Clerkenwell Design Week 2024 returns to explore the impact of experiential design

Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW) is all set to return for its 15th edition this May. Split across 12 venues in London, the design event will host various art installations and exhibitions showcasing furniture, lighting, flooring, homeware, kitchen, and ceramic products, and architectural hardware and finishes, amongst other displays. A series of talks and workshops at these venues will platform industry-led conversations and guided studio tours. The design festival, scheduled to take place from May 21 - 23, 2024, includes 600 curated events in the EC1 neighbourhood, as well as 160 local design showrooms and 300 exhibits across the additional venues. The upcoming edition will also host three new venues, with their respective themes. These include Contract and Work at Clerkenwell Green; a pop-up space at The Goldsmiths’ Centre; and The Edit in Bourne and Hollingsworth. Together, the three venues will showcase the latest commercial and workplace interior designs and recent launches by various leading contemporary brands.

"We're thrilled to return this May with Clerkenwell Design Week," shares Marlon Cera-Marle, Director of Design Division at Media 10 which organises the annual design festival. "As one of the most attended specification events in the A&D calendar, it also serves as an important platform to discover new talent and ideas. This year, we're excited to showcase an unprecedented number of participating brands, reflecting strong demand from both home and overseas. In response, we're expanding our exhibition and installation spaces, including the newly revamped, pedestrian-friendly Clerkenwell Green. Anticipation is high for what's in store, from diverse brands and showrooms to exciting partners, features and special events," he adds.

In its previous editions, too, Clerkenwell Design Week celebrated design and innovation, with the display of various exhibits covering design, lighting, and luxury products. The 2023 edition, for instance, platformed various innovative installations and art showcases such as Gateway at St John’s Gate by Steve Messam, a modular seating structure by PLP Architecture, Morag Myerscough’s installation for BAUX in St John’s Square, and Megalithic columns by Duffy London, amongst others. CDW’s preceding edition drew over 37,000 visitors. Thus, retaining the previous edition’s vibrant and healthy participation, Clerkenwell Design Week 2024 is gearing up with the introduction of new destinations for organising events with various innovative exhibits and thoughtful installations.

An intriguing site-specific installation that will adorn the streets of Clerkenwell is the Grid System by London-based artist Ben Cullen Williams. It is an audio-visual installation that attempts to communicate the impact of the simple grid on our physical spaces, lives and day-to-day existence. The light installation aims to engage viewers by mapping grids onto them, hence making people and the surrounding areas a part of the artwork. Another interesting installation, namely Gatekeepers, by Berlin-based surface designer Orsi Orban and British Design studio Duffy London, promises to transform the St John's Gate of the Order of St John, with a series of organically shaped sculptures.

Connection, a site-specific installation by Brighton-based multidisciplinary artists and designers Lois O’Hara and Ronnie Chapple, will adorn the brick walls near the House of Detention or the Clerkenwell Prison. For the design event, Benchmark, a leading furniture brand in the UK, has collaborated with students from London Metropolitan University, to bring forth various innovative designs and projects. Some other large-scale installations to be showcased at the fair include Giant Signature Box by Material Bank; Stone Tapestry: Beyond the Surface by Stone Federation and Stay Playful (When No One Feels Like Playing) by 2LG Studio. Some collaborative projects to be displayed in Clerkenwell include Brick from a Stone by Albion Stone and Hutton Stone; a low-waste innovative woven flooring installation by Jestico + Whiles and Bolon; Mythical Forest Salon by Schotten & Hansen, with Kit Kemp Design Studio.

A daily talks event, Conversations at Clerkenwell, will feature sessions exploring myriad industry topics, while also featuring speakers from several design, architecture, and business sectors. Another interactive set of discussions, namely Design Meets, will take place in a temporary structure next to Design Fields, which is the official venue showcasing contemporary furniture by various Italian brands. Design Meets will introduce representatives from trade bodies to discuss various industry topics.

Accompanying the talks and exhibits will be a series of workshops. as part of the Fringe programme. This will offer visitors ample opportunities to join guided studio tours as well as engage and network with each other.

Also partaking in this design event are brands such as SCP, Benchmark, Ercol, Another Country, Fora Form, and more, who will display furniture, lighting, textile, surface, and product design at product-focused exhibitions such as Light, Design Fields, Project, Elements, and Ceramics of Italy, amongst others. The local showroom partners set to host product launches, talk sessions, and workshops include Fritz Hansen, Mater, Modus, Norr11, Flokk, Arper, and more. In addition to these exhibitions, various site-specific installations by acclaimed brands like Dyson, Geberit, Albion Stone, Hutton Stone, Stone Federation, and more will be exhibited at Clerkenwell Green.

Certain venues in Clerkenwell are reserved for dedicated showcases, such as the Paxton Locher House for Danish design brands, Cowcross Yards for Ukrainian designs, and Marx Memorial Library for a selection of international brands and trade institutions.

With these anticipated programmes for the upcoming Clerkenwell Design Week, one can discern the diversity of events planned for the design festival. The city will host a variety of talks, workshops, exhibitions and interactive installations in many different corners of the city.