Register now to attend Clerkenwell Design Week 2014
Dezeen promotion: registration is now open to attend this year's Clerkenwell Design Week festival in central London from 20 to 22 May.
The fifth edition of the annual design gathering will celebrate work by the high concentration of architects and designers based in Clerkenwell, along with international names.
During the three-day festival, design brands with showrooms in the area including Arper and Vitra will open their doors to present new collections and relaunches.
Exhibitions of new products will take place in Clerkenwell's historic buildings, including The Farmiloe Building and the crypt of St James Church.
Design collective Okay Studio and architecture practice Studio Weave will create interactive installations for the district.
The Campana Brothers, Ron Arad and Arik Levy are among speakers lined up for the Conversations at Clerkenwell seminar programme.
Dezeen is media partner for the event and we'll be launching our second book, Dezeen Book of Interviews, at the festival. We'll also present the world's first augmented reality watch store at the Farmiloe Building, allowing users to virtually "try on" and share images of Dezeen Watch Store's most popular brands.
These images show a sample of products that will be on display during the festival. To find out more about events taking place and to register to attend, visit the Clerkenwell Design Week website.
See all our coverage of Clerkenwell Design Week 2013, including our series of movies about the event.
Read on for more information from the organisers:
Celebrating its fifth edition this year, Clerkenwell Design Week (20-22 May 2014) will showcase the latest innovations by designers and manufacturers from the UK and around the world. Set against the historic backdrop of Clerkenwell, the three-day festival will be centred upon leading design showrooms in the neighbourhood, as well as four focused exhibitions including The Design Factory, Platform, Detail and Additions. Design brands such as Magis, Dare Studio and Ginger & Jagger are amongst those that will present their latest collections at the festival for the fifth year.
The festival will once again work with established and emerging names from both design and architecture, within its Clerkenwell Presents stream, offering an array of curated features and installations stationed across Clerkenwell. Also returning to the festival this year is the Fringe, where local creative practices - from architects to branding agencies and craft studios, will host workshops and displays open to the public.
This year, design collective Okay Studio and architecture practice Studio Weave have been appointed to create projects aiming to push the boundaries of design, in terms of concepts, process and material capabilities. Working with AHEC and Equitone by Marley Eternit respectively, these design teams will create one-off experiences that the public can interact with and enjoy. Year-on-year, Clerkenwell Design Week has successfully demonstrated its unrivalled quality as a global community supported by creativity and originality. This year, the festival will continue its strong relationships with the local design showrooms, studios and galleries, promoting their latest projects in architecture and design.
Following on from last year's debut, Italian furniture manufacturer Arper will return to the festival, with a key celebration to mark its 25th anniversary. Meanwhile, the festival's veteran Vitra will present a world-exclusive collective project - a relaunch of Ron Arad's Tom Vac chair, 15 years after it was first launched. This iconic design will now be re-styled by selected designers and architects, and unveiled in Vitra's showroom during the festival.
Keeping the festival fresh is essential, and this year's Clerkenwell Design Week has introduced some exciting new names to the line-up. Sto Werkstatt, specialising in architectural cladding with a newly launched showroom and The Reclaimed Flooring Company who have created an inviting public space and workshop full of floors from all over the world. Other showrooms with big plans during the week include Brinton Carpets presenting, Deep Grid by Cristian Zuzunaga, and Scandinavian Business Seating, who will present the Red-dot Design winning Noor chair amongst other products.
The Design Factory, based at The Farmiloe Building, will play host to some of the best contemporary furniture, lighting and product design brands from UK and around the world; Case Furniture, Anglepoise, Benchmark, Decode, Another Country, Anglepoise, Henry Swanzy and Pinch are just a few of the names participating.
Clerkenwell Design Week will once again see a strong line-up of Italian brands participating this year. Leading lighting specialists Foscarini will feature an installation in the atrium and tunnel with other Italians Catellani & Smith also taking part. Newcomer to the design scene, as well as to the festival, Discipline will launch its brand new Last Side tables by Max Lamb to the UK market at the event. With its unique, architectural setting at The House of Detention, Platform will provide the perfect atmospheric backdrop for emerging young designers from around the world to exhibit their exciting new work including Johanna Tammasalu, Clivework, and James Tattersall. Celebrating fine quality and exquisite craftsmanship in the luxury sector, Detail at the Order of St John will bring together the best and most prestigious names in high-end interior design. One of the most exciting billings at Detail this year will be an exclusive collaboration between .IT_All About Design, EDRA and The Campana Brothers, entitled From Art to Design. An exhibition of The Campana Brothers' masterpieces as well as their designs for EDRA will be unveiled by the designers themselves at Detail on 20 May. The exhibition will explore how design and production processes render "a piece of art" - a successful, commercial product. Other stunning exhibitors at Detail include NICO, C&C Milano and Christopher Jenner for Drummonds.
New to Clerkenwell Design Week 2014, Additions will take over the Crypt on the Green at St James Church. It will be the main hub for a curated collection of small design items and home accessories, targeting retail buyers, interior designers and specifiers. The newly launched Toghal brings heritage African designs into contemporary homewares, with a focus on textiles. Similarly, Urbanara offers high-quality home textiles and accessories using the finest natural materials. Known for its architectural sculptures with a touch of playfulness, Chisel and Mouse will launch its new models at the show with London being a key inspiration. Meanwhile, Hend Krichen will bring her beautifully handcrafted vessels to the show, all of which are made using the rich artisanal skills and craftsmanship in Tunisia.
Clerkenwell and its creative community have earned a reputation for remaining at the centre of debate, pioneering activities and forward-thinking. Clerkenwell Design Week 2014 boasts an impressive line-up of speakers for its curated programme of seminars, Conversations at Clerkenwell inviting some of the best names in design and architecture to address and discuss the latest hot topics and industry issues. Already in the running are The Campana Brothers, Ron Arad, Asa Bruno, Arik Levy and Sir Peter Cook.