November e-Bulletin

The next Festival isn't for another ten months, but we're still keeping our fingers on design's pulse. As a result, the London Design Festival e-Bulletin is the most comprehensive listing of design events in London and beyond. This November, as you might imagine, there's a whiff of Christmas in the air...

Partner design events

Christmas at the Dock
Tom Dixon Shop / 8 - 11 December
Tom Dixon's dockside wharf building turns into a curated gift emporioum that features a late night shopping evening with Veuve Clicquot, Mr Smith's individual letterpress cards, bespoke illustrator gift-wrap from Wrap magazine, Lighthouse knitwear and "atypical" present ideas from Tom Dixon. More

Poodle Cushion by Lighthouse Hand Knitwear

OMA/Progress
Barbican Art Gallery / until 19 February
Co-founded by Rem Koolhaas in 1975, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture is one of the most influential design practices working today. This exhibition celebrates the work of OMA and its think tank AMO and coincides with the opening of their first UK buildings, Rothschild Bank HQ in the City of London and a Maggie’s Centre in Gartnavel, Glasgow. More


Rem Koolhaas's China Central Television Headquarters, Beijing, completed 2008

RCA Secret
Royal Colege of Art / 18 - 25 November
Annual contemporary art exhibition and fundraising sale of original postcard-sized artworks made and donated by professional artists, designers and illustrators, as well as students and graduates. More

Lost in Lace
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery / until 19 February
New, often theatrical approaches to lace from UK and international artists and makers. More


Moucharabie and Jardin de lit, lit de jardin by Annie Bascoul

SHOP Magazine Cover Illustrations
Kemistry Gallery / 21 - 26 November
Thirty-eight works by contemporary illustrators from around the world including Adrian Johnson, Pietari Posti, The Heads of State, Neil Webb, SHOUT, Nathalie Lees, Brett Ryder, Darren Hopes and Robert Hanson. Profits from sales go to Kids' Company. More

Illustration: The Heads of State

Cut Out The Light
SCIN Gallery / 1 - 23 December
Noma Bar and Jake Dyson explore using material and engineered solutions to capture, control and manipulate light. More


CSYS dimmable LED lamp by Jake Dyson

Made in Clerkenwell
Craft Central / 24 - 27 November
Makers open their workshops for a Christmas-focused selling exhibition from over 100 Craft Central designers. Launch event Thursday; late night on Friday. More

Felt decorations by Michelle Mason

Present Collectables
Contemporary Applied Arts / until 7 January
The craft-led organisation's 366 members have each been invited to produce an edition of decorations retailing at £50. See the results... More


Laser cut brass decorations by Diana Greenwood

Also

• Lab Craft Leamington Spa Art Gallery until 20 November More
• Revolt/Reform/Result: Post-war Dutch Furniture Rocket until 27 November More
• Granmateria II Gallery Libby Sellers until 7 December More
• The Power of Making V&A until 2 January More
• Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-90 V&A until 8 January More
• John Pawson Perspectives St Paul's Cathedral until 16 January More
• Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn V&A until 18 March More

Talks and conferences

Low Carbon Design
Watershed Media Centre, Bristol / 22 November
RIBA conference taking a multi-disciplinary problem-solving approach to low-carbon design. More

Mario Carpo: Digital Style
Architecture Association / 24 November
Drawing on his recently published monograph, The Alphabet and the Algorithm, Mario Carpo discusses how the process of digital design affects the style of objects. More

The Sympathy of Things: Ruskin and the Ecology of Design
Architecture Association / 29 November
Lars Spuybroek talks about The Sympathy of Things, his new book on John Ruskin, followed by a discussion with architecture critic Charles Jencks. More

The Aesthetics of Infrastructure
Cubitt Gallery / 20 November
Discussion with Ashok Sukumaran and Owen Hatherley on the stylistic aspects of urban infrastructure, running alongside the Cubitt exhibition The City is a Burning, Blazing Bonfire. More

First International Conference on Smart Design
Nottingham Conference Centre / 22 - 24 November
Discussing challenges, new directions and opportunities provided new materials and changing technologies. More

Fashioning the Future
London Transport Museum / 22 November
Design and fashion historian Emmanuelle Dirix looks at fashion's relationship with the future. More

The House of Annie Lennox
V&A / 23 November
Curator Victoria Broackes goes behind the scenes at The House of Annie Lennox installation created in collaboration with the singer. More

Ambience 11
Borås, Sweden / 28 - 30 November
International academic conference on technology, art and design. More

Fabio Novembre: In Discussion
V&A / 29 November
Italian architect and designer Novembre discussing how his work has been influenced by Italian style and craftsmanship. More

Lars Spuybroek: The Sympathy of Things - Ruskin and the Ecology of Design
Architectural Association / 29 November
Pioneer of digital design Spuybroek discussing his recently published book on Ruskin. More

The Truth about Branding
D&AD / 30 November
Practical workout session on the complex topic of branding. More

Charles Jencks
V&A / 2 December
Charles Jencks discussing the many meanings of 'postmodernism' with V&A curator Glenn Adamson and design historian David Crowley. More

Letterpress Typography Masterclass
D&AD / 7 December
Typesetting by hand, in metal and wood. Led by Alan Kitching, this is a chance to experiment with the expressive potential of composition, pure colour and fine paper textures. More

Power of Making Symposium
V&A / 9 December
Leading makers and theorists including Nina Tolstrop, Martino Gamper and Bre Pettis discuss the innovation demonstrated in contemporary creative production. More

The Design of Understanding 2012
St Bride Foundation / 27 January
A one day conference about information design and the designer's need to fully understand the ideas her or she is communicating.  More

Opportunities

Frame Moooi Awards 2012
Deadline / 1 December
A €25,000 prize offered to interior designers and architects for creating a piece of furniture or a lamp for a specific interior. The international prize is to be awarded for the first time at the Salone del Mobile 2012 in Milan. More

More design events

Terence Conran: The Way We Live Now
Design Museum / until 4 March
Celebrating the Design Museum founder's 80th birthday, a retrospective that underscores the fact that retail, restaurant and design powerhouse Terence Conran has been fundamental to changing British ideas of what design can be. More

Terence Conran in his Cone Chair, photographed by Ray Williams circa 1950

Pernilla & Assif: Cloud
York Hall / 26 November
Designers Pernilla Ohrstedt and Asif Khan celebrate the launch their new studio by temporarily installing their work Cloud at York Hall. Originally shown at Design Miami/Basel, Cloud is a floating roof canopy that is gradually formed from helium gas, water and soap. More


Cloud by Pernilla and Assif at Design Miami/Basel 2011

Forgotten Spaces 2011
Somerset House / until 29 January
Exhibition showing innovative proposals from the Forgotten Spaces competition, asking architects, artists and designers for proposals to rejuvenate London's ignored locations. More


The Urban Climbing Tunnel by Steve McCoy; Deep Level Air Raid Shelter SW4

Future Fantasteek!
Rivington Place / 21 November - 13 January
Jackie Batey's books and zines exploring anxiety and modern life on display in the Stuart Hall Library. More

Future Fantasteek! Credit Crunch by Jackie Batey 

East London Design Show
Shoreditch Town Hall / 1 - 4 December
More alternative design-led Christmas shopping opportunities from over 100 product, interior and jewellery designers. More


Icarus shade by Latorre Cruz Design

Christmas Past
Geffrye Museum / 29 November - 8 January
The Geffrye's annual seasonal exhibition redecorating each of the museum's eleven rooms in appropriate period style. More

Sparkle The Dark Up
Design Museum / 2 December
The Design Museum's Design Overtime gets Christmassy with late night activities and workshops. More

Also

• Puttin' on the Glitz: Art Deco Architecture RIBA until 29 November More
• Carol McNicoll, Jacqueline Poncelet, Sam Scott Marsden Woo until 22 December More
• 20 Years of Dazed and Confused Somerset House until 29 January More
• This is Design Design Museum until 22 January More

International

DesignMiami/ 2011
Miami Beach / 29 November - 4 December
American's design festival targetted at gallerists and high end collectors returns; this year's Designer of the Year is the London-based architect David Adjaye. More


Iris by BarberOsgerby for Established & Sons at DesignMiami 2011

Guangzhou Design Week
Guangzhou / 9 - 11 December
Mammoth Chinese design exhibition featuring over 1,500 exhibitors. More

Bangkok Design Festival
Bangkok / 22 November - 9 December
Citywide, diverse Thai design fest. More

Business of Design Week
Hong Kong / 28 November - 3 January
Substantial business focussed programme of forums, seminars and speakers. More

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Our next event-packed e-Bulletin goes out on 17 December. Do you want your design event featured in it? The London Design Festival features events on our website and in the London Design Calendar all year round. Email us to find out more.