18-26 September 2021
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18-26 September 2021
In Autumn 2018, the doors will open at Coal Drops Yard, a new shopping destination for London – 100,000 sq ft of shops, cafés, bars and restaurants at the heart of King’s Cross.
The cobbled streets and industrial architecture of Victorian London provide the wonderfully atmospheric backdrop. Reinvented by Heatherwick Studio, Coal Drops Yard gives retailers the opportunity to deliver a captivating and memorable experience.
Coal Drops Yard was home to a Festival Commission by Martino Gamper. This one-off site-specific installation was a playful temporary addition to the King’s Cross architecture: a false facade of a disco with a fresh take on traditional cladding from the Italian Alps.
Gamper’s concept was designed as a gateway within Coal Drops Yard and was inspired by the concept of a Potemkin village. The term comes from stories of a fake portable village built to impress Empress Catherine II by her lover Grigory Potemkin during her journey to Crimea in 1787.
The structure had a low environmental impact, with all materials being either waste products, recycled or later repurposed.
In addition to the installation, King’s Cross was a Design District for the first time following the success of the area’s Design Route in 2018. It also welcomed back the Design Destination, designjunction.
Supported by Coal Drops Yard with further support by Alpi.
