Bankside will host exhibitions, creative experiences and interactive events as part of the 23rd annual London Design Festival this month, writes Modupe Omitola.
Until this Sunday 21 September, visitors can enjoy free food, drink and exhibitions in Bankside Design District, home to the world-famous cultural destinations Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe.
The programme has been coordinated by Business Improvement District (BID) Better Bankside to showcase the creativity and design of the area between Borough Yards and Coin Street.
The entire programme can be found at londondesignfestival.com.
Nicole Gordon, CEO of Better Bankside said: “The London Design Festival is one of the highlights of Bankside’s calendar.
“[The] experiences reflect our mission to make Bankside a better place to live, work and visit, while giving festivalgoers interactive and memorable ways to engage with one of London’s most vibrant and creative areas.”
Families looking for an interactive installation can visit the Hornscape Playground in Mint Street Park, where Taiwanese designer Wang Chung Kun has recreated the playground using pneumatic swings in horn shapes and hand-operated devices to emit elephant-like sounds.
Hornscape Playground – photo supplied
Another free family-friendly event is Miffy at Bankside in Hilton London Bankside, where the character created by Dutch author Dick Bruna is celebrated with a 6ft lamp and 400 mini plush Miffys. For Lobster Yards, contemporary artist Philip Colbert has installed giant pop-art lobster sculptures and inflatables in Borough Yards.
Restaurants, bars and cafés will showcase the thriving food scene in the Bankside Food and Drink Trail on Thursday 18 September.
During the lunch trail from noon to 2pm and the dinner trail from 5pm to 7pm, free tastings and drinks from leading venues will be offered to festivalgoers.
This includes pastel de natas at Portuguese restaurant Bar Douro on Southwark Bridge Road, gyoza at Japanese restaurant Tonkotsu and a third pint of draft beer at Utobeer in Borough Market.
Here are our top five picks:
Bankside Food and Drink Trail
Eat and drink your way around Bankside with a sample of tasters from restaurants and bars that have put this design district on London’s culinary map.
Date: 18 September
Time: Lunch trail from noon to 2PM; Dinner trail from 5PM to 7PM
Location: Multiple venues throughout Bankside, SE1
London Tide, Art Academy London & Wallace Sewell
Discover how the team behind TfL Go, Transport for London’s travel app, use design to create a livable and navigable London with a limited edition of prints using live data of the transport network.
Date: 16, 17, 18, 19 September
Time: 9am to 5pm
Location: Art Academy, 185 Park Street, SE1 9BL (9AM to 5PM); Wallace Sewell, 24 Lloyd Baker St, WC1X 9AZ (10AM to 5PM)
London Tide prints – photo supplied
Love Always, London
Write a short letter expressing your love for London to be displayed as part of augmented reality typographic sculptures in the city’s parks, green spaces, and design districts, that will remain on an online map after the festival finishes.
Date: 16, 17, 18, 19 September
Time: Open 24 hours
Location: Tate Modern, The Queen’s Walk at Millennium Bridge, SE1 9TG
The Flavour Library, One Bite Design Studio, Borough Yards
Choose flavours to craft an edible flower that represents your experience of the city from a menu before adding your creation into the City’s Flavour Map.
Date: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 September
Time: 11am to 6pm
Location: Unit 199, Borough Yards, Stoney Street, SE1 9AD
Miffy at Bankside, Hilton London Bankside
Explore original Dick Bruna silkscreen prints, a 6ft Miffy lamp and a vibrant plush wall of 400 mini Miffys in an immersive experience that celebrates art and design.
Date: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 September
Time: 7am to 10pm
Location: Hilton London Bankside, 2 to 8 Great Suffolk Street, SE1 0UG
Miffy at Bankside – photo supplied