5 design things to look out for in June

Learn about Brutalist architecture, visit Berlin for a design festival and bid farewell to London’s current Design Museum before it reopens in November.

Festival: DMY Berlin

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What: DMY International Design Festival Berlin is in its 14th edition this year, and will showcase the work of emerging and established designers from Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Its central exhibition will mostly be a display of products and furniture, and it also includes an exhibition of new talent. There will be a lecture programme, delving into topics such as workplace design innovation and activism in design. Tickets are also incredibly cheap for a four-day event, so you’ll make up for your flight prices in no time.

When: 2 – 5 June

Where: Kraftwerk Mitte, Berlin Köpenicker Straße 70, 10179 Berlin

Info: Tickets range from €5-€12 (£3.80-£9.12) per person. Buy tickets on the DMY Berlin website.


Panel talk: This Brutal World

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What: This Brutal World: How we fell in love with Brutalism

This talk on Brutalist architecture is in partnership with Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and art books publisher Phaidon. It sits alongside the publication of This Brutal World, which looks at more than 100 years of Brutalist architecture, right through to social design group Assemble’s 2015 installation The Brutalist Playground, a play area for children in the style of the architecture movement. The panel discussion will be chaired by Phaidon’s commissioning editor Virginia McLeod, and will include Peter Chadwick, author of the book, Assemble member Jane Hall and others. The talk is free for anybody who purchases the book.

When: 7 June, 7-8.40pm

Where: RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London W1B 1AD

Info: £6.50 for RIBA members, £9.50 for non-members. £29.95 for book and talk. For more info, see the RIBA’s website.


Exhibition: Biological Atelier: The Showroom

© Amy Congdon and courtesy of Manchester Craft & Design Centre
© Amy Congdon and courtesy of Manchester Craft & Design Centre

What: This exhibition will look 60 years into the future and examine how developments in science, engineering and design will affect fashion. It will look at how body tissue and jewellery are morphing, with recent developments such as tissue-engineered skin replacing cosmetic surgery and the ability for the body to “grow” seasonal jewellery thanks to biotechnology. This will be both a dystopian and fascinating look into the future of fashion, and celebrates Manchester’s status as European City of Science for 2016.

When: 9 June – 28 August

Where: Manchester Craft & Design Centre, 17 Oak Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 5JD

Info: For more info, see the Manchester Craft & Design Centre website.


Museum opening: The new Tate Modern

Visualisation of the new Tate Modern building. © Hayes Davidson and Herzog & de Meuron
Visualisation of the new Tate Modern building. © Hayes Davidson and Herzog & de Meuron

What: London’s Tate Modern museum will open its brand new building this coming month, designed by architect Herzog & de Meuron, and will aim to show a greater selection of international art and design, and increase learning and social spaces for visitors. The £260 million project will also see more digital elements to enhance the visitor experience, such as a way-finding app. There will be a weekend of opening events free for the public to attend from 17 – 19 June, which will include interactive installations, video displays and performance art.

When: 17 June

Where: Tate Modern, Bankside, London, SE1 9TG

Info: For more info, see the Tate Modern website.


Closing exhibition: Design Museum

Visualisation of the new Design Museum © Luke Hayes
© Luke Hayes

What: London’s Design Museum will bid farewell to its Shad Thames location near London Bridge in June, and will have a five-month hiatus before moving to its new home on Kensington High Street on 24 November. The museum will see its old location out with a punk design showcase, part of year-long festival Punk London 2016. It will showcase everything from flyers and posters to fanzines and fashion from the revolutionary era that took hold of the 1970s and 1980s.

When: 25 – 26 June

Where: Design Museum, Shad Thames

Info: For more info, see the Design Museum website.

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