Reactive spatial installations at LDF inspire circularity, craftsmanship and activism

At the 22nd edition of the London Design Festival, on view from September 14 - 22, 2024, across multiple design districts in London, UK, various showcases, workshops, installations, exhibitions, talks and design trails infatuate visitors with a barrage of trending subjects and cognizant discussions. Amongst the events lined up for the design festival are several spatial and multisensorial installations that invigorate visitors with their pedagogically led premise and their sensorially rich designs.

These architectural installations at the design fair address the importance of cognizant building practices against the uncertainty of the climate crisis and the merit in inculcating vocational learning amongst young individuals with the intent of empowering them and envisioning inclusive change by participatory action. Further, various architecture pavilions at the design event also append spatially dominant multisensorial experiences that stir up introspection and redraw the inherent connection between man and nature. Some other presentations on view during London Design Festival 2024 further verbalise the connection between activism and architecture and inspire visitors to drive change through tangible actions.

STIR offers a virtual tour through these design installations that invigorate London’s districts during the design week.

Vert

With the soaring temperatures and heatwaves in London resulting in heat health alerts during the past few years, it becomes imperative to scout for solutions that can alleviate such harsh conditions in any way. In response to this issue that is not only visibly affecting sentient beings across the globe but has also caught the attention of individuals from disparate professional domains, LDF2024 platforms, as one of its landmark projects, an installation conceived by industrial design practice Diez Office, in association with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and partnership with urban greening specialists OMC°C. “The structure performs as a ‘Greening Machine’, while also making urban spaces more harmonious and pleasant to live in from an aesthetic point of view. We wanted Vert to break the monotony of our urban environment,” shares Stefan Diez, director and founder of Diez Office. Vert will be on display for four more weeks following the culmination of the London Design Festival on September 22, 2024.

Vert, stationed on the Parade Ground of Chelsea College of Arts within the Chelsea Design District, is an architectural pavilion made out of sustainable red-oak glulam that can easily be integrated into existing infrastructure. The modular design features a series of timber triangles that hold suspended biodegradable nets, upon which rest a curated selection of around 20 climbing plant species—rooted in textile planters at the base of each net—that work to optimise the carbon dioxide concentration in the air while also offering a sheltered cool space for people to pause, rest and recharge. The wood pavilion is designed to stand stoically against the pressure of the winds and the weight of the plants. Further, Vert is projected to cool the surrounding airspace by as much as eight degrees centigrade and cast more share than a 20-year-old tree. Functioning as a living ecosystem, Vert enriches local biodiversity, aesthetically enhances the urban landscape and offers a temporary shelter and habitat in the city for people and insect populations respectively.

STORE STORE Pavilion

Ensuing the landmark wooden pavilion, Vert is another timber installation—STORE STORE Pavilion. Part of LDF’s Partner Programme, the installation, conceived using locally reclaimed and fallen timber, is designed and built by 14-18-year-olds during three STORE Summer Schools organised by STORE Projects, an association of artists, architects and designers. The three design schools, namely the ‘Cabin Fever’ Summer School, the ‘Raising Roofs’ Summer School and the ‘Open Doors’ Summer School were responsible for guiding the young participants in constructing the walls, roofs and thresholds of the pavilion, respectively. The culminating design, structured like a hut, is a community space that offers room for individuals to gather and participate in various workshops. The STORE STORE Pavilion is part of a larger project called STORE BUILD which explores the transformation of a garage site into an education and workshop space. “This build project is implementing a radical process of applied learning and participatory design with young people from the local community,” the organisers share, citing the pedagogical aspect of this sustainably cognizant project. 

Off The Shelf

The Off The Shelf pavilion by Rio Kobayashi and Webb Yates is part of one of London’s most ambitious regeneration projects, Olympia. The pavilion stands on the north side of Olympia, overlooking the iconic Grand Hall. Olympia in west London, has, for the first time, commissioned a pavilion for the London Design Festival. Off The Shelf, open for visits from September 14, 2024 - February 28, 2025, also marks Kobayashi’s first large-scale installation.

The pavilion design is inspired by the site’s architecture and the traditional Japanese wooden homes from Kobayashi’s childhood. It is constructed using a timber and stone sway frame that integrates contemporary engineering with traditional craft techniques, creating a seamless blend of art and science. Kobayashi shares, "The goal was to craft a space that honours Olympia's rich heritage while challenging the boundaries of sustainable and reusable design."

The structure stands sturdy without the usage of screws, joints or material alterations. Instead, the dismantable pavilion is assembled from standard components cleverly weighted, prestressed, or clamped together, demonstrating an innovative approach to building to ensure stability, durability and a commitment to sustainability and circular economy. During the design festival, Off The Shelf will also host the design exhibition On The Shelf, which will enliven the pavilion with various workshops about the connection between the natural world and material culture and a captivating installation by artist and plant biologist Cynthia Fan. Her installation is designed in response to Kobayashi’s ideas about creating spaces to observe nature.

ORIGIN

Stationed within the Battersea Design District, in the World Heart Beat centre, is ORIGIN, a durational sound and light installation that lies at the brink of art and wellness. Conceived by a team of internationally acclaimed artists, ORIGIN is part of a series of deep listening experiences created by A Right / Left Project, headed by Stephen Dobbie and Colin Nightingale. The immersive installation, although conceived via intangible mediums, offers a wide space for visitors to lie down at the base of a mysterious-looking monolithic sculpture and be bathed in sound and light. The cryptic nature of the dynamic installation further distorts its scale, giving the illusion of a vast space. It is conceived to create a calming space where visitors can find an intimate atmosphere for slowing down and disconnecting from the every day so that the hypnotic play of the light and sound installation can usher one to explore the themes that revolve around the cycle of life and human connection with nature.

The Sun, My Heart

Dutch solar designer Marjan van Aubel’s The Sun, My Heart is a landmark project stationed at Somerset House in London. The immersive installation, much like ORIGIN, is not defined by robust tangible constructions. Instead, the Dutch design studio derived inspiration from their Sunne solar lights to design the installation such that the usage of specially modified lighting elicits an intense sensory experience that further evokes a spontaneous reflection upon our relationship with the sun. The Dutch designer shares, “We have envisioned building a more emotional relationship with the sun. Our heart is the sun inside of us, and the sun is our heart outside of us. In the end, they are one and the same.

Iterating this thought, Aubel co-ordinated a synchronised assembly of 77 suspended lights that chart the sun’s daily cycles—from the gentle hued glow during sunrise to the warm glow during sunsets. Further, the experience is enhanced by the introduction of a soundscape based on NASA’s recordings. Running for a duration of eight minutes and 20 seconds, it mirrors the time taken for sunlight to reach Earth’s surface. This soundscape is designed to trigger theta brain waves that are associated with deep relaxation and meditation. Hence, its usage within the installation helps create a contemplative state that is ideal for reflection and introspection. In the midst of an installation that references the sun in many different ways, one’s attention is bound to move towards reflection upon our solar connection. Further, the interactive installation, fitted with sensors, responds to each visitor’s unique touch uniquely, hence resulting in the creation of an almost infinite variety of light and sound compositions.

Barricade and Beacon

Barricade and Beacon, a disruptive installation-cum-exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum within Brompton Design District, is an exploration of activism within the discipline of architecture. It seeks to focus attention on the role that architects, designers and citizens can play—via spatial interventions and spatially dominant agitations—with the intent of inspiring and demanding change. Conceived by London-based Studio Bark and presented by the V&A+RIBA Architecture Partnership, the installation coincides with the publication of Protest Architecture by Studio Bark’s Nick Newman. The publication charts the history of protest architecture, contextualises various protest movements against their spatial presence, explores the different forms of protest architecture and enlists the aesthetic, economic, logistical, legal and conceptual considerations pertaining to protest design.

In its 22nd edition, the London Design Festival—including its 11 design districts, partners and the design fair Material Matters—stirs the city with a dynamic programme of installations, exhibitions, workshops, talks and more. Follow STIR at London Design Festival 2024, as we continue to bring the best of the festival's offerings as media partners along with our own initiatives across the city, including our partners Shoreditch Design Triangle, Mayfair, the Global Design Forum, and more across Brompton, Battersea, Chelsea, Dalston to Stokey and Bankside.