London Design Festival 2019 – exhibition guide

City Co-Labs: Re-Making Place – Makerversity

What: Planning the city of tomorrow is something designers must think about today. Re-imagining public spaces with inclusion and interaction at the forefront was the brief for Makerversity’s Civic Hack earlier this year. Visitors to the City Co-Labs exhibition will be able to see the outcome, which come in the form of architectural solutions, new systems and products and design tools. At the end of the exhibition, visitors are invited to pick their favourite designs, with the winning team being awarded a six-month residency to develop their idea at Makerversity.

When: 16-22 September

Where: Somerset House

Info: This is a free event. More information is available here.

Waste Not, Want Not – Viaduct

What: Showcasing how “environmental and social issues can be catalysts for great design, rather than obstacles,” furniture retailer Viaduct’s exhibition will feature work from five different companies. From minimising waste and maximising materials, to encouraging craftsmanship, Viaduct believes the teams behind Emeco, Mater, Mattiazzi, Nikari and Zanat are leading the way in responsible design. Expect to see everything from glass blowing to cork houses.

When: 14 & 16-21 September

Where: Viaduct Furniture, 1-10 Summers Street, EC1R 5BD

Info: This is a free event. More information is available here.

Raw – Mint

What: Keeping with this year’s Brompton Design District theme of ‘Nature/Nurture’, the Raw exhibition welcomes you into the world of “considerate design”. The show will feature over 60 designers – both well established and new talent – and focuses on work that minimises our impact on the environment. Among the projects will be Coal: Post-Fuel by Jesper Eriksson, which explores the building potential of coal in the future.

When: 14 & 16-22 September

Where: 2 North Terrace, SW3 2BA

Info: This is a free event. More information is available here.

Stir It Up – Paddington Printshop Posters 1974-1990 – London Print Studio

What: With no funding constraints, patronage or powerful clients, designers at the Paddington Printshop between 1974 and 1990 created work protesting everything from poor housing to racial inequalities and harsh policing. The activist posters being exhibited reflect the diverse community in which they were produced, with work from local musicians, community organisations, housing campaigners and more all being featured. Expect to see angry pieces that mix design with fine art.

When: 14-15 & 17-22 September

Where: London Print Studio, 425 Harrow Road

Info: This is a free event. More information is available here.

Material Connections – Amy Adams x The Koppel Project

What: Moving away from traditional functionality, Material Connections invites visitors to consider the value of the story designs. The exhibited works bring together people and crafts from all over the world, showcasing the skill shared by the whole community that goes into each finished product. You’ll be able to see all sorts of materials, from pine bark harvested in Latvia, to ancient glass blowing techniques of Herat.

When: 14 & 16-22 September

Where: 49 Poland Street, Soho, W1F 7ND

Info: This is a free event. More information is available here.

Also catch:

• Materials: Process and Development in Design, by Uniform Wares & the Marion Friedmann Gallery: An exhibition looking into the relationships between materials, and how these have changed over time. More info can be found here.
• A Second Life, by Matter of Stuff: A team of designers were given 5,000 doweling rods and a brief to give them new life. Find out what they created. More info can be found here.
• Beazley Designs of the Year, by Design Museum: Find out the year’s most innovative designs, from the worlds of fashion, architecture, digital, graphic and product design. More info can be found here.