Feature

Clerkenwell Design Week Preview

Installations

IN CELEBRATION OF ITS 10TH anniversary, 2LG Studio, led by Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead, is set to enchant visitors at Spa Fields with a vintage helter-skelter. Stay Playful (When No One Feels Like Playing) transports guests back to the charm of old fairgrounds, drawing inspiration from Cluroe's formative years at a fairground in the Black Country Living Museum and Whitehead's fond memories of kitsch ornaments. This colourful and playful spectacle will elevate visitors above the bustling festival grounds, offering an intimate glimpse into the essence of 2LG Studio.

Over at the House of Detention, artist Ben Cullen Williams invites guests to explore the profound influence of the humble grid on our lives and surroundings. Williams' audio-visual installation, Grid System, immerses viewers in an evolving light display, exploring the intricate relationship between grids and our existence.

Keep an eye out for two remarkable installations celebrating natural stone on Clerkenwell Green. British suppliers

Albion Stone and Hutton Stone have commissioned architects Artefact to design Brick from a Stone, showcasing stone bricks being launched by both companies this year and illustrating the low-energy process involved in producing them. Meanwhile, Stone Tapestry: Beyond the Surface, a collaboration between Stone Federation and Squire and Partners, highlights the sustainability, versatility and beauty of natural stone, featuring materials not only from Albion Stone and Hutton Stone but also from Britannicus Stone, Dunhouse Quarry and Tradstocks.

Always one of the festival highlights is the historic St John's Gate of the Order of St John. Here, Duffy London – in collaboration with Berlin-based surface designer Orsi Orban – presents Gatekeepers: a mesmerising series of sculptures inspired by organic forms found in nature. These sculptures exude a sense of dynamic movement, inviting viewers to contemplate the boundary between artifice and life.

Be sure not to miss other exciting features across the festival, including:

Connection by Lois O'Hara and Ronnie Chapple, adorning a brick wall near the House of Detention; a collaborative effort between Jestico + Whiles and Bolon at Sutton Yard, transforming their shared courtyard into a creative haven; and Russell Bamber’s Scoop and Drop in Jerusalem Passage, a double-sided sculpture formed of intricately detailed surfaces set at right angles to one another.

LEFT Connection by Lois O'Hara and Ronnie Chapple

RIGHT Grid System by Ben Cullen Williams

Summer 2024

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