A First Look at LDF24

On 20 June, we hosted the LDF24 First Look at One Hundred Shoreditch and were joined by designers and curators to discuss what’s in store for September.

Every year, the Festival highlights topical issues and ideas that are shaping the industry at large. With sustainability, AI and inclusivity continuing to take centre stage, the notion of play has also emerged as a growing global trend within the creative sector - its multifaceted nature leading designers to examine the integrity of play as concept and celebrate its manifestations across different areas of our lives.

LDF director Ben Evans kicked off the evening by painting a picture of where the design scene is in London right now. This was followed by the revealing of our Landmark Projects, Festival Commissions, Design Districts, 2024 identity by Pentagram and much more...

London Design Festival in association with American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) will present 'Vert' at the Parade Ground at Chelsea College of Art, designed by leading industrial design practice Diez Office in partnership with climate farming experts OMC°C. A sustainable structure in red-oak glulam poised to revolutionise the cityscape, this Landmark Project proposes an innovative architectural solution for cooling cities, providing serene green spaces and enhancing urban biodiversity, while seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure.

Crafted predominantly from red oak, an abundant and highly sustainable wood species from the naturally regenerating forests of North America, the project will challenge the status quo of timber construction by advocating for greater diversity in timber sourcing, fostering forest resilience, and promoting sustainable practices within the construction industry.

The structural frame will hold a biodegradable net with a curated selection of around 20 plant species. The living ecosystem will support local biodiversity, serve as a habitat for essential insect populations, enrich the urban environment, and provide a sheltered space where visitors to the Festival can gather and relax.

'Duo' by Turkish designer and artist Melek Zeynep at the Royal Naval College’s Painted Hall will be an innovative suspended installation that serves as an exploration of duality and interaction. Conceived as a rectangular prism with a minimalist design reminiscent of ancient forms, the installation embodies simplicity to evoke a sense of psychological closeness. At its core, 'Duo' encapsulates the essence of 'two': a dialogue, a duality, an agreement, and the dynamic interplay between the centre and periphery.

Central to Duo's concept is its interconnected mechanical system, meticulously crafted to induce a delicate balance and rhythmic harmony. Magnets and sensors, strategically placed to repel each other, create an interactive experience where human presence alters spatial motion and rhythm. This dynamic relationship between viewer and installation not only transforms the space but also amplifies the sensory experience, blurring the boundaries between observer and observed.

Major Partner Johnnie Walker will be also launching a Landmark Project with a future-facing designer, as well as a new, groundbreaking design innovation at this year’s London Design Festival. As a brand rooted in progress, the world’s number one Scotch whisky brand will also be speaking at the Global Design Forum, sharing more around the inspiration and significance of its design innovation that focuses on craft and luxury.

Power Out of Restriction (POoR Collective) will partner with Battersea Power Station to create a community inspired installation for the exciting new riverside neighbourhood. The project will see last year’s winners of the Emerging Design Medal and Battersea Power Station host a series of workshops for Wandsworth based school children and youth groups to design an exciting piece of public art, which will be displayed in the Grade II* listed building’s Turbine Hall A during the London Design Festival in September. 

Craft x Tech will be an exhibition at the V&A’s Prince Consort Gallery. The initiative bridges the gap between traditional Japanese craft and contemporary technology. A group of respected designers and artists will bring new and meaningful insights to these centuries-old master crafts traditions.

Master craft producers from six prefectures of the Tohoku (north-east) region of Japan will be working alongside Sabine Marcelis, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves (Studio SWINE), Ini Archibong, Yoichi Ochiai, Hideki Yoshimoto, and Michael Young. The programme is an initiative led by the Craft x Tech Association and Tangent, with curatorial direction of Maria Cristina Didero.

Experience a series of thought-provoking contemporary installations in galleries across the museum exploring global cultures, and material investigations through craft and origins. Discover how design shapes space to bring people together and commune through rituals.

British-Ghanaian designer Giles Tettey Nartey is exploring culture, culinary tradition, and the rituals of domestic life in Ghana through ‘Communion’. Designed as a reimagination of the practice of making ‘fufu’ – a West African staple food, the communal pounding table aims to reframe the act of pounding cassava and plantain, one person pounding, another turning the mixture in an almost choreographed fusion of movement and sound that is akin to dance. The design centers the process of collectively making and sharing a meal as a point for exchange and discussion. 

The V&A Emerging Designer Commission features Arjun Singh Assa, Liang-Jung Chen, and Angela Ford, who delve into the concept of 'origin' through their contemporary design practices. Arjun Singh Assa, born in Kenya, explores generational knowledge and spiritual themes inspired by Sikh architecture, translating them into conceptual furniture pieces. Taiwanese designer Liang-Jung Chen examines physical and metaphorical borders, focusing on museum barriers as design elements. Angela Ford, a British-Jamaican multidisciplinary designer also known as Studio Raw Origins, investigates raw materials from a decolonial perspective, using her family's DNA to craft artefacts that reflect untold histories and movements. 

'Un-Hide: Reframing Luxury' is an interactive seating series by Modular by Mensah redefining leather's evolving role in contemporary design. Drawing parallels between human skin's memory and leather's natural features, the project explores leather's lifecycle and its potential as a sustainable luxury material. Challenging traditional perceptions, leather is reimagined as a medium for fostering social connections and promoting sustainability. Modular by Mensah is founded by British Ghanaian designer Kusheda Mensah, the project is supported by Bridge of Weir Leather and Muirhead.

'Barricade and Beacon' explores the intersection between architecture and activism and focuses attention on the role architects, designers and citizens can play in lobbying for change. The display features two structures: Barricade, made from U-Build units, and Beacon, fabricated from bamboo. Presented by the V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership, the installation is a collaboration with London-based architects Studio Bark and coincides with the publication of Protest Architecture (RIBA Publishing, 2024) by founding member of Studio Bark, Nick Newman.

'The SIM Project' examines the deep relationship between smartphones, belonging and migration. It was born out of collaboration with Syrian refugees on a resettlement programme in Coventry, with SIM card-size artworks added to the city's museum collection. It combines the histories of photography, communication and jewellery to give material meaning to people’s virtual networks and create new ways to archive stories of migration. 'Stained glass’ SIM sculptures will feature hundreds of unique SIM-scale glass prints of personal screenshots, made in workshops across seven countries.

From North to South, East to West, the Design Districts are a key component of the Festival makeup. Each District has its own unique personality that reflects the local community and enables visitors to explore events a short walking distance from each other.

There will be 11 Design Districts as part of this year’s Festival: Bankside Design District, Battersea Design District, Brompton Design District, Chelsea Design District, Dalston to Stokey Design District, Fitzrovia Design District, Greenwich Peninsula Design District, Mayfair Design District, Park Royal Design District, Shoreditch Design Triangle and William Morris Design Line. 

Global Design Forum will return to the V&A this year, celebrating 10 years since it first took place at the Museum. The programme for 2024 will focus on some of the most pressing and crucial challenges that designers currently face, covering the following themes: Please Design Responsibly, The Healthy City, Resilience and Repair and More than Human. Partners this year include Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Türkiye Design Council and Velux.

Since 2007, world-renowned creative agency Pentagram have produced an annual graphic identity for each iteration of the Festival - responding to, and anticipating trends in design and typography.

Certain elements of the identity remain constant - the Festival’s colour palette of white on red has been proved to be one of the Festival's most recognisable elements. This has allowed Pentagram to adapt the brief each year to produce distinctive visual identities ensuring that each year the Festival remains dynamic and interesting. This year’s identity explores the concept of ‘duality’.

Domenic Lippa, Partner at Pentagram, who has led the creative direction of the branding and visual design for the Festival since its inception, said: