LONDON.- designjunction, now in its eighth year, is set to transport to the cultural hub of London’s South Bank this September (20 - 23) with hundreds of product launches, boutique pop-up shops, bespoke installations, exhibitions, a specially curated talks programme and dedicated spaces to relax, meet, work and enjoy delicious food.
The Doon Street site, the largest super-structure ever built by designjunction, will house 200 international design brands and temporary pop up shops. The Riverside Walkway will showcase a series of outdoor installations, whilst Oxo Tower Wharf and Bargehouse will host major brand activations, talks and exhibitions.
RIVERSIDE WALKWAY
The Riverside Walkway will provide a platform for Mud Shell, an innovative housing project marrying ancient earth architecture techniques with the latest drone spraying technology.
Led by architect Stephanie Chaltiel, the project aims to build a simple but sturdy and durable housing system that can be customised depending on the location. Stephanie has developed a unique digital tool that can be piloted or programmed to "Drone Spray" natural materials over a light prefabricated framework until it forms an inhabitable structure.
Designed for both emergency contexts and alternative dwelling systems, Stephanie will construct one of these mud shells at designjunction in collaboration with students of London’s Architectural Association School of Architecture. Mud Shell will explore new methods to transform temporary housing into a permanent innovative habitation combining sustainable natural materials with advanced technology.
The project is funded by the InnoChain ETN network, a shared research training environment examining how advances in digital design tools can challenge the building culture, enabling more sustainable, informed and materially smart design solutions.
On one of the jetties overlooking the Thames, the city of Saint-Etienne will showcase the ‘Gateway to Inclusion’, an installation conceived by Lisa White, Head of Lifestyle and Interiors at WGSN, in collaboration with designer François Dumas. A structure made of steel and ribbon, two of Saint Etienne’s traditional industries, the project aims to promote inclusion in design.
The steel arches will be of different sizes and dressed in ribbons created by Neyret, an international ribbon manufacturer established in Saint Etienne in 1823. Lisa White worked closely with the WGSN colour team using the trend forecaster’s new Coloro colour-coding system, while the experts at Neyret developed an innovative technique of stretching the industrial ribbons in an almost couture manner to fit Dumas’ distinctive design. François Dumas explains: “The long, narrow path offered by the jetty inspired me to design this Gateway in a way that would enhance the experience of walking on it, together with others. The colourful ribbons will create a centripetal movement that invites the audience to prolong their experience by visiting the Saint Etienne Biennale in 2019.” After designjunction, the installation will travel to Paris and Saint Etienne where it will welcome visitors to the Saint Etienne Biennale next spring, from March 21-April 22, 2019.
DOON STREET SITE
designjunction is delighted to support the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust (SLCT) in partnership with RIBA in a year-long campaign, which aims to raise funds and promote diversity and inclusion in the design and architecture industry. Reflecting Stephen’s desire to become an architect, ‘The Architect’s Toolkit’ intends to help SLCT inspire and enable young people from underrepresented backgrounds to study and qualify as architects. The toolkit, created by London-based stationery brand Mark + Fold, will be a special edition of an architect’s essentials designed in collaboration with three renowned designers. Following the show and to coincide with the inaugural Stephen Lawrence Day (22 April 2019), a small run of each toolkit will go into production. A percentage of the profits made will go towards giving someone else the tools they need to start their career.
This September, ‘The Architect’s Toolkit’ project will launch at designjunction as part of a co-working space designed by award-winning, Brixton based architecture practice Squire and Partners, using acoustic panels by We Design Silence. Relating to Stephen Lawrence’s unrealised dream to become an architect, Squire and Partners’ installation creates a highly stimulating dreamscape environment in which core design tools are unlimited, and people from all generations and backgrounds can meet, work and create together. The space will be an active feature within the show where designers will host interactive workshops and connect young designers with industry leaders.
Located on the first floor of the Doon Street site, STILL is a unique restaurant installation curated by design consultancy and procurement specialists Form. The space is designed with harmonious layers of colour and texture to offer a setting for quiet contemplation in the bustle of the show.
The pop-up restaurant features a refined collection of design across lighting, textiles, surfaces, furniture and new materials, including brands; &tradition, Anour, KABE Copenhagen, Zilenzio and Atkinson & Kirby. The menu will be provided by Nordic inspired 26 Grains, the name refers to the number of ancient grains that are used to produce simple, healthy food.
Surfaces experts Caesarstone also join the list of leading brands brought together for the STILL restaurant project. The brand has used its newly launched Topus Concrete for the restaurants main bar. Developed as part of the design teams wider exploration of industrial finishes and weathered patinas, Topus Concrete’s gentle linear pattern is reminiscent of Jupiter’s rotating cloud bands, while its warm blush pink colours sit harmoniously within the calming palette used across Still.
On the ground floor, award-winning British designer Bethan Gray has teamed up with whisky experts The Glenlivet to create an experiential celebration of craft in the form of a bar serving a specially created menu of food and cocktails.
Bethan Gray has drawn inspiration from the Cairngorms, home of The Glenlivet, and explored the natural landscape surrounding the distillery to design a unique reinterpretation of her distinctive Dhow pattern influenced by the River Spey and the layers of mist that gather in the neighbouring valleys. The hand-stained birds-eye maple and solid copper inlay reflect the charred barrels and copper stills used by The Glenlivet in the whisky making process.
The bar itself is made from marble with a brass inlay – a new technique mastered with long-term collaborator Mohamad Reza Shamsian and his Muscat-based workshop of 120 artisans. The bar will also feature Bethan Gray’s Victoria lights for Editions Milano, shown for the first time in UK within lightjunction – designjunction’s curation of international and innovative emerging lighting brands.
OXO TOWER & BARGEHOUSE
The Bargehouse will welcome the Rado Star Prize UK exhibition showcasing the shortlisted concepts of the ten Rado Star Prize UK finalists. From lighting and ceramics to furniture and innovative manufacturing processes, the projects explore the idea of passing time and enriching life with products that enhance the user’s awareness of where they spend their time.
The winner, who will be announced on the first day of the show, will receive a £5,000 cash prize as well as a Rado watch. During the show, visitors will be able to nominate their favourite project from among the finalists. The winner of the public vote will also be awarded a Rado watch.
Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra will present the exhibition; ’The Original. About the power of good design’. As part of its international roadshow, the installation focuses on Vitra’s classic and contemporary products, offering insights into the company’s product development processes and recounts the origins and stories behind some of the most recognisable designs.
‘The Original. About the power of good design’ exhibition forms part of Vitra’s ‘The original’ campaign, communicating Vitra’s commitment to maintaining close relationships with its designers - who are referred to as authors - and the result of these collaborations is always an original.
Flooring creatives, Bolon will launch nature-inspired collection, Elements, in an exhibition showcasing the company’s commitment to sustainability. Subtle and versatile, the Elements range reflects the textures of the natural environment and is inspired by materials such as linen, oak, ask, cork, birch and marble. The exhibition will highlight Bolon's two new sustainable initiatives, Closing the Circle and Cradle to Cradle with NoGlue®, and reflect on its history of environmental consciousness which started when its founder, Nils-Erik Eklund began making woven rugs from vinyl waste sourced from a Stockholm factory in 1949.
Industrial designer, Tej Chauhan, will present SOFT POWER, an installation showcasing Tej’s works which range from technology to homeware, celebrating the everyday. The show will feature the UK debut of Moby, his new design for Artifort.
Since 2005, Tej Chauhan has been mastering an approach to visual language - soft and democratically appealing yet striking and impactful. Designing to inspire broad audiences, Tej demonstrates how emotive industrial design and efficient production techniques create value and differentiation.
Blueprint magazine will be presenting the winners of the 2018 Blueprint Architecture Photography Awards sponsored by Atrium. The display will be lit by an active lighting system from Atrium which will work in tandem with a sound installation called Urbanity. Urbanity — a soundscape of cities and architecture — is a collaboration between DJ and producer Noah Tucker and Blueprint editor Johnny Tucker. The soundtrack brings together sounds from cities around the world as far apart as Chandigarh, India and Moscow, Russia.
Now in its second year, the Blueprint Architecture Photography awards is an international competition open to both professional and amateur photographers. With a top prize of £1,000 for the professional winner and £1,000 worth of vouchers to spend with Atrium for the amateur winner, these highly creative awards celebrate photography that uses architecture as its muse.
