Little Black Book of Art

A whole host of talks are taking place all over London during Design week – Here are a few of the best…

Sponsored by the Financial Times, a series of talks are taking place every day from 8.30 – 9.30 am in the Hochhauser Auditorium at the V&A museum. Breakfast is served from 8am, so to book tickets call +44207 942 2211 or visit the V&A box office).

Subjects are as follows:

Monday 21 September 2009, Responses to the Recession, 8.30 – 9.30am, V&A museum, London, SW7

First in the week-long series, this talk will expore how design-led companies are coping with the current economic crisis. Are tight-spending consumers now in charge or can big brands still drive buying behavior? Will the market polarize into a world of ultra-luxury products for the ‘haves’ and super-inexpensive ones for the ‘have-nots’? What strategies – back to basics, diffusion lines, etc – work best in a downturn?

Panel members: Miguel Fluxà Ortí, Vice President, Camper. Rolf Sachs – Designer. Doreen Lorenzo – President of frog design. Geoffroy de La Bourdonnaye, Chief Executive Officer, Liberty plc.

Tuesday 22 September 2009, Responsible Design, 8.30 – 9.30 am, V&A museum, London, SW7

Consumers and companies remain keen to make meaningful purchases and investments – perhaps more so now than ever. We talk to executives and designers about moves into eco-friendly merchandise and social entrepreneurship ventures in developing countries. Can you make a profit and make a difference?

Panel members: Oscar Pena, Creative Director of Lighting, Philips. Thomas Bergmark, Global Sustainability Manager, IKEA. Alfonso Albaisa, Vice President, Nissan Design Europe.

Wednesday 23 September 2009, New Frontiers, 8.30 – 9.30 am, V&A museum, London, SW7

What are the big emerging markets in the design world? And how are locals spearheading the movements? Have certain cities/districts become hubs? And what does each new design centre bring to the table?

Panel members: Paravi Wongchirachai, Deputy Managing Director & Chief Curator TCDC. Maurizio Ribotti, Chief Executive Officer, DesignPartners, Milan. Yang Ling Duan 100% Shanghai. Carolina Muzi, Design Journalist, Clarin, Argentina.

Thursday 24 September 2009, Emerging Architecture, 8.30 – 9.30am, V&A museum, London, SW7

The prosperity of the 1990s and early 2000s brought a boom in high-profile architectural projects from New York to London, Dubai to Shanghai. But in today’s economic climate, companies, governments and cultural institutions are cutting their budgets; so how will architects adapt?

Panel members: David Glover, Global Property Leader, Arup. Ricky Burdett, Professor of Architecture and Urbanism , LSE. James Sellar, Chief Executive, Sellar Developments. Amanda Levete, Amanda Levete Architects

Friday 25 September 2009, Design in Adversity, 8.30 – 9.30am, V&A museum, London, SW7

Important creative movements are often born in troubled times. We consider the important ideas and products that came out of previous downturns and speculate about what the current malaise might inspire. Will designers use it as an opportunity to turn away from commerce? Will companies become bolder? Certainly, only the fittest will survive.

Panel members: Tom Dixon, Designer. Jaime Hayon, Artist / Designer. Deyan Sudjic, Director, Design Museum. Nigel Carrington, Rector – University of the Arts, London

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Tuesday 22 September 2009, Designing in the Recession
Does creativity really boom in an economic bust?, 5 – 8 pm, The British Library, IP Centre, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB

For bookings, Please email Sian.James@bl.uk with the following details:

Full Name, Organisation and Position (if relevant) and Postcode

Sir Terence Conran was recentlly quoted as saying “some of the best things come out of hard times” and he should know. As business advisor to the Prime Minister on supporting the creative industries, he designed a ‘Basics’ range for Habitat during the last recession (which reappeared in our high street as the popular and ubiquitous Muji) and reports that sales of furniture at the Conran Shop are up by 35 per cent on last year.

Despite the recession many design and craft businesses are thriving as they respond to emerging consumer trends and new opportunities created by the downturn. This lively panel debate will explore whether creativity and business really can prosper in difficult economic times. The event will be chaired by Vanessa Swann, Chief Executive of Cockpit Arts, who will sharing preliminary findings from the 2009 research report on business performance and activity in the craft sector conducted by Cockpit. Early indications from the research show that despite difficult trading conditions, craft based businesses at Cockpit are trading well. The discussions intend to shed light on some of the strategies being employed by craft and design businesses to beat the recession.

Speakers include: Rachel Galley based at cockpit Arts and a recipient of the Coutts London Jewellery Week- New Jeweller Award for 2009, Ptolemy Mann a successful textile artist and designer specialising in large scale textile artworks for corporate and public clients and The Future Laboratory recognised internationally for its innovative approach to trend forecasting, consumer insight and brand strategy.

This event is co-hosted by Cockpit Arts in celebration of the London Design Festival. www.cockpitarts.com

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100% Design, Earls Court, Friday 25 September – 27 September 2009, London, SW7

100% Design in association with Mix magazine has created an inspiring seminar program dedicated to bringing an inspirational series of talks focused on new ideas for the interior design market.

For this project Mix magazine has collaborated with a number of international companies whose unique presentations will guide the audience through new developments and products available on the market.

From colour trends to surfaces, Colour, Design and Creativity is an interactive seminar program which includes a number of workshops and training sessions with the aim of encouraging visitors to take more risks by utilising new techniques.

I would particularly reccommed going to the Patrick Blanc lecture on ‘The Vertical Garden, from nature to the city ‘.
During his seminar Blanc will guide the audience through his latest projects, explain how these beautiful gardens have been achieved, which elements need to be taken into consideration to create such visual impact and how these can survive in our polluted cities.

Patrick Blanc’s latest work includes:

• Rue d’Alsace in Paris, the largest vertical garden at 1400 sqm
• The Dolce Vita Teja in Lisbon, the largest indoor vertical garden
• Athenaeum Hotel on Piccadilly in London
• Herzog & De Meuron’s Caixa Forum in Madrid
• The Marithé & François Girbaud boutique in Manhattan

Biography: Patrick Blanc is perhaps the most renowned artist working with vertical gardens. He has been influential in transforming the sides of ordinary builds and bridges into lush walls of living plants. His collaborations with the likes of Jean Nouvel, Andree Putman and Marc Newson have helped him to achieve the Silver Medal from the Architecture Academy in 2005

Visit: www.100percentdesign.co.uk for a full list of the seminar timetable.

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Friday 25 September, 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm, Cecil Beaton – His Life and Work, An illustrated lecture by Hugo Vickers, Beaton’s Biographer, The Royal Academy of Engineering, 3 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y

Limited to 80 seats.
Tickets from Beaudesert: +44845 838 8720