LDF 2014 | East | Blog 3 of 3
The Final leg of the LDF 14 marathon was East, with such a huge amount of independent exhibitions I had to be ruthless with my time and shoe leather. Below are my top 20 picks from Eastside.
Located at the Old Truman Brewery on Brick lane, this rabbit warren of a venue provides space for independent smaller companies to exhibit under the same roof at ‘Superbrands’ like Ligne Roset, Ginger & Jagger and Munna.
The exhibitors managed to remain smiling enduring sauna-like temperatures, thankfully there was a handy bar inside too!
1 – Kitty McCall – I was immediately drawn to Kittys stand and cushions, before realising I had already purchased two of her limited edition prints at ‘Pick Me up’ earlier this year.
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2 – Daniel Heath Studio, designs and makes Wallpaper, Textile and Surface Design. His most recent pieces have taken a more architectural and art deco style; influence by buildings he cycled by in London.
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3 – Nest Design – Siren chair. at first glance it looks like a plastic chair, but is actually solid timber reinforced with metal, covered high gloss lacquer in a swirled pattern.
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4 – Marius Myking .
The 100% Norway section of Tent always has some gems, with refined designs and considered use of materials.
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5 – Hanna Kruse . These Soe limited editions vessels, are almost jewellry for the home, hand made in Germany. Each metal top in gold, silver and copper are hand polished.
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6 – Hannes Lundin - Lith Lith Lundin - as well as innovative design, the studio is strict about where its materials are sourced and produced from, going no further an 50 KM. all materials used are 100 per cent renewable, biodegradable and free of chemicals. Below you can see the Glimm Stool . Which is a modern take on a traditional hunting stool, so it can be easily folded away- and is very comfortable with its leather sling seat.
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7 – Aorta - The Heart of Art.
All of Aortas designs are not what they first appear to be, foam veneer, cork cushions, wooden plasters and mirrored paper. Each design can be hand crafted to bespoke specifications.
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Just a little tasty detail here of his new Mop stick shelving, using timber coppiced from his very own managed woodland. I love the tactile quality of the wood and expertly finished joints.
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Pernille Twist table design uses the properties of the materials, here exploiting the flex and stretch of the timber. I particularly like the simple brass fittings.
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Despite the torrential rain outside the store and unfortunate power cut; there was still plenty to see inside SCP; be it a little more dimly lit then usual!
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Standing bowl by Fort Standard. There are so many brilliant products within the USA based Fort Standards collection – one stand out piece is the Aluminium cast Standing Bowls; a little bit of architecture for your table top.
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Quilts by Donna Wilson – inspired by traditional Indian quilts made from scraps of fabric. Printed and quilted to give a similar effect.
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Ishinomaki Laboratory a community based studio pushing the concept of DIY. Above is the AA High stool, that can be used a s trestles – its also really pleasing how they sit together.
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Ceramic pestle & Mortar by Mashiko. Honest materials with a simple execution, the grooves on the inside of the bow, have a functional and decorative purpose.
11 – Minimalux.
The Minimalux house, was an amazing hidden away retreat with in bustling Shoreditch. Formerly the home of founder Mark Holmes. Over 4 floors the Minimalux collections new and old were displayed in an uncomplicated pared down manor.
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Their simple but eye-catching Neon lights, in 5 colours were the highlight. Using powder coated sheet metal and LED lighting, the illusion of neon strips of light were created. One of those design when you think ‘why didn’t I think of that?’.
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Dish 60 – with its highly polished scooped inside draws you in.
10 years of Established and sons was celebrated with exhibition; Formafantasma: From then on. Which had a series of instillations in their East London office, which considers the passing of time.
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Above the brush pendulum slowly polishes the strip of brass, showing time passing in seconds.
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above the sail dial opens and closes, showing time passing in minutes.
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above the marble disc slowly rotate – very atmospheric.
For their 17th Edition Designers block found yet another amazing venue to set up shop – The Old Session House in Clerkenwell Green. with over 100 multidisciplinary designers inside, there was no time to spare.
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13 - Tomomi Koseki – I had to make sure there were people in this shot to give an idea of scale. her most recent work is about the ‘Journey of the body’. showing how the scale of clothes change as you grow from a child to an adult. The pieces on the right hand wall are part of ‘your time machine’ working with different peoples family photos from when they were children.
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14 – Camilla Barnard – room filled with Camilla’s delightful hand sculpted day to day items. Giving a magical lease of life, with a disregard for straight lines, and fun with scale, each piece is still immediately recognisable. I loved the miniature walkers crisps and then around the corner the enormous working type righter – brilliant!
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15 - Beth Lewis-Williams. Her miniature globe landscapes are fascinating, you can spend forever staring into their 3d vistas. created using both 3D printing and hand carving, their delicacy has to be seen to be believed.
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16 – Giopato&Coombes Editions – Bolle Lamp – the bulbble lights were inspired from precisely that; the lightness of soap bubbles.
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I absolutely adored the beautifully crafted bangles and necklaces by Jake McCombe, working from his Brighton based workshop he makes each piece from metal bar. The best thing of all is that he can also make the bracelets to size – perfect for the skinny wristed amongst us!
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18 – Plumen. The star of the show was at the very top of the building – a full size tree in magnificent surrounding; I wish it could stay there forever. A dead and dried tree had been painstakingly taken apart and rebuilt in its historical home, with the Plumen 002 blub interwoven within its branches. The glow refected from the brass chandeliers and bare plaster walls really charming.
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Other pices spotted along the way:
19 – Anu Samaruutel exhibiting in the Shoreditch Design Triangle on Kingsland Road. Her hand painted, collage fashion illustration was beautifully stylised and unique. I’ve also got my eye on her Cubist Jewellry collection.
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20 – Lee Broom.
Nouveau Rebel, exhibited in his flagship store Electra house; from accessories and lighting made from Marble. The Tube lighting, seen below single piece of Carrara marble, with brushed marble ends; luxury incarnate!
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Of course there were so many more amazing things seen during LDF14, but hopefully this was enough of a taster for those not lucky enough to make it around this year – an exhausting week, but I cannot wait until next year already!
