2013 opens to the public.
We'll sadly not be there.
Sadly because London in early Autumn is always a delightful thought, and also because the 2013 programme would appear to contain a few real gems.
As many of you know we don't like recommending shows/exhibitions/products/anything really we haven't seen ourselves. And while at such events the genuine personal highlights are often found where and when one least expects them, there are a few events at London Design Festival 2013 that look very enticing.
The Mosaic Rooms in Cromwell Road, for example, is presenting a showcase of objects from the collection of Beirut based Carwan Gallery. Presenting works by Karim Chaya, Taher Asad Bakhtiari, Karim Bekdache,Marc Baroud, OEUFFICE and Philippe Malouin, the show is, if we are correctly informed, Carwan Gallery's very first exhibition in the UK and presents not only a wonderful opportunity to get to know the depth and scope of the Carwan portfolio but also to learn more about contemporary Middle East design per se.
Also making their London debut - at least in the context of a solo exhibition - is Belgian duo Muller Van Severen a.k.a. Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen. Objects from the pairs precocious "Landscapes for Living" furniture collection will be on show at Viaduct Camberwell, and having seen the works in Milan we can certainly recommend them as objects worth going out your way to see.
Sentiments that we would also apply to the lighting collection of Brooklyn's finest Roll & Hill. A lighting collection which can be viewed as part of SCP's interesting sounding "Design Department Store" which under the title "The Special Relationship" will present in addition to new products from and for SCP's own collection, a focus on America designers/producers including a showcase of products by the American Design Club, Lostine and the aforementioned Roll & Hill.
Elsewhere the contemporary Soho design space 19 Greek Street is presenting Wonderland, which it describes as an "experimental landscape" formed by 18 pieces from 12 designers including Richard Hutten, Nina Tolstrup and Rasmus Bækkel Fex, a designer whose work we are only just starting to get to know. But who becomes ever more interesting the more we see. If we were in town we'd also go to to see the exhibition Young Creative Poland - 4 Years On at Ognisko Polskie in Kensington. Sadly it is one of these shows of creativity where the organisers don't feel obliged to give any more information than the name of the event and the location. As such we don't actually know who or what will be on display. But we suspect greatness will be on show.
And last but by no means least Donna Wilson will be celebrating ten years of "odd knitted creatures" and other delights with a retrospective in Shoreditch. Among the highlights of the show promises to be a photo booth kitted out with oversize knitted props and an interactive live knitting installation.
In addition almost all major contemporary furniture producers are presenting events in their London flagship stores.
Full details of all events can be found at http://www.londondesignfestival.com
And if any of you do attend any events, do let us know how they were.
We'll certainly let you know what we were up to while you were in London!
