Experimental Design at London Design Festival 2014.

Yo, yo, yo! We’re back today with our London Design Festival extravaganza, and more specifically with some badass examples of conceptual and experimental design. Many of the objects we are sharing here sit at the intersection of art, design and all-round inspiring clever thinking. Most are completely unconventional and “out-there”, and will never become mass-produced. So why should you worry about them? Well, everything here represents a collection of the finest examples of clever ideas, and designers who have dared to explore unchartered territory, break new ground, take the road less travelled and tell untold stories. It is ideas such as these that allow us to progress the design industry in new ways, while staying respectful to old traditions. This is precisely what excites me the most – breaking down our own boundaries, and preconceived notions is the way of the future. The future of design progress. Let’s all drink to that!

See all our stories from London Design Festival.

‘Marble Clock’ by Studio Formafantasma. A clock face in Carrara marble marks the slow pace of the hour as each revolution aligns the natural pattern of mineral veins across the concentric circles.

‘Fan Clock’ by Studio Formafantasma. A fan unfolds and swings shut over 5 minutes; the repeated opposing action articulates the stability of a unit of time whilst playfully reminding us that our own internal measures of time vary.

‘Saxophones Clock’ by Studio Formafantasma. Like sentinels of time, two Saxophones sound every fifteen minutes to announce and celebrate the experience of daily life as it evolves.

‘Pendulum Clock’ by Studio Formafantasma. Symbolically challenging the consequence of time, a pendulum sweeps a brush across a concave brass surface preventing the oxidization that naturally occurs by the second.
Images courtesy of Established & Sons.

‘From Then On’ by Studio Formafantasma // Italian design duo Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin of Studio Formafantasma created the time-themed installation ‘From Then On’, in the showroom of British furniture brand Established & Sons, to mark the company’s 10th anniversary.

‘INDIGO LUMINAIRES’ from Burnished Indigo Series, 2014. Made from antique burnished indigo textile, steel, & brass. Image © Mari Luz Vidal of Openhouse Magazine.

‘INDIGO LUMINAIRES’ from Burnished Indigo Series, 2014. Made from antique burnished indigo textile, steel, & brass. Image © JAMESPLUMB.

‘Indigo Luminaires,’ part of Burnished Indigo Series by JAMESPLUMB // Inspired by the discovery of a destroyed 19th Century leather sofa, JAMESPLUMB showcased his limited edition assemblage and luminaires series. The fragile, fluid and organic beauty of the fabric is altered by intricate finger pleating. Collaboration with artist William Waterhouse has created an ingenious, simple mechanism allowing for a multidirectional light. Our feature story on this project will follow later in the week.

Images courtesy of Kyouei Design.

‘Magnetic Field Record’ designed by Kouichi Okamoto of Kyouei design // This suspended device records and visualises earth’s magnetic and gravitational forces into stunning drawings.

Samuel Wilkinson / ercol.

Left: Ab Rogers / ercol. Right: Afroditi Krassa / ercol.

Left: Faye Toogood / ercol. Right: Kristjana Williams / ercol.

Left: Wilkinson Eyre / ercol. Right: Donna Wilson / ercol.

Left: Benjamin Hubert / Anglepoise®. Right: Bethan Gray / Anglepoise®.

Left: Michael Sodeau / Anglepoise®. Right: Samuel Wilkinson / Anglepoise®.

Tom Dixon / Anglepoise®. Images courtesy of Design Junction.

Designjunction presented ‘A Child’s Dream’ in partnership with Anglepoise® and ercol // Nineteen of the UK’s leading designers from the filed of architecture, design, fashion and graphics created unique interpretations of iconic products (the iconic Anglepoise® Type75™ Mini desk lamp and Stacking chair, from Ercol’s Originals collection) auctioned at Designjunction 2014. On display was an exhibition designed and curated by British designer Anthony Dickens, to raise money for “Teddy’s Wish,” its official chosen charity for 2014.

‘Face’ by Chrissie Macdonald from Tooled Up Series / Curated by Art&Graft.

‘Screwdriver’ by Chrissie Macdonald from Tooled Up Series / Curated by Art&Graft.

‘Untitled’ by Merijn Hos from Tooled Up Series / Curated by Art&Graft.

‘Mallet’ by Deanne Cheuk from Tooled Up Series / Curated by Art&Graft. Images courtesy of Art&Graft. All photography John Hooper.

‘Tooled Up’ Series, curated by Art&Graft // As part of Shoreditch Design Triangle and LDF, Art&Graft presented ‘Tooled Up’, a group show celebrating craft, graft and creativity, curated by Art&Graft. Showcaseing some of the most exciting artists, illustrators and designers working today, the brief was to take a recognisable object of craft and apply their skill and ingenuity to transform it into a unique form.

Martino Gamper for Bethan Laura Wood’s ‘Alter’ series.

‘Rainbow’ vases by Bethan Laura Wood. Photography by Angus Mill.

Bethan Laura Wood’s ‘Alter’ series // Bethan Laura Wood’s investigations into flowers and their containment led her to design an installation inspired by altarpieces, harvest festivals and temple displays. She has incorporated her own collection of new vases ‘Rainbow’ – the result of a lengthy study of vase design and flower arrangement – and those by her friends, including new work by Max Lamb, Silo Studio and Martino Gamper, with vintage and West German vases in a celebratory riot of flowers and ceramic.

Images courtesy of Philipp Aduatz.

‘Canvas Tables’ by Philipp Aduatz // Philipp Aduatz combines different techniques and creative disciplines in his recent project ‘Canvas Tables’, a hybrid series that fuses the craftsmanship of experimental furniture with the artistic tradition of oil painting.

‘Broom’, 2013 by Carl Clerkin. Image courtesy of Gallery so London.

Crafting Narrative, Crafts Council’s Touring Exhibition // Crafting Narrative explores how contemporary designers and makers use objects as mediums to tell stories. The exhibition focused on practitioners who challenge and investigate the narrative potential of objects to reflect on themes as diverse as history, culture, society and technology.

‘ISH’ Collection by Laetitia de Allegri Matteo Fogale // London designers Matteo Fogale and Laetitia de Allegri first collaberation resulted in the ‘ISH’ collection, which includes shelving, a bench, side tables, a wall-mounted mirror and a selection of tableware. Presented at the Herrick Gallery as part of the Shoreditch Design Triangle, the collection is made from composite materials comprising recycled denim, cotton and paper.

Images courtesy of Aram Gallery.

‘Layers’ by Kim Thome Exhibition at the Aram Gallery // Norwegian designer Kim Thome finds a balance between installation and objects, intermingling a diverse selection of graphic elements and optical play within material and spaces. For the ‘Future Stars?’ Exhibition at the AramGallery, London, Thome exhibited ‘Layers’, embodying his experimentation with the interplay between light and colour.

Installation view ‘Wooden Tables’, Gallery Libby Sellers. 2014

Installation view ‘Wooden Tables,’ Gallery Libby Sellers. 2014

‘Wooden Table, Polymorph’ 2014. Cast polymorph, steel. Prototype. All works courtesy of and available from Gallery Libby Sellers. Photography by Gideon Hart.

‘Wooden Tables’ by Peter Marigold at Gallery Libby Sellers // Encompassing the London Design Festival, Gallery Libby Sellers presented the solo exhibition of Peter Marigold’s ‘Wooden Tables’ series. The process sees one piece of wood pasted with hot wax in order to create an impression of the wood. This action is repeated so as to intuitively build up a form from the numerable wax impressions, creating an object that is both moulded, yet unique.

Ten Top Designers Get the Products of Their Dreams With “The Wish List” // This joint project between Terence Conran, Benchmark Furniture and the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), resulted in “The Wish List”, a set of ten projects dreamed up by big name designers such as Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid and Richard Rogers, but designed and crafted in collaboration with emerging designers. Sponsored by the American Hardwood Export Council, all the items were crafted during one intense making week at Benchmark’s workshop in rural Berkshire.

See all our stories from London Design Festival.