Great design both adapts to the environment it's in and enhances it. One of the best examples of this is the series of special projects commissioned by the London Design Festival each year, in which some of the world's foremost designers and architects create ambitious and large-scale installations that are placed in prominent spaces across the capital.
For this edition of the festival, which runs from 17 to 25 September, the V&A will host a number of such pieces. One of the most eye-catching – Green Room, conceived by London studio Glithero in conjunction with Swiss watchmaker Panerai – presents timekeeping on a grand scale. Installed in the 57.5ft drop of the stairwell, the kinetic artwork features multiple silicone cords connected to a rotating arm moving at a rate of one revolution per minute. As each string is lifted, it creates a mesmerising wave of colour.
"We wanted to create a timepiece that people could be inside of," says Glithero co-founder Tim Simpson. "This clock is an interactive experience rather than something you glance at."
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Another meeting of minds between art and commerce comes in the form of Foil, a collaboration between British design entrepreneur Benjamin Hubert and German brand Braun. The two will transform the museum's Tapestry gallery into an immersive work engulfing the entire room. A motor-powered ribbon, comprising 50,000 mirror-finish stainless-steel panels, moves in a constant sine-wave motion, scattering light across the walls.
This focus on fluidity and movement has also informed another piece housed in the V&A by French multi-disciplinary designer Mathieu Lehanneur. Here, a single block of jet-black marble has been machined and hand-polished to create a surface that reflects the complexities of the ocean's movements.
Parked near the riverside in Chelsea will be the whimsical Smile by architect Alison Brooks, a larger-than-life seesaw-like structure constructed entirely from tulipwood. Each end will feature a viewing platform, with visitors able to move internally between the two. The precarious-looking installation is a feat of engineering ingenuity from consulting firm Arup, not just in terms of balance but its innovative use of timber, a key material in modern construction due to its sustainability credentials.
Creating an eco-friendly existence continues to be a key influence on installations elsewhere in the city. The Mini Living project questions how to best maximise the use of public spaces in urban environments, and for the festival will be creating three miniature "forests" in locations across Shoreditch. Visitors are invited to take the plants featured in the spaces home, and to share their progress and growth on social media. Meanwhile, L'Eden by Perrier-Jouet, which will be set up in Soho, offers a new take on greenery. Sip champagne while taking a tour of the world's first bio-responsive garden, conceived by Bompas & Parr, filled with plants whose movements mimic those of passers-by.
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