LANDMARK PROJECT:
ENDLES STAIR
Tate Modern, Bankside
SE1 9TG
In collaboration with AHEC,
dRMM Architects, ARUP,
Nüssli, Imola Legno, SEAM and
Lumenpulse
#Endless Stair
Endless Stair, a huge structure inspired by MC Escher’s surreal staircase,
will be in place on the lawn in front of the Tate Modern, overlooking the
Thames. Designed by Alex de Rijke of dRMM, Dean of Architecture at
the Royal College of Art, the piece is constructed from a series of giant
interlocking staircases formed from American tulipwood and sponsored
by American Hardwood Export Council. There are 187 steps and it will
be in place until 10 October. Free
This is a landmark project initiated by the London Design Festival.

VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
Cromwell Road
SW7 2RL
The London Design Festival continues its collaboration with the world’s
leading Museum of art and design, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)
which in 2012, saw audiences reach 111,538 for the 10 day period of
the Festival - one of the busiest weeks recorded in the Museum’s history.
As the central hub location for the London Design Festival for the fifth
year, the V&A will again house a broad range of commissioned activity
which will be spread throughout the Museum and include installations,
events, talks and workshops. Here is a summary of what to expect.
The London Design Festival has collaborated with Swarovski to set 14
influential designers a challenge on the theme of detail. Each designer
has selected an object from the V&A’s extensive collections. Positioned
next to each chosen object is a viewing point constructed from
Swarovski specialist lenses. Designers include: Faye Toogood, Amanda
Levete, Tom Dixon, Paul Cocksedge and others.

God is in the DetailS
Around the Museum – maps are
available at the front desk
Supported by Swarovski
Twitter:
@swarovski
#details

The Progressive Extension of the Field of Individual Development and Experience
Gallery 112
Supported by Amorim
This striking project consists of a natural cork floor covering the existing
bridge over the V&A’s Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. Made up of
a series of tiles laid in a repeating trompe l’oeil geometric pattern, it is
based on a scientific diagram of the material’s cellular structure.
28.280 is a custom-made chandelier by Canada-based designer Omer
Arbel. Hung from the Cupola, the highest point of the building, the
installation spans the vast height of the Museum.

The Norfolk House Music Room in the British Galleries provides a
theatrical backdrop for Scholten & Baijings’ ‘The Dinner Party’, where
visitors are invited to interrupt a dinner party in session. The table setting
will include prototypes from the Dutch studio.
28.280 by
Omer Arbel
Grand Entrance and
Gallery 141, Ceramics
Supported by Bocci
Twitter:
@boccidesign
#28.280
The Dinner Party/
True-to-Life Design
by Scholten &
Baijings
Room 52b, British Galleries

ALESI Made in Crusinallo.
The Beauty and the Mastery Sackler Centre Foyer
Supported by Alessi
This display provides visitors a rare insight into the production processes
of Alessi, exposing the making skills of its factory by picking key pieces
from their archive to embellish each story.

8-18: The Typographic Circle’s Circular Magazine
Gallery 55, British Galleries
Supported by Pentagram
Twitter:
@pentagram
The Clore Study Area has been transformed for 8 – 18, a bold floor-toceiling
graphic installation celebrating the 2D typography-led magazine,
‘Circular’.
Domenic Lippa, Partner at world-renowned design studio Pentagram
has been designing the award-winning Circular magazine since 1999
and describes the practice as a ‘labour of love’ - combining his interest
in both typography and magazine design. Issues 8 - 18 have no set style
or consistency; each issue is designed from scratch and is totally unique.

Moleskine Sketch Relay
Gallery 220, Sackler Centre
In collaboration with Moleskine and
the Detour Project
Twitter:
@moleskine
Moleskine and the London Design Festival have invited over 70 Londonbased designers to participate in the Moleskine Sketch Relay including Alexander Taylor, Benjamin Hubert, Lee Broom, Nina Tolstrup and Raw Edges. The display showcases illustrations responding to this year’s
Festival campaign ‘Design is Here, There and Everywhere’.

Design Fund to Benefit the V&A
Gallery 19a
14 September–20 October
The Design Fund encourages private engagement with the arts for the
benefit of the V&A and its public. The Fund enables the V&A to acquire
contemporary design for the Museum’s collection on an annual basis.
The V&A’s contemporary collection reflects what is new, influential,
innovative or experimental, and what is representative of contemporary
trends in design and society. The latest acquisitions purchased by the
fund will be shown in Gallery 19a during the Festival.

Other London Design Festival at the V&A Displays
There will be a number of smaller-scale installations on display
throughout the V&A, which have been especially commissioned for the
Festival period.
The Wind Portal by Najla El Zein
Staircase N, end of Gallery 114e
The Wind Portal, a dramatic gateway of 5,000 paper windmills turning
in the breeze. Created by Lebanese designer, Najla El Zein, this walkthrough
installation creates a playful airway, drawing wind and light into
the galleries beyond.

The Bodleian Chair Competition
Architecture Landing, top of staircase P
‘A chair of chairs, for the library of libraries’
Six designer/manufacturer partnerships have competed to design a new
chair for the historic Bodleian Libraries in Oxford. A final shortlist of three
have honed their designs to full-scale prototypes, and the winner will be
announced during the London Design Festival. On display will be the
contemporary competition designs juxtaposed with Bodleian chairs from
as early as 1756.

Cyclothymia, by Alessandro Brighetti Sackler Centre Foyer
A unique, mesmerising sculptural work demonstrating the
electromagnetic manipulation of oil-based ferrofluids, to create the
illusion of living movement. Part of Brighetti’s ‘Narchitecture’ series,
‘Cyclothymia’ explores the way in which schizophrenia can take over the
body in a metaphorical and figurative way.

Talks, Debates and Workshops
A packed programme of lunchtime talks, gallery talks, hands-on
workshops and provocative debate is focused in the Museum’s Sackler
Centre. Talks each day vary from creative showcases and project
presentations to panel discussions and debates. Simultaneously,
challenging workshops and demonstrations will give visitors the
opportunity to learn new skills from expert practitioners.
The Festival starts with a Graphics Weekend (14-15 September), packed
with workshops, debates and installations focused on print, paper, web,
typography and more. The last weekend of the Festival is Digital Design
Weekend at the V&A (21-22 September) and celebrates digital art,
design and science.

Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September: Graphics Weekend
Supported by Design Week with materials provided by
Cass Art
Monday 16 September: Future
Supported by Thompson Reuters
Tuesday 17 September: Materials
Wednesday 18 September: Making/Manufacturing
Thursday 19 September: London
Friday 20 September: Nature & Sustainability
Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 September: Digital Design Weekend

GLOBA L DESIGN FORUM AT THE V&A AND SOUTHBANK CENTRE
16 + 17 September
The inaugural talk on the evening of September 16 will see Peter Saville
in conversation with Paul Morley at the V&A.
The following day, the Forum will continue with an all-day programme at
the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre.
The Global Design Forum is the pre-eminent agenda-setting thoughtleadership
event for design. It is a unique platform for the world’s most
challenging thinking about the future of design. Topics such as, ‘Designer
or brand - chicken or egg’ and ‘Five ideas to Shake the World’ will
stimulate lively discussion. The full programme can be found on www.
globaldesignforum.com
This year’s sponsors include BMW Group, Coutts and
UK Trade & Investment.

THE LONDON DESIGN MEDA L
The London Design Medal is British design’s most coveted accolade,
awarded each year by a panel of judges to an individual who has
made an immense contribution to design and London. This year, the
London Design Medal will be headline supported by luxury watch brand
Panerai with Wallpaper* as media partner. Other category medals and
their sponsors are Coutts Lifetime Achievement Award, Veuve Clicquot
Design Entrepreneur Award and Swarovski Emerging Talent Award.
The awards dinner will be held at Lancaster House on 18 September.

PARTNER ACTIVITY ACROS LONDON: DESIGN DESTINATIONS
Over the past eleven years, a number of key design exhibitions and
destinations have become vital hubs for conducting business during the
Festival, providing a focal point for international buyers, new products
and the media. The key events this year include:
• 100% Design at Earls Court, 18-21 September
• Decorex International, at Perks Field & The Orangery, 22-25
September
• designjunction at The Old Sorting Office, New Oxford Street, 18-22
September
• Focus/13 at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour, 22-24 September
• Tent London & Super Brands London at Truman Brewery, 19-22
September
• Southbank Centre, 14-22 September

DESIGN DISTRICTS Since the Festival began eleven years ago, design events have tended to
cluster in different districts. This years Design Districts are:
• Brompton Design District in the South Kensington area of west
London is the longest standing, comprising temporary exhibitions
housed in vacant properties as well as a variety of product launches
and installations in the local cluster of design shops and galleries.
• Chelsea Design Quarter with its established international design
interior retailers.
• Clerkenwell Design Quarter focuses on the area’s now mature
furniture and lighting retailers and trade showrooms, and includes the
local culinary scene.
• Fitzrovia in central London brings together burgeoning design
retailers and trade showrooms for Fitzrovia Now.
• Shoreditch, the city’s creative hub, comes alive as the Shoreditch
Design Triangle with a concentrated grouping of exhibitions and
pop-ups from local retailers, studios, galleries and restaurants.

DESIGN IS EVERY WHERE
Across the capital, galleries, museums, retailers and studios will open
their doors to greet the many visitors who are interested in seeing design
processes at work and visiting creative spaces. The London Design
Festival guide lists over 200 Partner destinations in the east, west, north,
south and center of the city.
Full information is available on the website:
londondesignfestival.com
Social Media:
twitter.com/L_D_F
#LDF13
facebook.com/LondonDesignFestival
plus.google.com/+LondonDesignFestival