Tent time

The Victoria & Albert Museum Summer Camp is back next weekend for two days of free art and design fun. This year’s event features a number of workshops, installations and performances from top design talent, as well as the opportunity to spend the night in the Serpentine Gallery’s Jean Nouvel-designed pavilion.

In keeping with its name, the camp will host a number of tents that will provide opportunities to learn new skills, get crafty and improve self-reliance and resourcefulness by learning how to made do and mend.

Designers Peter Marigold and Markus Bergstrom will be offering their advice on how to design furniture, and toy expert and artist Tony Hayward will be on hand to show kids and big kids how to make their own playthings.

The Typography Summer School  will be at the camp to give typographers and letter-lovers the opportunity to take part in a marathon back-to-back critique. Bring along your own work or some type you find interesting and the school’s Fraser Muggeridge and his team will be on hand to give out their professional opinions.

‘There is no criteria’, says Muggeridge, ‘as long as the object has type on it – we will discuss it. People that come to the critique will get feedback on what they bring. Whether they are a design student or a professional, this is always helpful. And people that don’t know anything about typography will gain a brief insight into the discipline.’ Muggeridge was particularly impressed with the numbers on the back of the Netherlands World Cup team’s shirts recently, so don’t think that the work you bring along has to be on paper.

For the evenings, former Design Museum designer-in-residence Giles Miller has created sustainable cardboard cocktail glasses and bar area for sponsor Bombay Sapphire and furniture designer Peter Marigold has created some stylish seating to relax on.

The Camp runs from 6.30 – 10pm on 30 July and 1 – 5 pm on 31 July at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7. The Summer Camp Sleepover will take place at the Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London W2 and tickets are required.