Ten things we're looking forward to at the London Design Festival

Just before Christmas I like to go through the bumper two week issue of The Radio Times and circle (neatly!) the things I wish to watch over the festive period. This annual ritual engenders mixed feelings; excitement and anticipation on the one hand and an almost palpable anxiety of deciding what, unavoidably, I am going to have to miss. I have a similar feeling as London Design Festival rolls around every autumn. There is so much going on that it’s very easy to spread yourself too thinly, so with that in mind here’s ten things I am looking forward to at this year’s LDF. I make no apologies for including some pretty obvious selections, as well as hopefully a couple of more individual choices.

I am going to put this out there; this is the single show I am most looking forward to during LDF 2014 (also handy if you only have the time/energy to read one of these entries). Acclaimed photographer and longtime friend of the site Dan Tobin Smith is unveiling a 200 square metre walk-in installation made up of colour-coded objects donated by the public. It’s inspired, we’re told, by “the Second Law of Thermodynamics and the fictional concept of ‘kipple’, as described by science fiction writer Philip K Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.”

This kipple is the clutter which mounts up in our day-to-day lives “junk mail or match folders after you use the last match” but Dan has found what promises to be an astonishingly aesthetic way of exploring this unglamorous theme.

The First Law of Kipple is at Dan Tobin Smith Studio, 52c Whitmore Road, N1 5QG. It is open 13 – 21 September.
www.dantobinsmith.com

Tent London can be an overwhelming experience but at some stage during LDF you’re likely to find yourself at the Old Truman Brewery for a snoop around. When that happens, this showcase of contemporary Polish graphic designers and illustrators looks worth a visit and among the strongest of this’s year’s international offerings. Polish graphic language feels familiar because of the ubiquity of its retro imagery; this therefore is a good chance to examine how contemporary Polish practitioners are building on and redefining that legacy.

Designing Polska is at Tent London, Old Truman Brewery, Hanbury Street, E1 6QR. It is open 18 – 21 September.
www.londondesignfestival.com/events/designing-polska-design-poland

Three years ago AL_A (Amanda Levete Architects) worked with Arup on the astonishing Timber Wave sculpture which curved round the main entrance of the V&A throughout LDF. This year the studio is involved again, but with a project which could hardly be more different. tincan is a six month Soho pop-up restaurant dedicated to tinned sea food (sure).

Inspired by a cafe the AL_A crew used to frequent while working on a cultural centre in Lisbon, “what started as a lunch quickly became an idea.” The studio has designed everything from the lights and the menus to the tins themselves.

tincan is at 7 Upper James Street, W1F 9DH and is open from 15 September.
www.ala.uk.co

Anyone interested in graphic design will be beating a path to the London College of Communication campus in Elephant and Castle during LDF with no fewer than three interesting and exciting exhibitions opening on the first day of the festival. Fifty Years of Illustration is a show that accompanies Lawrence Zeegen’s book of the same name. As dean of the LCC Design School and one of the most outspoken critics of the contemporary illustration scene, it will be fascinating to get Lawrence’s take on the state of the creative nation.

Also at LCC, the legendary designer Alan Kitching has worked with Monotype on a series of posters paying tribute to five greats of the artform; Tom Eckersley, Abram Games, FHK Henrion, Josef Müller-Brockmann and Paul Rand. And if that wasn’t enough (greedy) then there’s a show celebrating a decade of the London-based graphic art label and online boutique Stereohype. Wowsers.

www.events.arts.ac.uk

Every year there are a host of shows at LDF which invite leading design talent to respond to a particular concept. The pick of the 2014 crop comes from our pals over at Art&Graft and their Tooled Up exhibition. The key to these kind of shows working is a combination of a genuinely interesting idea and getting the right roster of talent involved, and Art&Graft seem to have aced it on both counts.

So the likes of Daniel Eatock, Emily Forgot, A Practice For Everyday Life, Hvass&Hannibal, Santtu Mustonen, Kustaa Saksi, Merijn Hos and MVM have responded to the brief to “take a recognisable object of craft and apply their skill and ingenuity to transform it into a unique form.” The preview shots released to the press look great, so we have high hopes for this.

Tooled Up is at the G6 City Pavilion, 37 Cheshire Street, E2 6EA. It runs from 12 – 20 September.
www.artandgraft.com/blog/tooled-up

Magazines are dead, long live magazines! Two great events to look out for if, like us, printed publications get your palms all sweaty. The 620 Reading Room is a collaboration between Vitsoe and MagCulture’s Jeremy Leslie and promises a quiet space where you can immerse yourself in 20 top independent titles including Riposte, HOLO, Flaneur, The Gentlewoman and (ahem) our very own Printed Pages.

Then on Friday September 19 one of my favourite conferences of 2013 is back and it’s bigger and better than ever. The Modern Magazine boasts a stellar line-up of speakers includes Veronica Ditting, art director of The Gentlewoman, New York Magazine editor Adam Moss and Elana Schlenker of Gratuitous Type.

The 620 Reading Room is at Vitsoe, 3–5 Duke Street, W1U 3ED. It is open from 13 – 21 September.
www.magculture.com/blog/the-vitsoemagculture-620-reading-room
www.magculture.com/blog/the-modern-magazine-conference-2014

Simply put Abram Games is one of the foremost graphic designers of the 20th Century. This comprehensive show collects and contextualises his posters and emblems for the likes of London Transport, the BBC and the Olympic Games, as well, of course, as his famous WWII posters. But as it’s co-curated by his children Naomi and Daniel, there is also unprecedented access to family photos and private archives to add a fascinating new dimension.

Designing the 20th Century: Life and Work of Abram Games is at The Jewish Museum at 129-131 Albert St, NW1 7NB. It runs until 4 January 2015.
www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/abramgames

Last year the LDF deputy director Max Fraser spoke convincingly about his wish to improve the graphics element of the festival, and returning this year the dedicated Graphics Weekend at the V&A is proof positive of the commitment. There’s a range of talks, panels and workshops with highlights including Pentagram partner Paula Scher in conversation with Adrian Shaughnessy, a drop-in session with ace art directing duo Lord Whitney, a presentation by David Pearson and Jim Stoddart on designing for Penguin and a talk from Type Tasting’s Sarah Hyndman.

The London Graphics Weekend is 13 and 14 September at the V&A.
www.londondesignfestival.com/events/graphics-weekend

There will be as ever more furniture and product launches than you can shake a (well-designed) stick at, and you’re best off picking whatever jumps out the programme at you. For us this year it’s this unveiling of the April System, a collaboration between design icon Sir Kenneth Grange and his former RCA student Jack Smith. It’s always interesting to see such a famous name working on something new, and the early parts of this collection shown off in Milan promise something quite special.

Modus Present The April Sofa System is at The Modus Showroom, 28 – 29 Great Sutton Street, EC1V 0DS. It runs until 26 September.
www.modusfurniture.co.uk

Tomorrow morning the design press will descend on the V&A Museum for the media briefing that marks the official start of LDF. Increasingly the spiritual HQ of the festival, the best thing about a visit to the V&A is that it gives you the chance to check out multiple LDF exhibitions under one roof. This year’s highlights include Barber Osgerby’s installation in the Raphael Cartoons gallery, an immersive sculpture from Felix de Pass, Michael Montgomery and Ian McIntyre and a Zaha Hadid sculpture across the pool in the museum’s courtyard garden.

Elsewhere ceramicist James Rigler has built a piece in the the top half of the V&A’s cast of Trajan’s column, and Sir Terence Conran’s Wish List pairs up big names like Paul Smith and Norman Foster with emerging design talent to respond to the brief: ’"What have you always wanted in your home, but never been able to find?"

LDF at the V&A runs from 13 to 21 September.
www.vam.ac.uk