London Design Festival 2014
The London Design Festival - which I wrote about in my September column, above - is on right now. I'll be in London most of this week checking out various events. The official launch at the V&A last Friday was very inspiring - there are some fantastic installations here's a list including one in the Raphael Gallery by Barber Osgerby and BMW which has to be seen to be believed. It's a giant, reflective, kinetic sculpture which slowly rotates and casts rather beautiful shadows and completely changes the feel of the room as it turns. As the designers said: "it's an experience, not a series of objects; it's meant to distort, to feel like you're floating".
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby explaining their extraordinary installation in the Raphael Gallery at the V&A
It's an amazing thing to behold, but impossible to photograph. Here's my best iPhone attempt.
I also popped in to see the Hay and Wrong For Hay collections on show at a fancy address in Queen Anne's Gate, St James where the art of display was very much in evidence (see above and below). Hay is a cult Danish brand run by a husband and wife team Rolf and Mette Hay who design beautiful everyday items at not completely crazy prices. The best bit of news is they are doing a pop up shop in Selfridges - the Hay Mini Market - until Christmas so you can actually buy stuff, like their bold cushions by Nathalie du Pasquier of Memphis Group fame and their Tela glasses with a textile print surface.
Hay hired ex-Wallpaper journalist Benjamin Kempton to do the styling. which was beautifully done.
Wrong for Hay and Hay are popping up in Selfridges till Christmas