Now in its ninth year, the London Design Festival will be the largest and most significant yet, with an expected 180 partners and more than 250 events celebrating the world’s creative capital.
 
In the recent budget statement, Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne said “We want the words: ‘Made in Britain’, ‘Created in Britain’, ‘Designed in Britain’ and ‘Invented in Britain’ to drive our nation forward – a Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers.”  The Festival programme builds upon this objective, affirming design’s role in driving the UK’s economic revival.
 
Chairman of the London Design Festival, Sir John Sorrell said, “This year the key word on everyone’s lips is growth. With a £60bn creative industries sector that employs over 2million people and produces nearly 6% of GDP, the government has identified our creative industries’ sector as crucial to growth. We all know design is the engine that drives the creative industries, so this year the London Design Festival will promote design not only as absolutely central to society and to culture – but also to the economy, to growth and the future”.
 
The London Design Festival has commissioned landmark design installations all by renowned British architects and designers across the city, at the V&A Museum, and, for the first time, St Paul’s Cathedral. Festival Director, Ben Evans, said: “This year’s Festival will demonstrate the power and versatility of design across London; offering a series of quality projects that fulfil London’s design credentials”.
 
The London Design Festival at the V&A
 
For the third consecutive year, the London Design Festival will run a broad ranging programme of activity in residence at the V&A Museum. There will be 13 specially commissioned installations throughout the Museum, complemented by a host of events, workshops and talks.
 
A standout installation of the programme will be the transformation of the Museum’s Grand Entrance by award-winning architects Amanda Levete Architects (winner of the V&A’s recent international competition to design a new courtyard and underground extension). A majestic three-dimensional latticework spiral made from red oak will span the height of the Museum doors. Opening up long views along Cromwell Road, the installation takes the V&A out onto the street, and exuberantly celebrates the London Design Festival’s residency at the V&A. Timber Wave - supported by The American Hardwood Export Council with lighting designed by SEAM Design - builds on a collection of installations that demonstrate the enduring qualities of American hardwood.

Inside the V&A, France’s most accomplished design duo, the Bouroullec Brothers, will create Textile Field - an expansive, coloured foam and textile installation with gentle inclinations that produce a sensual environment on which visitors can comfortably lounge and immerse themselves in the stunning Raphael Gallery. The 30-metre long installation is supported by Kvadrat - continuing a tradition established by the Danish materials manufacturer to continuously push the aesthetic, technological and artistic boundaries of textiles.
  
Renowned New York-based design entrepreneur and curator, Murray Moss is collaborating with Belgian technology company Materialise to showcase the parameters of 21st century printing. The project will see a series of ‘printed’ 3D works dotted across the Museum, wittily referencing nine key pieces and spaces - from Naim Josef designed slippers at the foot of the Great Bed of Ware (British Galleries), a specially reproduced bust of Lady Belhaven re-imagined by Stephen Jones (Dorothy and Michael Hintze Sculpture Galleries)to a 4m long bridge in the Architecture Gallery designed by Aranda/Lasch (V&A + RIBA Architecture Gallery).
 
Alongside the specially commissioned activity at the Museum, the V&A’s exhibition programme will complement the Festival period. Launching during the Festival, on 24 September, Postmodernism Style and Subversion 1970-1990 will be the first comprehensive study of the period of design freedom that changed our understanding of style. It will survey, in-depth, the art, design and architecture of the 1970s and 1980s that defined it. The Festival will reflect this major exhibition which is supported by Friends of the V&A with further support from Barclay’s Wealth with a temporary Post-Modern Café at the Exhibition Road entrance.
 
From 6 September, Power of Making, a V&A and Crafts Council exhibition, will explore the universal nature of making by displaying the widest possible range of creativity with over 100 exquisitely made objects. The exhibition will provide a snapshot of making in our time with work on display including a ceramic eye patch, a fine metal flute, a life-sized crochet bear, handcrafted puppets, dry stone walling, a bamboo car, lion-shaped coffin, six-necked guitar, bio-implant embroidering to aid surgical implants, cake decorations and new technologies such as 3D printing.
 
The London Design Festival at the V&A programme will also include a site-specific installation in the Tunnel entrance, designed by Berlin-based, Israeli design outfit Betatank; a curated show of the best graduate talent from across the University of Arts London; a temporary installation in the Museum’s graceful John Madejski Garden by Ron Arad and a digital world brought to life by Beyond the Valley. There will also bea showcase of new acquisitions for the Museum with the money raised through the new Outset Design Fund to benefit the V&A, supported by the London Design Festival.
 
The V&A has also invited another five cultural figures to contribute to the V&A and Me Designer Maps series launched at last year’s Festival. Aimed to provide an inspirational and insightful tour across the collections, visitors will be led by choices from Tom Dixon, Lulu Guinness, Annie Lennox andA.S. Byatt.
 
There will also be a series of events at the Museum as part of the London Design Festival at the V&A. There will be a digital design hub at the Sackler Centre alongside a host of workshops, breakfast talks and seminars as well as housing a press and information centre for the Festival as a whole.
 
A series of design-performance events supported by Google will give insights into the cutting edge of design, innovation and technology. UK Trade and Investment will host a series of market-briefing sessions, providing UK design businesses with opportunities to engage with the vast array of international visitors and interests at the London Design Festival.
 
Mayor of London, Boris Johnsonsaid: “London is a buzzing marketplace, not just for financial deals, but for astonishing creativity. This will be exemplified by the London Design Festival in 2011, where fresh ideas and innovation will be traded and exchanged. With work by talented people from across the globe, it will show to brilliant effect why London is the design capital of the world”.
 
 
St Paul’s Cathedral – Focused Perspectives
Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece was topped-out exactly 300 years ago.  As part of this year’s Festival one of the UK’s leading architects, John Pawson, has designed an installation complementing Wren’s intention that each of his buildings should include a scientific element.  A metal and Swarovski crystal half-hemisphere at the base of the Geometric Staircase in the South West Tower, will allow visitors a greater view of the cathedral than the natural eye could see.
 
St Paul’s Cathedral will also provide the spectacular backdrop for the fifth presentation of the London Design Medal. A panel of key figures from across the design industry, including Director of the V&A, Sir Mark Jones, Cultural Advisor to the Mayor, Munira Mirza and Editor of Wallpaper* Magazine, Tony Chambers, will determine who will receive the medal in 2011. Thomas Heatherwick won this prestigious prize in 2010, joining previous winners Sir Paul Smith, Zaha Hadid and Marc Newson as having made a significant contribution to design and London. The medal will be awarded at a dinner supported by Swarovski, Monday 19 September.
 
Design Districts
 
The Festival’s wider programme, staged by a mass of design-related organisations and individuals will again be focused on six design districts; each celebrating their own particular contribution to the world of design in London.  The Brompton Design District, and nearby Pimlico Road will showcase a cocktail of international, interiors and design led installations.  In central London, Covent Garden will reflect the broad range of design interests locally and stage a specially commissioned installation with Lego in the Piazza.
 
Following its debut in 2010 the Fitzrovia Creative programme will develop with a host of showrooms working together led by the European Design Centre. Further east, the Clerkenwell Design District will again come to life in a multitude of showrooms and studios. The Shoreditch Design Triangle will provide a range of interests and activities, co-ordinated with SCP and including Lee Broom’s debut handcrafted upholstery collection, Salon.

Design Destinations
 
A series of distinct group-shows will be dotted across the city. These design destinations include
 
- 100% Design, the cornerstone commercial show at the Festival which will be defined this year by a new branding campaign created by Peter & Paul. The show will contain over 400 exhibitors covering design products to architectural materials, and the emerging talent showcase - 100% Futures. British design takes centre stage, alongside international pavilions including new participants Chile and Greece.
 
- Decorex, the UK’s most established design and interiors show (now in its 34th year) runs from 25 to 28 September.  Located at The Royal Hospital Chelsea, the event will present new design from contemporary to classic, industrial to craft, from leading suppliers to the interior design world. ‘Sanctuary’ is the inspiration for this year’s show with a specially designed entrance by Nicky Haslam.
 
- Tent Londonwill again dominate the Old Truman Brewery, 22-25 September, with the emphasis on workmanship, handcrafted furniture, lighting and textiles. A strong line-up of big brands including Moroso, Allermuir, 3form and Gloster will exhibit new collections alongside undiscovered talent and established independents. A contingent from Japan will also bring fresh ideas and space-saving products.
 
- Set within the imposing surrounds of Victoria House, Bloomsbury, designjunction will launch at this year’s London Design Festival following its debut in Milan in April. designjunction is a contract-focused exhibition connecting international design brands to our key market by bringing together an exclusive line-up of leading UK and international lighting and furniture brands.
 
- The Design Museum will be taking up the baton of one of last year’s stand out events – the Anti Design Festival - that challenged preconceptions underpinning the art and design community. This year Neville Brody and the Design Museum team up to present the Anti Design Museum capsule, a three-day intervention of post success-culture dialogue, debate and mayhem. The museum will also host the Design Museum Ball for the Festival alongside their annual Designers in Residence Programme and the Kenneth Grange retrospective Making Britain Modern.
 
Origin, the Crafts Council show, returns to Spitalfields after its successful rescheduling to coincide with the Festival in 2010. Just a few minutes’ walk away, Andaz Liverpool Street will be the gateway to events in the East End as a whole, hosting a series of design interventions.
 
Tramshedalso returns, this year in the Royal Horticultural Halls, Victoria – a new and emerging design area for the Festival. The show will be a celebration of how authenticity and good design contribute to overall quality of life. The Dock and Designersblock will also add to the roster of design destinations in 2011. 

Partner programme
The wider programme of the Festival will again reflect the diversity of skills and talent that makes London the world's creative capital. This includes:
 
Outline Editions, the graphic art gallery, will be showcasing the distinctive style of award-winning London based graphic artist Noma Bar. He will demonstrate his new installation Cut It Out – a specially commissioned large-scale embossing machine that allows visitors to feed in paper and create their own cut out Noma Bar images, which will be signed and numbered.

Createdwith 550 metresof fabric, 238 people, 20 metres in diameter, three metres high and one performer, The Finnish Institute in London presents the UK premiere of REDDRESS. Designed by Aamu Song (COMPANY), it is more than simply a dress; it invites Londoners to an intimate space for performances and discussions. REDDRESS is part of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012.
 
Following its debut in last year’s London Design Festival, theAfrican and African-Caribbean Design Diaspora host a Festival featuring traditional craft and contemporary design, from sculptures to multimedia installations including Connect to Art and Below the Surface, fashion shows to seminars and workshops, from Africa, the Caribbean and the UK at the Bargehouse, Oxo Tower.
 
To mark the tenth anniversary of the publishing of Alan Fletcher’s The Art of Looking Sideways, an exhibition featuring Fletcher’s preparatory materials and original notes from the archive will be showcased at Kemistry Gallery.
 
Industrial, product, service, fashion, interior and graphic design shape the world around us. In an attempt to establish a 21^st Century definition, and referring to Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of ‘what is good design’, Vitsœ opens a new debate to the world-at-large
 
Following on from ÖÖ: Was it a Dream? staged as part of the London Design Festival 2010, Keskula has turned its focus on local history and culture with the project ‘Gen Lane’ – a recyclable pop up bar which celebrates gin as the national drink. Martha Freud Design will be staging a week-long exhibition of light objects and furniture to celebrate London Wildlife Trust’s 30th anniversary. Staged at the Trust’s Camley Street Natural Park, visitors willbe transported by the inspired combination of one of London's best-kept secrets; a peaceful natural reserve positioned along the Regents' canal and Martha Freud's exquisite designs.
 
International programme
 
In 2010, over 25 countries participated in the Festival. Illustrating the diversity of the London Design Festival programme more international exhibitions are expected this year, with new countries including Israel, Palestine, Slovenia and Romania.
 
Scandinavian design will be well represented. The Danish Cabinetmakers’ Associationtakes on the Brompton garage space with an exhibition of experimental chairs.The Whiteou’ exhibition’will showcase 30 years of collaboration between Danish designers and manufacturers. Swedish Design Goes London is the banner for a host of exhibitions – from emerging Swedish designers in UNG8 at Designersblock to a showcase at the Swedish Ambassadors’ – opened uniquely for public audiences. Heal’s gets into the spirit by celebrating 60 years of Marimekko with a pop-up shop at their flagship store in Tottenham Court Road. 100% Norway will also be present for the eighth year at Earl’s Court.
 
 
Festival information
 
Continually updated Festival details are at www.londondesignfestival.com. The official guide to the London Design Festival 2011 will be distributed free across London in early September.
 
Ends.
 
Press information:
Judith Fereday / Kitty Duncan /
Camron, 7 Floral Street, London WC2E 9DH
Tel: +44(0)20 7420 1700
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Notes to Editors
 
The London Design Festival is a key constituent of London’s Autumn creative season, alongside London Fashion Week, Frieze Art Fair and the London Film Festival.  Established in 2003 its role is to celebrate and promote London as the world’s creative capital and gateway to the UK’s world-class creative community.
 
Key Festival statistics in 2010:
 
More than 350,000 people attended Festival events during the nine-day Festival, and a further million people experienced the major installations in Trafalgar Square and at Southbank Centre.

• The V&A recorded a 40% increase in monthly visitor figures compared with corresponding weeks in September
• There were 100,000 unique visitors to the Festival website in September and 690,000 pages viewed in that time
• Over the eight years since the Festival’s inception, it has worked with over 700 different organisations
• The Festival recorded visitors from 23 countries visiting the UK specifically to attend the Festival

The Festival works closely with, and receives financial support directly from, the Mayor of London – having transferring support from the London Development Agency.The London Design Festival also receives support from Arts Council England, London as a Regularly Funded Organisation for 2011/12.