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Best in show
This week, the capital is buzzing with the creativity of the London Design Festival. Here, Jessica Doyle picks the spectacular projects and products not to be missed
From lions spouting poetry to cool public water fountains, Jessica Doyle has the must-sees of the London Design Festival
Stage designer and installation artist Es Devlin is responsible for some sensational creations: Beyoncé, Jay-z and Kanye West have performed atop her kinetic sculptures; the giant inflatable tongue down which Miley Cyrus slid during her 2014 tour was Devlin’s work; and she created sets for the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. So when she was commissioned to produce a work in Trafalgar Square for this year’s festival, the results were bound to be extraordinary.
The idea struck her a year ago while walking through the square with designer Sir John Sorrell. He pointed to one of the lions and said: ‘Did you know, Landseer never wanted them to look so passive? They were supposed to be up on their hind legs, but Queen Victoria found it too shocking.’
Devlin’s response is a replica Landseer lion, painted in a luminous shade. ‘We drew one on its hind legs, but thought it would be more resonant if it looked like a fifth lion, but red,’ she says. Another difference is that its mouth will be open, revealing a screen displaying poetry, as activated by the public.
Devlin worked with Google Arts & Culture on an algorithm that has been fed 25 million words of 19th-century poetry. Visitors will be able to enter a single word into a touchscreen and two lines of original poetry will be produced, to be added to a collective poem that will scroll on the screen in the lion’s mouth and be projected on to Nelson’s Column at night. The lion will respond with a ‘choral roar’, created by a composer and intended to summarise ‘every voice in every crowd that has ever gathered here’.
A message on the screen will ask visitors: ‘If these lions, that have witnessed the past one and a half centuries in the centre of this city, were to break their 150-year silence, what word would you have them say?’
‘If you were allowed two words, the possibilities would be endless,’ says Devlin. ‘Limiting it to one means you have to be more creative.’ Please Feed the Lions by Es Devlin will be in Trafalgar Square from 18 September
THE DESIGNER
The London Design Festival sees designers and brands from around the world descending on the capital to showcase their new products, but it is also the place to catch up on homegrown talent, including the Welsh furniture designer Bethan Gray.
Gray’s trademark is her inventive ways of using luxurious materials and craft techniques and, for several years, she has been working with Iranian artist Mohamad Reza Shamsian on a modern version of the traditional Islamic marquetry practised at his workshop in Oman. The result is a collection of exquisite cabinetry and tables, faced with hand-cut maple veneers, delicately hand-stained with an ombré effect in a palette of grey, pink and teal, and inlaid with copper, brass or nickel. The pieces will be on show at Decorex in Syon Park, from tomorrow.
Marble is another material that Gray works with, to striking effect. Previous pieces have included a chevron-striped black-and-white marble dining table with stone specialist Lapicida and, at last year’s LDF, a marble tea set, produced with the Italian high-end furniture company Editions Milano. This year she has expanded on the theme in the form of a lighting collection made from carved marble, comprising spherical pendant and table lamps that belie the weight of their material and have an ethereal, almost transparent quality when lit.
The lights will be on show at Designjunction on the Southbank from 20 September, and can be seen at the in-show bar, also designed by Gray with whisky brand The Glenlivet. The bar will use tableware that Gray has produced with ceramics company 1882, and features one of Gray’s Shamsian patterns, which she has given a Scottish twist, inspired by the River Spey and the mists that settle in its surrounding valleys. Designjunction, 20-23 September (designjunction. co.uk) and Decorex, 16-19 September (decorex.com); bethangray.com
THE MAKERS
Swapping the city for the countryside and launching a craft business is a dream that many have shared, but few have done it with the success of Devon-based Feldspar. Its founders, Cath and Jeremy Brown, were working in quite different fields – she as an architect, he for the UN, helping fashion brands build ethical supply chains – when, three years ago, they decided to relocate from Hackney to Dartmoor to start a family, and a design brand.
Jeremy had trained in carpentry, but their plan was to experiment with various materials and have a go at making whatever they needed for their new home. Their foray into ceramics started with a delicate, white bone-china espresso cup with a dimpled surface and a cobalt-blue handle (they learned how to work with clay by watching videos on Youtube). From there, they have expanded into a full tableware collection including plates, bowls, pasta dishes, teaware and an egg cup that comes with a deep saucer for holding toast and a lid to keep the egg warm.
The bone-china pieces have been made in Stoke-on-trent, but Cath and Jeremy are now transferring all production to their own workshop. They also recently discovered a seam of high-quality clay in their garden, which they have hand-dug and refined to make a collection of mugs, with a clear glaze to reveal its natural tone – the whole production process takes place within 30 feet of their back door. Other pieces in development include a wooden bagatelle board, and the couple intend to keep learning new techniques.
‘We’re not a ceramics brand, or a carpentry brand – we’re just playing around with different materials,’ says Jeremy, whose plans include building a furnace in the garden for metalwork. ‘Eventually, we want to make everything.’ Feldspar is at London Design Fair, 20-23 September (londondesignfair.co.uk); feldspar.studio
THE IDEA
The past year has seen a huge shift in the way we regard disposable plastic, in particular the single-use water bottle. The London Fountain Co, a social enterprise founded by curator Jane Withers and publisher Charles Asprey, is addressing the issue through the power of design, aiming to encourage a ‘refill culture’ by producing public water fountains with aesthetic appeal. Its pilot fountain, created by London-based industrial designer Michael Anastassiades, was switched on yesterday in the V&A’S John Madejski Garden, and ticks the boxes for both beauty and functionality.
Anastassiades is known for his chic contemporary designs, notably for Italian lighting brand Flos, and his water fountain bears no resemblance to the standard version you might find in your local park. Cast in bronze, the sculptural form – essentially a 16-sided tower – operates via a concealed sensor.
Mayor Sadiq Khan has already begun a scheme to increase the number of fountains in London, in an effort to reduce the city’s plastic waste and revive the water fountain’s 19th-century heyday, when drinking stations were first rolled out in a bid to improve public health.
In addition to its star turn at the V&A, Anastassiades’ fountain has also been installed in nearby Thurloe Place, and it is hoped that more will be springing up in the city in the coming months. thelondonfountaincompany. london; michael anastassiades.com