Dezeen promotion: London trade show designjunction is set to collaborate with British design brands Anglepoise and Ercol to curate an exhibition and charity auction, during next week's London Design Festival.
A Child's Dream exhibition will see 19 UK designers including Faye Toogood, Tom Dixon, and Benjamin Hubert create customised editions of the Anglepoise Type75TM Mini desk lamp and Ercol Originals Stacking chair, which will then be sold off in a silent auction for Teddy's Wish charity.
Curated by British designer Anthony Dickens, the exhibition will take place at designjunction2014 from 18 to 21 September, on the first floor of The Sorting Office, New Oxford Street, London.
An online silent auction will take place at thedesignjunction.co.uk/charity from 12 September to 28 September, with all proceeds of the auction going to Teddy's Wish. Prices begin at £150 for the lamp and £350 for the chair.
Participants from across architecture, design and fashion industries have signed up to the project, including AB Rogers, Donna Wilson and Bethan Gray.
Teddy's Wish charity support research into the causes of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), neonatal death and stillbirth, as well as providing support to grieving families.
Tickets to designjunction2014 are £8 in advance or £10 on the door, a percentage of which will go to Teddy's Wish. Register to visit at: thedesignjunction.co.uk/register
All images in this post are by Ruth Ward, unless stated otherwise.
Here is some more information from designjunction:
Unique interpretations of iconic designs to be auctioned at designjunction2014 to raise funds for Teddy's Wish charity project
designjunction is proud to announce Teddy's Wish as its official chosen charity for 2014. Teddy's Wish raises funds to aid research into the causes behind SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), neonatal death and stillbirth and support grieving families.
The charity launched on 1 August 2014 and, since it began, has raised raised £50,000 through donations on www.justgiving.com/teddyswish14.
Nineteen of the UK's leading designers from the field of architecture, design, fashion and graphics have been invited to customise the iconic Anglepoise Type75TM Mini desk lamp and Stacking chair, from Ercol's Originals collection. Their bespoke designs will be displayed at designjunction2014 for the duration of the show (18 – 21 September) in an exhibition designed and curated by British designer Anthony Dickens, presented on the first floor of the Sorting Office on New Oxford Street.
All funds raised will go directly to Teddy's Wish and will be available to buy online through silent auction at thedesignjunction.co.uk/charity from 12 September until midday on Sunday 28 September 2014. Prices start from £150 for the lamp and £350 for the chair.
Confirmed participants include: Tom Dixon, Wilkinson Eyre, Benjamin Hubert, Pearsonlloyd, Paul Cocksedge, AB Rogers, Anthony Dickens, Top Shop, Tony Chambers, Samuel Wilkinson, Faye Toogood, Kristjana S. Williams, Michael Sodeau, Donna Wilson, Afroditi Krassa, Bethan Gray, Rachel Galbraith, Philippe Moulin and Emma Mawston.
Since the 1930s, Anglepoise has been producing pioneering lamps. The classic Type75TM Mini desk lamp was designed by Britain's leading industrial product designer, Sir Kenneth Grange, known for designing some of the most recognisable products of our time – the re-design of the London black cab, Parker Pens, Kodak cameras and Kenwood mixers to name but a few.
Furniture brand Ercol, founded in 1920, will provide twelve stacking chairs. These robust and versatile chairs were first designed in 1957 and remain an enduring and popular feature of the ercol Originals collection.
Using the human-like features of the Anglepoise lamps – their heads and jointed limbs – Paul Cocksedge has created an interactive piece that is both poignant and joyful. The lights only come on when the two heads touch each other, and whichever way you position them for that touch, it will stir a visual memory of a child nuzzling up to its mother.
It can be seen not only with humans, but across the natural world: two swans with their necks entwined, giraffes gently touching heads, a baby bear seeking protection with its mother. This reconfiguration of the classic Anglepoise taps into the imagination whereby everyday objects take on human attributes, in this case to embody a gesture of caring and affection that is universal.
In the UK, more than 300 babies die suddenly and unexpectedly every year without reason. Jennifer and Chris Reid founded Teddy's Wish to honour the memory of their beautiful son and because the loss of a child is something no parent should ever have to suffer. The funds raised will aid further research into SIDS, Stillborn and Neonatal Death Syndrome and support grieving families. In all cases the loss is sudden, without warning and often without explanation.
"Edward Louis Reid was born on 18 January 2014 and was the light of our lives. Tragically three months later on 16 April 2014 he left us, a victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)," added his mother, Jennifer Reid.
"The response so far has been overwhelming and to raise this amount of funds in such as short space of time is testament to the impact Edward has had on people's lives. It's comforting to know so many people out there have been touched by our story and we want to continue to raise as much awareness as possible to help families in the future," she added.
"My motivation for this project is personal. Teddy's Wish was set up by my sister Jennifer and her husband Chris following the tragic death of their three-month old son, my nephew Edward," said event director Deborah Spencer.
You can follow Jennifer's story at lifeaftereddie.wordpress.com