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| Amanda Levete Architects extend the V&A entrance for London Design Festival 2011 |
This year's edition of the
London Design Festival is set to be better than ever, with a host of innovative installations and exhibitions planned to take place this September. WGSN-homebuildlife has a sneak preview of the highlights, as revealed this morning by co-founders John Sorrell and Ben Evans.
Amanda Levete Architects have been commissioned to create an extension to the main entranceway of the
V&A Museum, which traditionally acts as the hub of the Festival. Called
Timber Wave, it will be a sculptural installation made of American hardwood, with each segment calibrated to maximise its structural capabilities.
Renowned US gallerist
Murray Moss will work with
Materialise to place a series of 3D printed objects across the museum, while designer and architect
Ron Arad will create a piece for the courtyard garden, supported by
Veuve Clicquot. Up and coming design talent will be supplied by graduates from the
University of Arts London, who will have their work on show alongside existing collections across the museum.
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| John Pawson at St Paul's Cathedral |
An exciting development for this year's festival sees St Paul's Cathedral play host to an installation by esteemed architect
John Pawson, supported by
Swarovski. Pawson will work with the south-west staircase of the cathedral, usually closed off to the public, and promises to provide a pared-back, optical experience for visitors.
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| Reddress |
Finally, textile brand
Kvadrat are collaborating with designers on a number of projects this year.
The Finnish Institute return to the festival after the huge success of last year's pop-up restaurant Hel Yes!, with a performance/installation piece centred around a flowing red dress which the audience will sit in the hems of.
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| Visualization of Textile Field by the Bouroullecs for LDF 2011 |
Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are also working with Kvadrat, taking over the V&A's Raphael Gallery with an thirty-metre long floor of fabric called
Textile Field. Erwan Bouroullec said of the piece: "it's padded, so it's quite soft; people will walk and lie on it".
