The ‘New Simplicity‘ exhibition presents a range of simplistic ‘no frills’ products designed by both emerging and established international designers. Showcased at this Brompton gallery location are classic designs alongside new innovations utilising the latest Rapid Manufacturing technologies.

NEW SIMPLICITY

24th July-8th August 2010

203 Brompton Road, SW3 1LA (07808 722 962)

With reference to current economic conditions, ‘New simplicity’ reflects the current trend of frugality and a ‘return to basics’ within design. Everyday items (both the classics, new renditions of the past and the latest prototypes) are all highlighted in terms of their simplicity, practicality and affordability.

The most recently unveiled of those products on display are enhanced by improvements in Rapid Manufacturing Technologies, which allow designers to create objects using the minimum number of pieces as possible, thus accenting the notion of simplicity.

The exhibition curator and design critic Nuno Coelho has brought together a range of designers including Alex Hulme and his self assembly torch; Min-Kyu Choi and his award winning folding plug; and David Sutton’s minimal wallet formed in one piece with no moving parts.

Alternative products by differing designers are also unified in the exhibition by their collective belief in simplicity. These designers include: Industrial Facility (Sam Hect and Kim Colin), Jasper Morrison, Oscar Diaz, Jochem Faudet, Jon Harrison, Luka Stepan, Mathias Hahn and Thomas Wagner.

Combining specially commissioned pieces alongside films and drawings, the exhibition features a simultaneous webcast and website.

Images, from top: Branca Chair by Industrial Facility for Mattiazzi; Basel Chair by Jasper Morrison for Vitra; Self-Assembly Torch by Alex Hulme; Minimal Wallet by David Sutton; UV Floor Lamp by Jon Harrison for Habitat; I-phone/ I-pod Cable Manager by Jochem Faudet.

Housed at their Mayfair gallery, British producer Established & Sons is showcasing their collection of lighting and objects which they recently developed in collaboration with legendary Italian glass producer Venini.

ESTABLISHED & SONS IN COLLABORATION WITH VENINI

16th July-1oth September 2010

ESTABLISHED & SONS LIMITED

2-3 Duke Street St James’s, London SW1Y 6BJ (020 7968 2040)

The exhibition showcases the six pieces in this collection, which includes designs by Established & Sons existing designers, Sebastian Wrong and Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec and introduces Michael Eden and Konstantin Grcic.

Venini was founded in 1921 on the island of Murano in the Venetian lagoon. Their glassware is handmade using the same wooden and metal tools that were used centuries of years ago, with a workshop of highly skilled artisan fifth generation glass blowers.

From the outset, Venini broke away from the traditional production methods of glassware and design constraints, and embraced an avant-garde style, implementing high quality techniques and colour palettes that have become synonymous with the brand to date.

Images, from top: LightHouse by Erwan & Ronan Bouroullec; Audrey Vase by Michael Eden; Blow by Konstantin Grcic. Images courtesy of Established & Sons.

At ninety-four years of age the Danish-born American designer Jens Risom has collaborated with Rocket Gallery and Benchmark Furniture, who have jointly secured the European rights to reissue his 1950s and 1960s furniture designs. The first collection of nine pieces is being exhibited at Rocket.

JENS RISOM FURNITURE, 2nd July-4th September 2010

ROCKET GALLERY

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6JJ (020 7729 7594)

The group of furniture released by Rocket includes an easy chair, a side chair, a desk, various coffee tables, two magazine tables, and Risom’s famous upholstered bench. These are shown in a mixture of oak and walnut versions and upholstered in a variety of Kvadrat fabrics and Elmo leathers.

The collection has been creatively directed by Jonathan Stephenson of Rocket and made by Sean Sutcliffe and Terence Conran’s Benchmark Furniture company in their Dorset and Berkshire workshops, with the close involvement of Risom himself.

Jens Risom was born in Copenhagen in 1916. From 1935 to 1938 he attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen where he trained under the furniture-maker Kaare Klint and his fellow students included Hans Wegner.

In 1939, Risom emigrated from Denmark to the USA, where in 1941 he designed the first range of furniture manufactured by Hans Knoll. In 1946, he established Jens Risom Design Inc which grew to become the third largest furniture company in America.

“I set out to design contemporary furniture that was comfortable and practical to use. I developed an American version of Scandinavian modern furniture.” - Jens Risom, Classic Modern

A catalogue of the new furniture collection is available and the pieces can be viewed on the dedicated Jens Risom website.

Simultaneously, as a back-drop to the furniture, Rocket is presenting ‘Black & white minimalism’ with works by Lars Wolter, Michelle Grabner, Stefan Eberstadt, and Keld Helmer-Petersen.

This exhibition is the latest instalment in The Aram Gallery’s ongoing series exploring experimental aspects of design. The show focuses on architectural parts and allows trials and experiments of details, rather than models of whole projects, to take centre stage. A refreshing antidote to polished final pieces.

Prototypes and Experiments V: Architectural Elements

1st July-28th August 2010

THE ARAM GALLERY

110 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5SG (020 7557 7526)

Prototypes and experiments are critical elements in the development process of any new design. If prototypes are the manifestation of the design idea on its way to production, experiments are more like steps on the way. With architecture, elements of a complex project often offer a critical insight into the DNA of that project.

The prototype, being part of a process, makes more real an idea that will lead to a final piece, and is not usually made with the intention of being shown outside the architect’s practice. Experiments are even less refined and sometimes constitute a partial sketch on the way to the prototype. These objects, however, hold a rare charm, and give an insight into the architect’s imagination.

The Aram Gallery is interested in the way designers think and work. Prototypes and Experiments V includes 1:1 elements and samples sourced from the studios of established practices alongside selected drawings and models taken from the architects’ physical or digital sketchbooks.

New Designers exhibition is the leading showcase of graduate design talent as they emerge from the UK’s design courses, presenting everything from architecture to animation, furniture to fashion, graphics to glass. Hosted under one roof at Islington’s Business Design Centre (BDC), visitors can access over 3,500 new talents across the two-part event.

NEW DESIGNERS 2010

PART 1: 1st-4th July 2010 >>> Textiles; Fashion & Accessories; contemporary Applied Arts; Ceramics & Glass; Jewellery & Precious Metalwork.

PART 2: 8th-11th July 2010 >>> Product Design; Furniture; Visual Communications (including Graphic Design & Illustration); Spatial Design.

BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE

52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH (08448 480 139)

Due to the sheer volume of work being exhibited, New Designers is split across two shows with each show focussing on the creative disciplines listed above.

2010 is a landmark for New Designers, which will have been running for 25 successful years. To mark this anniversary, ‘Where are you now’ celebrates the success of a number of New Designer’s alumni with work displayed (and for sale) near the upper café.

Alongside the graduates’ exhibits is a special showcase of design entrepreneurs entitled ‘One Year On.’ As the name suggests, it presents a selected showcase of designers whose work has matured and progressed in their first year in business. Thorsten van Elten curates the 40 contributors.

An extensive talks and seminars programme adds further interest with sessions offering advice for professional development and insights into some of the key issues of the day.

We will be selling copies of LONDON DESIGN GUIDE at New Designers Part Two.

At LDG, we’re big believers that design is visible at every turn and nowhere more so than within the fabric of our cities. As we go about our daily business, we often neglect the beautiful, intelligent, timely, or quirky details that make up our built environment. The downloadable Design Detail Trail reminds us of what not to miss.

Design Detail Trail: A Guide to the Overlooked Design Details of London

www.designdetailtrail.com

In some cases, a detail has existed for hundreds of years. Some are simple fragments. Some represent important periods of London’s cultural history. Others are more recent and some appear to be mundane. This guide acts as a means of revealing the intrigue and refinement of these everyday design details, whilst providing an alternative way to navigate and experience the city.

To coincide with the London Festival of Architecture 2010, details have been located across the city with a focus on five key areas:

North – King’s Cross & Bloomsbury

South – Borough

East – Shoreditch

West – Soho

Central – City & Clerkenwell

Design Detail Trail Info Point is now open for reference in the window of 16 Hanbury St, London, E1 6QR until the 4th July 2010. Pop by and take a look if you are in the area! If you can’t make it, download PDF versions of the maps directly from the website.

This project has been painstakingly created by Nadia Pedreschi and James Keogh.

The Royal College of Art’s talent pool of 2010 is on show within the college galleries in Kensington. This end of year showcase is an important time for talent scouts to pick up on the latest postgraduate talent and their challenging ideas.

RCA SHOW PART TWO, 25th June-4th July 2010

ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART

Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU

Part Two is dedicated to graduating students from Animation, Architecture, Communication Art & Design, Design Products, Design Interactions, Fashion Footwear and Accessories, History of Design, Innovation Design Engineering, Textiles and Vehicle Design.

This year is Tord Boontje’s first show as Head of Design Products. His students have taken over a whole floor of the Stevens Building, just a short walk from the main galleries across Jay Mews. This gives the department a unique space to exhibit and interact with visitors so be sure to pop over the road to see it.

For the first time at the RCA Show, a group of students from several departments are exhibiting collectively in the central courtyard of the Darwin building, under the banner Department 21. They are hosting a series of public events with guests speakers.

Furthermore, Painting and Sculpture students are exhibiting simultaneously at the RCA’s new Battersea campus (Howie Street, SW11 4AS). Hop on board a Routemaster bus for a free ride between the two Shows, running every half hour on weekends throughout Show Two dates.

This exhibition by leading designer Tord Boontje overturns the conventional expectations of what lace might be. In this collection of work showing at Marsden Woo Gallery, Boontje employs traditional craft skills while substituting unorthodox materials, changing the references and subverting our preconceived notions of value.

TORD BOONTJE: The Lace Maker, 24th June-31st July 2010

MARSDEN WOO GALLERY

17-18 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DN (020 7336 6396)

“With lace,” Boontje points out, “all the value is invested in the labour and so it seemed a good idea to start working with cheap materials … But also, by changing the material you can change the references.”

Works in the exhibition include a dramatic black sofa that emerges from a large three-dimensional web-like structure of bound and knotted Aramide and Dynema fibres. The sofa is one example of what he has been able to create by employing traditional craft skills, while substituting unorthodox materials. Others are a curtain composed in a random pattern of tangled flora and a selection of exuberant lighting designs, all constructed from natural raffia.

Some of the more delicate works are items of jewellery, such as necklaces and a hairpiece, and a selection of test samples made in a variety of natural materials, including grass. The exhibition includes a short video about the process of making a raffia lace dress, offering further insights into his approach, which he describes as “spontaneous – not organized and symmetrical.”

Installation shots courtesy of Marsden Woo Gallery (© Phil Sayer).

At a time when every nation seems to be showing off its cultural cards on an international platform, it would seem that Switzerland has also joined the ranks with an exhibition of Swiss graphic, product, and urban designers.

SWITZERLAND: DESIGN FOR LIFE, 19th June-1st July 2010

A FOUNDATION

Rochelle School & Club Row, Arnold Circus, London E2 7ES (020 7033 3539)

The exhibition is divided into two parts that ultimately complement each other.

Part one – Contemporary Swiss Design:

This part celebrates the work of a new generation of Swiss designers living and working in London. It features the work of twelve of Switzerland’s most talented young designers: Laurent Benner, Alex Bettler, Kueng Caputo, Zak Kyes, Jurg Lehni, Urs Lehni & Lex Trub, Loris & Livia, Elena Rendina and Regis Tosetti. These designers produce innovative, fresh ways of working, creating projects that move across disciplines; by making furniture, designing books and organizing events.

The exhibition is curated by Vanessa Norwood, Head of Exhibitions with the AA Exhibitions Department.

Part two – Reinventing An Image:

There are more 20th century poster masterpieces from Switzerland than any other country, the reasons for which lie mainly in a vigorous national program to promote the poster and its printers; and a series of great teachers who advanced the art of the poster. The Swiss poster though had its roots in the travel poster.

The Swiss have continued to create beautiful illustrated posters for their tourism industry and the exhibition displays a range of the most influential and striking. The vintage posters have been put together by Artifiche, a Zürich based Poster Gallery which has become the leading poster gallery in Switzerland. It’s huge collection features Swiss and international vintage posters over the past 100 years.

Ten Swiss graphic designers, curated alongside ID Pure, a Swiss magazine of graphic design and visual creation, are presenting their contemporary interpretation of a Swiss travel poster for today. These designers from various Swiss cities include: Buro Destruct, Nerves, Bureau Collective, Stefan Jost, ID Pure studio, Super Position, Grotesk and GVA Studio. How do they portray Switzerland and what images do they use now ? Do they choose to avoid clichés or embrace them ? The new works are exhibited alongside the original posters.

There is also a bookshop where books containing Swiss design and designers, lithographs, magazines and a newly-designed Victorinox Swiss Army Knife are on display and available to buy.

The Wapping Project, the east London gallery, restaurant and performance space is hosting ‘Chorus’, an immersive kinetic experience light and sound installation by United Visual Artists.

CHORUS, 15th June – 18th July 2010

THE WAPPING PROJECT

Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SG (020 7680 2080)

Installed in the Wapping Project’s Boiler House, a dark and cavernous industrial space, Chorus is simultaneously a physical and ephemeral experience consisting of an array of motor-assisted pendulums, suspended from the roof. Mounted on each of the pendulums are a light and a speaker. Together these pendulums form a single instrument that explores the relationship between performance, sculpture and installation.

Chorus was originally commissioned in March 2009 by Opera North Projects in association with The Culture Company to celebrate the reopening of the Howard Assembly Rooms in Leeds (pictured top). Chorus is effectively a musical instrument on a grand scale; an instrument in which the special location of each sound is a critical part of the composition.

Each light pendulum emits its own unique musical score that together forms a perfect ensemble of light and sound. Conceived by the British collective United Visual Artists, whose work spans permanent architectural installation, live performance and responsive installation, Chorus has been reworked within the Wapping Project.

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The pictures above show the installation in Durham Cathedral for Artichoke’s Lumiere event in November 2009. Click here to watch a video of that installation.