Selfridges Festival of Imagination

Spread across its three sites in London, Birmingham and Manchester, the Selfridges Festival of Imagination aims not just to celebrate creativity, but also to envisage the future of retail.

Window display by Agi Haines
Window display by Agi Haines

The event, which runs until 2 March, boasts an impressive array of talks, events and exhibitions, with contributions from the likes of Rolf Sachs, Dominic Wilcox and Bethan Laura Wood.

The Festival of Imagination follows last year’s No Noise initiative, which saw Selfridges selling debranded products in its ‘Quiet shop’.

Window display by Dominic Wilcox
Window display by Dominic Wilcox

However, this year Selfridges says, ‘Instead of celebrating silence, meditation and all things “less is more”, [we] focus on what happens when our creativity is stimulated and imagination takes flight.

Stimulating creativity in London will be a series of talks, with the likes of Sachs and Wilcox discussing their creative processes.

Window display by Kim Thorne and Bethan Laura Wood
Window display by Kim Thorne and Bethan Laura Wood

Meanwhile a Concept Store, co-curated with Dezeen, will imagine the future of shopping – which means, for example, you’ll be able to take a voyage on Zaha Hadid’s £300 million super yacht without leaving the shop, thanks to an interactive experience from augmented reality group Inition.

Talks and events will take place in an ‘Imaginarium’ space, designed by architect Rem Koolhaas.

The Imaginarium at Selfridges London, designed by Rem Koolhaas
The Imaginarium at Selfridges London, designed by Rem Koolhaas

Meanwhile in Birmingham, a series of films will explore subjects such as David Bowie and Kraftwerk, and there will be workshops on making, creativity and gardening.

And in Manchester, a display of artworks from the Whiteworth Art Gallery will see pieces by Lucien Freud, Tracey Emin and Rachel Whiteread go on show in the store.

Whiteworth Art Gallery installation at Selfridges Manchester

Source: Joe Gardner

Whiteworth Art Gallery installation at Selfridges Manchester

Meanwhile Hacienda designer Ben Kelly will be in conversation with Graphic Thought Facility co-founder Andrew Stevens in a discussion about their ‘creative collaboration’.

The Selfridges Festival of Imagination runs at Selfridges in London, Birmingham and Manchester until 2 March. For more information visit www.selfridges.com.

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