UTOPIA BY DESIGN IS BEAUTIFUL NOW AT LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE

LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE

Design solves problems, big and small. Beautiful design does it beautifully.

The inaugural LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE (LBD) launched earlier this month, featuring the theme: Utopia by Design. It examines the role of design in our collective futures, with Installations, artworks, prototypes, and designs from 37 countries and territories.

This Biennale is about real world issues that can be solved by design. It explores big questions and ideas about sustainability, migration, pollution, energy, cities, and social equality.

The LDB teams of designers, architects, scientists, writers, and artists were interested in exploring how architecture, design, and engineering might contribute to making the world a better place.

Each exhibit relays dreams and stories about alternative futures, both inspiring and cautionary.

Each country views Utopia differently. Each design team racked its own focus. France looked at the geopolitics of design. Greece aimed to hack the refugee crisis by looking at the country’s history of mass population movement through its borders.

Mexican architect and urbanist Fernando Romero examined the potential of car-free future cities.

Israel investigated distribution design to improve deployment of first aid to disaster zones. Nigeria offered ideas for floating buildings as a solution to rising sea levels.

Austria’s LeveL installation was our visual favorite. This delicate kinetic light-sculpture, designed by mischer’traxler studio, reflects on the precariousness of future concepts, including utopian visions.

“The Wish Machine” project, showcased by Turkey was inspired by the “wish-tree,” a cultural tradition deeply rooted in the ancient Anatolian faith. Utopia is one giant wish.

A kaleidoscopic mix of traditional textiles, ancient mythology, and modern forms, weave together to form “Chakraview,” India’s Biennale showcase, designed by Sumant Jayakrishnan. “India’s utopias articulate the intersections between ancient myth and modern design”, says curator Rajshree Pathy.

The Utopia theme also marks the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s famed book, “Utopia.”

The event, located at Somerset House, in London, is organized in partnership with Jaguar and Somerset House.

Installations were curated by the leading museums and design organisations in the world, including Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (USA); DAMnº Magazine (Belgium); German Design Council; the MAK and Austria Design Net; Moscow Design Museum (Russia); Triennale Design Museum (Italy); India Design Forum; Southern Guild (South Africa); The Japan Foundation, and Victoria and Albert Museum (UK).

Read more about Beautiful Design in The Kinetic Art & Design Of Time Now, Innovative Biological Design is Beautiful Now, Design is Making Food and Drink More Beautiful Now and Incredible Design Alchemy At London Design Festival 2016.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “Chakraview,” designed by Sumant Jayakrishnan. India installation at London Design Biennale 2016.
2. Image: Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “Lebanon.” London Design Biennale.
3. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “Forecast,” designed by Edward Barber OBE & Jay Osgerby OBE. UK Installation at London Design Biennale 2016.
4. Image: Courtesy of London Design Biennale.
5. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “Immersion Room,” designed by Cooper Hewitt design team. USA installation at London Design Biennale 2016.
6. Image: Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “FREE City Design,” by Fernando Romero Enterprise. Mexico installation at London Design Biennale 2016.
7. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “LeveL,” by mischer’traxler studio. Austria installation at London Design Biennale 2016. Sponsored by Austria Design Net.
8. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “LeveL,” by mischer’traxler studio. Austria installation at London Design Biennale 2016. Sponsored by Austria Design Net.
9. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale.
10. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “Chakraview,” designed by Sumant Jayakrishnan. India installation at London Design Biennale 2016.
11. Image: Courtesy of London Design Biennale.
12. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale.
13. Image: Courtesy of London Design Biennale.
14. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale.
15. Image: by BN App - Download now!
16. Image: by Ed Reeve. Courtesy of London Design Biennale. “Wish Machine,” by Seyhan Özdemir, Sefer Çağlar, Çağla Gürbay, & Zeynep Akten. Turkey installation at London Design Biennale. Sponsored by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV).