LONDON.- London-based designers Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby have worked alongside the V&A, the world’s leading museum of art and design, to create Forecast - a wind powered installation. Supported by British Land, the piece will be displayed in the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House this September, as the UK’s entry to the first London Design Biennale.

Alongside design installations from over 35 other nations, Forecast will respond to the inaugural Biennale’s theme ‘Utopia by Design’; a celebration of the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s inspirational text, as part of Somerset House’s UTOPIA 2016 season.

Built by Litestructures, with engineering by Arup, the installation will comprise a group of wind masts and rotating elements, inspired by weather measuring instruments. Movement will be triggered as the wind picks up or changes direction, creating a simple kinetic sculpture that responds to the elements.

Forecast calls to mind a romantic image of Britain’s great maritime history, with tall ships, towering masts and fluttering sails, simultaneously evoking wind turbines and weather stations. It also reflects the necessity to respond imaginatively to the need for environmental action in the face of the precarious state of the planet. The UK is at the forefront of the development in wind energy, with as much offshore capacity already installed as the rest of the world combined.

Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby said; “It is a real honour to be representing Great Britain in the first London Design Biennale. Our piece, Forecast, responds to the theme of Utopia by linking our seafaring past to a future of truly sustainable power.

As an island nation, Britain has historically been reliant on harnessing the power of the wind and the waves for transportation, migration, trade and exploration. Today, the UK is a world leader in offshore wind energy. Forecast is intended to reference this and highlight the opportunity for a more sustainable future”

Victoria Broackes, V&A Curator said; “Forecast is a giant kinetic sculpture that responds to the strength and direction of wind: signing the way of progress- past, present and future. In blurring the linearity of time, Forecast suggests that utopia doesn’t have to be unattainable, it can be here and now, and is intended as a symbolic reminder that every individual can make a difference, starting from today. Striking a delicate balance between functionality and beauty, Forecast will be an expression of what might be possible: much like Thomas More’s vision of Utopia itself.”