Design events for your diary
Anya Cooklin-Lofting details which shows you should look out for in 2023 if you’re a collector or have an eye for style
Uncertainty abounds as closure announcements from major organisers rattle the 2023 design calendar. The cancellation of The Open Art Fair and Masterpiece London Art Fair, the respected London art and antiques fairs, are perhaps the most impactful changes to the usual run of events.
However, other top annual design events have adopted a bestfoot-forward, business-as-usual approach in 2023. Lapada, the art design and antique fair, for example, is set to return to its Berkley Square location from 26 September to 1 October, having taken a hiatus to understand the longer-term consequences of Brexit and the pandemic on its members and the trade.
As a trade association, its organisers feel a pressing responsibility to deliver the fair, not just for the hungry audience of collectors and art and design enthusiasts in London, but to accommodate displaced exhibitors in the current climate.
In March, Collect, an annual contemporary design fair from the Crafts Council, will return for its 19th edition from 3-5 March, taking over Somerset House with 40 galleries from across the globe representing more than 400 artists and makers.
Isobel Dennis, Collect’s fair director, will deliver a fair involving an “increasingly diverse range of galleries and artistic voices”, including the return of several east Asian galleries and strong representation of artists from Africa and the African diaspora.
Also in March, London Design Week will materialise at Design Centre Chelsea Harbour from 13 -17, showcasing 600 international design brands for total immersion in the world of high-end interior design. An events programme of more than 100 talks, tours, demonstrations and “meet the designer” sessions is available to all ticket holders, attracting a loyal audience of interior designers and design lovers alike.
The “Harbour”, as it is known in the design community, also plays host to a programme of complementary events throughout the year, including Artefact – a contemporary craft fair – the third edition of which will kick off on 9 May.
In fact, May is set to be a hive of activity in the design community. London Craft Week will bring together both established and emerging global galleries for a dynamic design fair celebrating contemporary makers and designers between 814 May. Eye of the Collector will also take shape between 17-20 of the month. In filling Two Temple Place with exquisite collectables from leading galleries, founder Nazy Vassegh will once again conjure the “domestic opulence of an imaginary collector’s home”.
Perhaps the broadest, most sprawling, immersive design event of the year is London Design Festival, which centres London as a leading proponent of the global design community. The festival’s 2023 edition marks its 20th anniversary and will continue to “create an understanding and appreciation for the creative industries by as wide an audience as possible”, according to Sir John Sorrell CBE, London Design Festival chair. With immersive exhibitions and installations all over London, the festival provides ample opportunity to explore the city from the perspective of the greatest designers of our time.
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