Es Devlin announced as artistic director of London Design Biennale 2020

Es Devlin, the multi-award winning artist, designer and personal It’s Nice That favourite, has been announced as the artistic director of the 2020 London Design Biennale.

Although we’ll have to wait another year to see Es’ influence in this position, the creative whose vision spans music, set design, theatre, opera, poetry and technology, has revealed the theme of the Biennale will be “Resonance”. This theme will be translated by over 50 countries into installations housed at an international exhibition at Somerset House, London from 8 – 27 September 2020.

“We live in an age of hyper-resonance, the consequences of which are both exhilarating and devastating. Everything we design and everything we produce resonates,” comments Es on her chosen theme. The OBE holder also went onto explain that resonating with audiences all over the world is particularly possible in the digital age as “design can reach instantly across borders and bridge cultures,” she states. “It can positively alter behaviours and transform societies. Perspectives can be shifted and lives can be improved when new ideas resonate and are adopted by extended communities. Designers have the power to influence and amaze their audiences into making these profound shifts, using the mass networks available to them to resonate practices that will help build a more sustainable future.”

The announcement of Es’ appointment also comes with the news of Will Sorrell joining as managing director, joining the London Design Biennale from designjunction. “It is such an exciting moment to join London Design Biennale,” adds Will. “The third edition in 2020 will come at a time when the UK finds itself in new relationships with the world. What better way to strengthen those relationships than to host the best international design thinking in our capital.”

We’ll be sitting tight until September 2020 then and in the meantime, you can revisit our profile feature on Es Devlin here.