From the best known brands to fresh talent, there’s an abundance of world class design to see at Clerkenwell Design Week 2016, and all situated in east London’s most atmospheric of venues…
The shape of Clerkenwell Design Week has transformed for 2016; having to tackle the diminishing space in our capital, it’s taken a lateral approach. Thanks to a strategic masterplan from OMMX Architects, the result is an ambitious evolution into eight exhibition spaces positioned on a route throughout Clerkenwell. The sites all sit roughly along a trajectory all the way from Cowcross Street (where Icon House of Culture is being hosted at Fabric) up to Exmouth market (where you will find Design Fields). While some exhibitions are old favourites, others are refreshing new additions to the ever growing design festival. There is no particular order in which the exhibitions should be visited however, and with so much else going on long the way, you’ll be glad of the freedom.
Design Fields plays host to a large scale curated exhibition of contemporary design, and sits in Spa Fields, where a two-tiered pavilion has been specially constructed as a staging post. The pavilion is flanked by a futuristic display from the festival's headline sponsor, Renault, which is showcasing its EOLAB concept and the all-new Renault Scénic.
Bearing in mind that design festivals are not just about celebrating established brands, Platform is being hosted within the depths of the House of Detention, and highlights up-and-coming talent such as Archie Proudfood & The Baker Street Boys. We love the idea that all of this out-of-the-box raw talent is unleashing itself within the walls of what is famously known as a brutal and restrictive prison!
St James’ Church and its gardens provide the setting for three of the CDW exhibitions. Ironically, Additions has been joined this year by two additional exhibitions, Project and British Collection. Project presents furniture and lighting targeted specifically to the contract market, and British Collection is showcasing some of the UKs most exciting home-grown talent within the church’s barrel-roofed crypt.
For those interested in finely crafted luxury furniture and fittings, Detail is spread throughout the historic Order of St John, and an adjacent pavilion. Sandwiched between the exhibition spaces is the Museum of Making, a deconstructed barn designed by White Arkitekter in collaboration with Price & Myers and EQUITONE. The museum serves as a live social space dedicated to the art of making, and is hosting a selection of archival exhibits from the Museum of London.
Finally, back again, after its debut last year at Old Sessions House last year, Icon House of Culture has moved into the industrial nightclub, Fabric, whose impressive brick vaults have been jam packed with showpieces from a variety of carefully selected international design brands, as well as with the Icon café.
We’ve picked out a handful of the many talented designers presenting at each of the exhibitions:
Design Fields
+Halle
Dedon
Gloster
Platform
Archie Proudfoot
The Baker Street Boys
Leiz
Additions
Claudine O’Sullivan
CrossEyes
-Love, Ana
British Collection
The Workshop
Ocee Design
Pluck
Project
BoConcept Contracts
Erik Jørgensen - The Manufacturer
IdeaPaint
Detail
1 Millimetre
The Watermark Collection
Zimmer + Rhode
Icon House of Culture
&tradition
Wästberg
Dare Studio
Clerkenwell Design Week; clerkenwelldesignweek.com
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