Exploration at London Design Festival 2018

Offering a wide panorama, the London Design Festival showcased all aspects of design during its 2018 edition. From the Design Biennale to the London Design Fair, Switzerland-based, emerging designers presented their creations and thus, their approach to design that finds its roots in craftsmanship, social commitment or sustainability research.

Invited in the British capital by the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, the collective Hors Pistes and the designer Dimitri Bähler settled in designjunction. The latter exhibited his ceramic collection that combines organic textures, vibrant colors and refined lines, in a poetic manner. Inspired by craft skills that he discovered during his multiple stays abroad, he continues to explore the potential of clay.

Combining design and craftsmanship, the collective Hors Pistes proposes a residency program that builds bridges between different cultures. Taking place in Burkina Faso or Greenland, these gatherings enable the transmission of local crafts and favour the renewal of creative processes. Thus, the designer Laurence Stoffel and the weaver Tessemé Soma used two different weaving techniques to create the three baskets Belebeleba and thus, optimize their functionality.

A few steps away from the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Mint gallery celebrated its twentieth anniversary with the exciting exhibition Trans-Form. More than 60 designers showcased their creations highlighting the potential of transformation, may it be in regards to materials and production methods. At the forefront, their work opens a reflection on our relationship to the object, its durability and its functionality. Among them, Geneva-based designer Josefina Muñoz exhibited her collection of marble tables named Game of Stone. Playing with the volumes and textures of this noble material, she gives marble a playful and contemporary look. For this project, she chose to work only with recycled stones, giving them a second life.

Beyond aesthetics, these projects present a more engaged vision of design, built on the past knowledge.