For our first foray into London Design Festival 2017, we took a stroll to the V&A for the usual cavalcade of installations, exhibitions and talks. Always a fan of what’s on offer, we took a wander down to the museum – cameras in hand and found some fantastic displays and unique creations that didn’t disappoint.
Check out the below video for a nifty overview of what we spotted (move over Zoella) and have a gander around the V&A with us.
However, it needs to be said, there’s been a lot of on-going exhibitions at the V&A that have been – shall we say – “re-purposed” for the event. So grab your official guide when you walk in and make sure you’re heading to something that’s not going to be there after the Festival.
Our first port of call was one of the larger installations – Transmission. It’s a soft, undulating structure that snakes down the centre of the V&A’s tapestry gallery. The brainchild of Ross Lovegrove, the artist invites you to touch and interact with the sculpture. It’s actually quite relaxing to look at and you get lost in the curves and lines.
Undoubtedly the most spectacular at the V&A is Reflection Room by Flynn Talbot. It’s an immersive, coloured light experience that’s housed in the Prince Consort Gallery. Walk down the room, awash with orange and blue lighting. Each person is lit in a different way, depending on where they’re standing – which is an integral part of Talbot’s installation and we predict you’ll be seeing all over your Instagram feed over the course of the week.
Other pieces to spot are While We Wait by Elias and Yousef Anastas – another immersive installation by the Bethlehem-based architects and it’s all about the cultural claim over nature in Palestine. Yup, we took that straight out the guidebook. They used the art of “stereotomy” (i.e. cutting stones) so the tower could be assembled to support itself. There’s some evocative sound and video clips around the structure and there’s definitely something humbling about being inside/next to it.
Exhale is also on the Design Trail. Exhale Bionic Chandelier by Julian Melchiorri is the first ever living and breathing chandelier utilising novel bionic-leaf technologies – but don’t get too excited – it appears to be just made of green glass. Still pretty nice though!
There you have it, the V&A for London Design Festival 2017! Did you see anything else worth noting? Let us know!
David & Mark x
forwardfeatures.net 
One thought on “Featured Video: Exploring Design for LDF ’17 at the V&A”