| London Design Festival 2009 |
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| Written by Eva D.Grimaldi |
| Tuesday, 08 September 2009 10:32 |
 One of the most design-conscious cities in the world, London features a healthy and diverse range of creative material, with plenty to explore across the capital. The London Design Festival provides a platform for the creative talent at work and creates a unique opportunity to visit over 200 specific events and activities reflecting the diversity of world-class design talent in the capital. A centrepiece of this year’s London Design Festival will be located in the heart of London, in Trafalgar Square.
The Tournament, an installation created by Spanish designer, Jaime Hayón will consist of a gigantic chess set, with 2m high ceramic chess pieces designed by Hayón on a specially created mosaic glass chess board. The installation, which will be set between the two fountains in Trafalgar Square, will be in situ from Saturday 19 – Wednesday 23 September. The Tournament is inspired by London and its history and heritage. The Battle of Trafalgar was organised like a chess game of naval strategy – the notes and images show how carefully it was worked out by Admiral Nelson when the British Navy defeated the combined fleets of the Spanish and French navy.  ‘Waterdrop’from Studio Hector Serrano The London Design Festival features examples of design from various historical periods, going right up until contemporary design in the present day. Londoners are invited to have a look at design trends throughout the ages and see the latest developments in design from modern designers and artists. Architecture, interiors, graphics, furniture, and product design are a few of the things that will be focused upon in the festival. Design enthusiasts can get under the skin of design in London at a selection of insightful events, including the massive exhibition of cutting edge design at the Old Truman Brewery, called Tent London, and the 100 Percent Design show at Earls Court.  From the Tent exhibition in London In Praise of Shadows is a project which has been organised by EUNIC – a network of European Cultural Centres – together with the support of the EC's office in London – to mark the initial phasing-out of low-efficiency light bulbs. The project is curated by Jane Withers and includes works by twenty European designers who bring imaginative thinking to the potential of low energy lighting. It's an opportunity not just to change a bulb but change the way we think about light – and darkness. The exhibition takes place in the Jones’ Galleries at the V&A, where the new lights will be like mysterious visitors in the darkened galleries.  Grafikea Tables The Hungarian artis, Bálint Bolygó’s ‘Bulb’ is an opto-kinetic sculpture that creates a unique light display within its environment. The body of a large incandescent light bulb rotates whilst a strong light casts shadows through the moving glass. As new technologies in lighting race to fill the need for more energy efficient means of lighting, the shape, form and technology of the traditional incandescent light bulb is being abolished to museums. This installation is not only a nostalgic look into the history of the light bulb, but is also a memorial to a very beautiful every day shape that is becoming fast extinct. The work challenges our association with familiar objects, by subverting their use and making something that is unpredictable.  Nobody&co at Tent, London The Design Museum is also joining in with all the fun at the London Design Festival 2009, and hosting major retrospectives on architect Jan Kaplicky and artist and designer Javier Mariscal. The Design Museum is also the place to go for ongoing exhibitions such as Super Contemporary, installations, special one off shows, receptions, seminars and activities. And if someone is looking for a unique and alternative culinary experience, The Black Banquet, promises to be a meal with a difference. Featuring an eight-course menu consisting solely of black dishes; theatrical food installations by Bompas & Parr; and a set designed by Fiona Leahy (who organised Dita Von Teese and Marilyn Manson's wedding), the event is guaranteed to have the wow factor on the 23rd of September for "only" 100 Pounds per person.  Lamp from the Designers Block exhibition in London 2008 Images: Archive - London Design Festival 2008 Bookmark us: 
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 September 2009 10:52 |