London Design Festival 2015: the London Design Festival is back, with events kicking off in the British capital this weekend. Dezeen's Dan Howarth selects his pick of the best exhibitions and installations taking place around the city from 19-27 September.Â
Dezeen will be out and about for the duration of the nine-day event, using Instagram to provide previews of exhibitions and installations, as well as images of the best products and parties across the city. We'll also be re-gramming our favourite behind-the-scenes and visitor images from the official #LDF15 tag.
Multiplex by Tom Dixon
Tom Dixon will present his vision for the future of retail during this year's festival. Described by the British designer as "an immersive, multi-sensory department store of tomorrow", Multiplex will bring together departments dedicated to technology, home, fashion, beauty and jewellery, as well as a food hall.
Multiplex, The Old Selfridges Hotel, 1 Orchard Street, W1H 6HQ – 18 September - 15 October 2015
My Grandfather's Tree by Max Lamb
After cutting down an old ash tree at his grandfather's farm, designer Max Lamb decided to extend its life by dissecting it at regular intervals along its length. Hoxton-based Gallery Fumi will present the 130 logs – sized so they can be used as stools, tables and chairs – at Somerset House, a new venue for the festival this year.
My Grandfather's Tree, Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA – 21-27 September 2015
The Flower Shop by Lee Broom
To showcase his new collection of Podium vases, designer Lee Broom is transforming his Shoreditch showroom into The Flower Shop. Thousands of flowers will be installed all over the space during the festival, and his Department Store collection – launched earlier this year in Milan – will also be on display.
The Flower Shop, 93 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY – 22-27 September 2015
Plants Out Of Place by Coloni and Studio Aikieu
Greenery seems to be a key theme for LDF this year. The Plants Out Of Place exhibition in Queen's Park will aim to promote the common weed, showcasing examples of how the unloved flora can be used to create food, scents, medicines and products.
Plants out of Place, Queen's Park, NW6 6SG – 18-22 September 2015
Mise-en-abyme by Laetitia de Allegri and Matteo Fogale
Designers Laetitia de Allegri and Matteo Fogale's "colourful and immersive" installation is set to be one of the highlights inside the V&A this year. A tunnel made from vertical sheets of tinted transparent acrylic will span the bridge over the Medieval and Renaissance galleries, above Barnaby Barford's Tower of Babel. The panels with be positioned to visually overlap from certain angles to create an illusion of exaggerated depth across a tiled floor.
Mise-en-abyme V&A museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL – 19-27 September 2015
Festival of Pattern by Patternity
Patternity is hosting a retrospective exhibition in Shoreditch that will include inspiration photographs, and collaborative projects and installations. The studio will also fill one of the rooms at Somerset House with its graphic monochrome patterns, as part of the 10 Designers in the West Wing exhibition.
Festival of Pattern, 28 Redchurch Street, E2 7DP – 17-22 September 2015
Robin Day – Works in Wood by Jane Withers and Assemble
The centenary of the birth of Robin Day will be celebrated with an installation by Turner Prize-nominated collective Assemble – part of an exhibition focused on the 20th-century designer's fascination with wood at the V&A. The exhibition, which spans Day's 60-year career, is curated by Jane Withers and will take place in the museum's Britain 1500-1900 galleries.
Robin Day – Works in Wood, V&A museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL – 19-27 September 2015
A Bullet From A Shooting Star by Alex Chinneck
Known for his architectural installations that involve visual trickery, Alex Chinneck is set to balance a telegraph pylon top-down at a site on the Greenwich Peninsula so it appears to have fallen from the sky. The 35-metre-high structure will be visible from a number of locations on and around the peninsula, including North Greenwich station, Canary Wharf and the Emirates Air Line cable car.
A Bullet From A Shooting Star, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0QE – 19-27 September 2015
Some of the best examples of contemporary Norwegian design will be showcased alongside the country's crafted mid-century furniture at 100% Norway, which aims to highlight the country's manufacturing industry. Products and prototypes including furniture, lighting and homeware from 33 of Norway's strongest young designers and studios will be on display at a space within the former brewery.
100% Norway Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL – 24-27 September 2015
Ready Made Go by Modern Design Review
Names including Philippe Malouin, Tomás Alonso, Studio Vit and Hilda Hellström will present designs ranging from small everyday objects to large installations across the public spaces of east London's Ace Hotel. Curated by the Modern Design Review magazine, the pieces were all designed to "offer a solution to real challenges faced by a busy London hotel".
Ready Made Go, Ace Hotel London Shoreditch, 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ – 22-27 September 2015