London Design Festival
Look out for design exhibitions popping up across South Bank as part of this year's festival
Dates
14 Sept
-
22 Sept 2024
Ticket Information
Tickets for Material Matters costs £15. All other events are free
Location Info
- Address
- Oxo Tower, Barge House Street, London, UK
London's annual celebration of all things design returns, and once again South Bank hosts a variety of design-led showcases, exhibitions and discussions.
Here's a look at this year's highlights
Material Matters
This innovative material design showcase brings together 40+ leading brands, designers, manufacturers and makers. Hosted at the historic Bargehouse next to Oxo Tower, the fair is inspired by the critically acclaimed podcast of the same name that celebrates the importance of innovative materials and their ability to shape our lives. In addition to an array of exciting exhibitions, the Material Matters fair also has a brilliant talks programme that it is well worth booking ahead for.
Details: Bargehouse, tickets £15. Open 18-21 Sep.
Late Night Shopping at Oxo
One of South Bank’s most distinctive buildings, Oxo Tower Wharf is a local design hub and renowned London landmark filled with beautiful shops and studios showcasing the skills of dozens of talented local artisans. As part of this year’s London Design Week, the studios and makers of the Oxo community are opening late to give visitors the chance to browse, buy, and commission, as well as to get to know more about their craftsmanship - and all with a glass of fizz in hand.
Details: Oxo Tower Wharf, Wed 18 Sep from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Entrance is free
Formations in Clay Furniture
The latest exhibition from the County Hall Pottery gallery and studio showcases the work of seven celebrated ceramic artists, known for their large-scale functional ceramic pieces. Inviting viewers to reconsider where ceramics play a role in everyday life, the exhibition subverts the idea of what we imagine should be mass-produced, presenting the possibilities, variety and beauty of creation by hand. Featured artists include Elliot Denny, Emma Louise Payne and Attua Aparicio.
Details: County Hall Pottery, County Hall (entrance on Belvedere Road). Open 11am-6pm from 15-22 Sep. Opening event on Sat 14 Sep from 6pm-9pm
The Anti-Ruin by OZRUH
Every year a different installation takes form in front of the Oxo Tower for the duration of the festival. This year’s temporary installation is The Anti-Ruin by OZRUH. A provocative installation made with resource-efficient 3D-printing technology and natural materials such as sand and stone powder, the piece is dubbed ‘an anti-ruin’.
Through consistent reuse, recycling and evolution, the structure’s open-ended design, raw materiality and architectural use of organic materials, show how the structures of today can be designed to grow and evolve over time to become something new rather than falling into decay.