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The Design Museum’s latest exhibition Waste Age has a carbon footprint of 10 tonnes, equal to what the average UK person emits in a year, according to a sustainability assessment by environmental collective URGE. More
New York artist Hugo McCloud has created a series of artworks that contain no paint or glue, only thousands of small plastic pieces cut from single-use bags and melted together to form a motif.The series, called Burdened, is on view at Sean Kelly Gallery in Hudson Yards, New York until 27 February and spans 31 original pieces created by McCloud while quarantining in his Mexico studio.
Together shows women carrying goods across the border of Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city in Morocco
To create the collages, which mainly depict scenes of labour, McCloud first traces them onto a wood panel before filling them in with the multicoloured plastic scraps.
These are individually cut from plastic bags and layered on top of each other, much like individual brush strokes, before being fused together with an iron.
Burdened is on show at Sean Kelly Gallery
“Due to the nature of the material and its thinness, you can always see underneath, so one colour applied on top of another creates a third colour,” McCloud told Dezeen.
“There has to be a lot of forethought and planning before starting. The plastic is fused onto the panel with an iron, there is no removal or covering up, you must know what you’re trying to achieve. With paint, there is more freedom for chance and emotions. I do miss some of that but working with the plastic is very meditative, with an understood direction.”
Several of the artworks show refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya
The bags come from recycling yards and waste management companies, or else the artist picks them up off the street himself or reuses ones that were given to him while shopping.
Often, their branding remains visible in the final art piece, acting as a reminder of the material’s former life and reinforcing its familiarity.
Each piece is a collage of hundreds or thousands of small plastic shreds
Based on photographs found on the internet, the collages depict the movement of people and goods around the world, from workers transporting wares on their backs and bikes to refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat.
In this way, the Burdened series is not just a commentary on the environmental impact of single-use plastic but also an exploration of how this ubiquitous material transcends class and geography.
Sweet Sneak Studio’s photo series puts focus on microplastics in the food chain
“Traveling in India, I saw multi-colour plastic sacks everywhere and started to understand their downcycle, from the companies that purchased and used them to distribute their products, down to the trash pickers in Dharavi slums,” the artist explained.
“The idea that these plastic bags would always be around – never biodegrade – interested me, and made me curious about the hands and lives of the many people they would pass through.”
With all your Might is one of several pieces that show goods being transported by labourers
The exhibition also includes a mini-series of collages showing flower arrangements, which McCloud made to offer the show’s visitors and himself a moment of respite from the dispiriting news cycles and monotony of lockdown.
McCloud, who has a background in industrial design, is known for creating “paintings” from unusual, often three-dimensional materials like bitumen or aluminium sheeting.
The exhibition features 31 artworks
To mark New York City’s ban on plastic bags, local artist Robin Frohardt created a grocery store installation last March that was stocked with produce like tomatoes and berries, all formed from discarded single-use carriers he had collected from the city’s streets.
Dutch food design studio Sweet Sneak has previously explored pollution and its environmental impact through a photo series, in which common foods and drinks such as beer and sushi were topped with styrofoam bubbles and wrapped in plastic bags.
Installation view photographs are by Jason Wyche.
Burdened is on view at Sean Kelly Gallery until 27 February 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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Stockholm Design Week, a live-streamed talk with Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg and MoMA’s exhibition about systemic racism in the built environment are among the physical and digital events listed in Dezeen Events Guide taking place in February.
Above: Norwegian Presence is hosting a series of online events. Top image: Amanda Williams is among the artists and designers contributing to MoMA’s Reconstructions exhibition
Madrid Design Festival1 to 28 February
Spain’s preeminent design festival is putting on a hybrid programme this year, with four production units set to produce more than 100 pieces of audiovisual content to be shared online. This includes interviews and live shows, as well as a series of behind-the-scenes films showcasing the creative and production processes of 45 local designers.
Meanwhile, a series of showrooms and exhibitions will open their doors in real life, and IKEA is set to host an event called Redesigning Tomorrow, where basque filmmaker Pedro Aguilera will debut a documentary exploring how we must change our cities and homes to save the planet.
The film will feature Parley for the Oceans founder Cyrill Gutsch, architect Stephanie Chaltiel and IKEA’s deputy managing director for products and supply chains Jeanette Skjelmose among others. The premier will also act as a jumping-off point for a series of in-depth talks and roundtables.
It’s Freezing in LA! IGTV Interview Series4 to 25 February
Every Thursday in February, independent climate change magazine It’s Freezing in LA! is hosting talks on Instagram TV (IGTV) that will explore different approaches to climate activism.
Designer Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg is set to discuss her latest project, an algorithm-designed garden in Cornwall that is optimised for pollinators rather than humans and explores possible solutions to biodiversity loss.
And on 11 February, London mayoral candidate and co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales Sîan Berry will discuss how we can solve the capital’s housing crisis while still reducing CO2 emissions.
Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg “trying to evoke emotion” with Better Nature show
Stockholm Design Week8 to 14 February
While the Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the city’s design week that takes place concurrently every year is still going ahead.
A socially distanced “digital and city edition” will see visitors avoid the crammed Stockholmsmässan exhibition centre on the outskirts of Stockholm in favour of a pared-back programme of exhibitions, showroom presentations and online talks in the centre of town.
Highlights include a presentation of work from the winners of this year’s Young Swedish Design awards, created in collaboration with the IKEA Museum, and an exhibition by Misschiefs – a platform dedicated to female, trans and non-binary creatives working at the intersection of craft and design.
Circular design vs mass production: Norwegian Presence 202118 February
The Norwegian Presence showcase, which is a much-anticipated part of Salone del Mobile every year, is championing some of the country’s most noteworthy designers and manufacturers through a programme of online events this year.
The first of three half-day events, taking place on 18 February, will bring together young, up-and-coming designers like Poppy Lawman with major industrial producers such as contract furniture manufacturer NCP, which makes Snøhetta’s S-1500 chair from old fishing nets.
Through a series of round tables, panel talks and newly-released films, the event will explore the circular economy and how a closed-loop philosophy and sustainable material sourcing can be integrated into production processes of any scale.
The remaining two events will take place in March and April, with a focus on craftsmanship and the merging of homes and workspaces as a result of the pandemic.
The Museum of Modern Art will release an exhibition catalogue to go along with the exhibition
Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America20 February to 31 May
An upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York will look at how systemic racism and discrimination have influenced the design of American cities and their architecture.
With the help of ten newly commissioned projects by the likes of Amanda Williams, Olalekan Jeyifous and landscape artist Walter Hood, the show will look at how these conditions have impacted the black community and how black cultural spaces can act as sites of liberation and resistance.
The show marks the fourth instalment in MoMA’s Issues in Contemporary Architecture series, which focuses on pressing current issues such as rising sea levels, population growth and the foreclosure crisis.
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks, as well as up-to-date information about what events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen’s discretion. Organisers can get enhanced or premium listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.
In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.
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A virtual version of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) plus remote site visits with SO-IL and David Adjaye as part of The World Around summit are among the events listed in Dezeen Events Guide taking place in January.
Above: A representative of Virgin Hyperloop will discuss autonomous transportation at CES 2021. Top image: The World Around summit will see Ryue Nishizawa present his House in Los Vilos. Image is by Cristobal Palma
Consumer Electronics Show (CES)11 to 14 January
The world’s most influential technology fair is taking place entirely in the digital realm this year, opening up its programme of product showcases and more than 80 panel talks and keynotes to a global audience.
Highlights include a reflection on the first year of 5G with American telco giant AT&T, Virgin Hyperloop’s take on the future of autonomous transportation and a discussion about privacy and trust with representatives of Amazon, Google and Twitter.
This regularly scheduled programming is accompanied by a host of sessions about the ongoing pandemic, including a discussion with British pop star Dua Lipa about how immersive, digital experiences are allowing her to stay connected to her fans while music venues are closed.
In/Visible Talks14 January
In/Visible Talks is a design conference all about the creative process, which means that after a day’s worth of talks and discussions the event will culminate in practical workshops about everything from blind contour drawing to the design of exhibition layouts.
For its fourth-ever and first virtual edition, the event is focusing on how design can be a medium for societal change by exploring what true diversity in the industry would mean, how graphic design can facilitate better representation and the best ways for creatives to collaborate with nonprofits.
Norwegian designers point the way towards a circular economy
DesignTO22 to 31 January
Canada’s largest annual design festival will spotlight the work of more than 800 local artists and makers, including a showcase of furniture made from native timber and an archive of modernist Canadian graphic design.
For its 11th edition, DesignTO is going “distanced and digital”, with window displays allowing those in Toronto to experience the event safely and in-person while a virtual programme will ensure that everyone else doesn’t have to miss out.
Oslo Design Fair27 to 29 January
Set inside the Norges Varemesse congress centre in Lillestrøm, the Oslo Design Fair has expanded beyond the standard categories of furniture, lighting and interiors.
Under one roof and across four different exhibitions halls, it will bring together everything from Norwegian jewellery and fashion designers to gardening brands, illustrators, candlemakers and other craftsmen.
David Adjaye will give a remote tour of his Winter Park Public Library complex in Florida
The World Around30 January
Now in its second year, The World Around forum has recruited some of the most innovative architects working today to discuss their latest projects via on-site presentations and guided tours.
These are set to be broadcast on Dezeen from 14 international cities and will include Ryue Nishizawa presenting his House in Los Vilos, SO-IL showcasing recent work in Shanghai and New York and David Adjaye giving a remote tour of his Winter Park Public Library complex, which is under construction in Florida.
Other speakers will include Francis Kéré and Counterspace founder Sumayya Vally, while Liam Young will present his latest short film in collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
The World Around aims to explore how architecture can tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time, from indigenous rights and racial justice to the environment. Earlier this year, the organisation held a symposium to mark Earth Day at Dezeen’s Virtual Design Festival, featuring talks, interviews and short films from the vanguard of ecological design.
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks, as well as up-to-date information about what events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen’s discretion. Organisers can get enhanced or premium listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.
In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.
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A major exhibition at the Louisiana Museum in Denmark shines a spotlight on Anupama Kundoo, an Indian architect with an unique knowledge of traditional materials and craft traditions.Anupama Kundoo – Taking Time offers an insight into the ideas driving Kundoo’s “slow architecture” approach, which she has applied to both housing and community infrastructure.
The first room, The Architecture of Time, is dedicated to archive material
Favouring hand-made elements over mass-produced components, her work centres around ongoing, intensive research into sustainable practices and materials.
This is revealed here through the inclusion of Kundoo’s architectural archive, which not only contains a number of intricate models but also various construction tools and material samples.
Architectural models reveal the design of Kundoo’s own home, Wall House
Exhibition highlights include a full-scale mockup of Kundoo’s affordable housing concept, Full Fill Home, which debuted at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016.
There are also detailed models of Kundoo’s own home, Wall House, a building that champions regional building traditions like achakal bricks and terracotta roofing systems.
Wall House was built with local traditions like achakal bricks and terracotta roofing
Anupama Kundoo – Taking Time is the latest instalment in a series of exhibitions titled The Architect’s Studio, curated by Kjeld Kjeldsen and Mette Marie Kallehauge. In each, the aim has been to reveal the process behind the buildings.
Ten key projects by Indian architect Anupama Kundoo
“Kundoo tries to return qualitative time to the production of architecture – by human work and human hand, which naturally takes longer than machines but involves a far better sense of materials, detail, space and the building’s relationship to the site,” said the curators.
“Looking at Kundoo’s buildings, it is impossible not to sense that they are unique works, the epitome of site-specific architecture.”
There is a full-scale mockup of Kundoo’s affordable housing concept, Full Fill Home
The exhibition consists of two parts. The first room, called The Architecture of Time, is dedicated to archive material. Here, 13 building models are displayed alongside an assortment of artefacts.
There are three tables of materials: one featuring a mix of natural stones and wood, one covered in earth (both rammed and fired), and one exploring cement and concrete.
Also in this room is a model of the Volontariat Homes for Homeless Children, a cluster of dome-shaped housing units made from handmade mud bricks, and Hut Petite Ferme, the first house Kundoo designed for herself.
Other featured projects include the domed Volontariat Homes for Homeless Children
The second room, titled Co-creation, hones in on Auroville – the city where Kundoo has been based for the majority of her career, and where many of her buildings are located.
Here, the focus is on Kundoo’s largest project to date – the 240,000-square-metre housing development, Lines of Goodwill. A large model, along with 1:1 scale material samples, reveals Kundoo’s strategies for environmentally sensitive homes that connect residents to nature.
The Co-creation room reveals Kundoo’s masterplan for Lines of Goodwill in Auroville
This is the fourth exhibition that the Louisiana has hosted as part of The Architect’s Studio series, following retrospectives of Chinese architect Wang Shu, Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena and Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao.
“Of course, the whole exhibition series is to do with different cultures,” Kjeldsen previously told Dezeen.
Anupama Kundoo – Taking Time opened on 8 October and continues until 31 January at the Louisiana Museum. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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Italian visual artist Pablo Chiereghin has created a series of furniture pieces from the remains of items he destroyed “using a riot aesthetic” for an exhibition at Vienna’s Kunstforum.Named Riot Design, the exhibition consists of a series of reconstructed pieces of furniture and everyday items displayed alongside videos showing Chiereghin destroying the original items.
“Riot Design is a process through consumerism, violence appeal, design and the market,” explained Chiereghin.
“Un-personal everyday objects are destroyed and transformed using a riot aesthetic and then brought back to functionality through an invasive restoration,” he told Dezeen.
The Riot Design exhibition is at Vienna’s Kunstforum.
Each of the items, chosen for their normality, was destroyed on-site within the gallery, which is in the former vault of the bank that houses the Kunstforum.
They were then reassembled using construction materials that are usually hidden within items to draw attention to the rebuilding.
Riot Design consists of destroyed and rebuilt furniture
“The act of destruction is part of the artwork, violence models and deconstructs the object, leaving left-over pieces which are then to be recomposed in a unique object,” Chiereghin said.
“The exhibition is conceived as a whole installation which combines objects and videos, changing rhythm through rough sounds and flirty objects, between construction materials and pink moulded plastic.”
The items were chosen for their normality
Chiereghin destroyed the items while wearing a helmet or balaclava to make a visual connection to the act of rioting.
“The combination of the objects and the riot tools was influenced by the destruction result I wanted to obtain and by visual references to the history of riots,” said Chiereghin.
“The idea of applying violence to things is common, either in everyday life or in the art,” he continued. “Nevertheless, I was for a long time fascinated by the power of exercising violence and the appeal that violence has on human beings.”
The furniture was destroyed within the exhibition space
“With the passing of the time I realised I wanted to excerpt the idea of riot and its violence from a context and use it as a cultural, ready-made tool of design,” continued Chiereghin.
“Destruction activates multilayer connections: damage, hedonistic liberation, loss of value and reaction against status quo.”
Videos show the items being destroyed
The exhibition was created after Chiereghin watched lots of footage of riots, including those at the WTO in Seattle in 1999 and the Genova G8 Summit in 2001. The artist also focused on anti-austerity riots in Greece between 2010-2015, along with the recent riots in Hong Kong and USA.
“As a predominantly white profession, we recognise that we have contributed to this pain”
He accepts that the subject matter and the title of the exhibition may prove controversial, but hopes that it challenges visitors to ask questions.
Pablo Chiereghin violently destroyed the pieces
“If somebody finds it inappropriate, contradictory or speculative they are right,” he said.
“The project offers a multilayer approach, which goes from entertainment to speculative design and consumerism critics,” he continued.
“Visitors have possibilities to stay on the level they want but I think I would be happy if some visitors go home with questions.”
Riot Design is on at the Kunstforumin in Vienna from 15 October to 22 November 2020. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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Design Shanghai, Design Miami and Dubai Design Week are among the architecture and design events listed in Dezeen Events Guide taking place this winter, alongside a host of virtual programmes including an Archigram symposium and the Dezeen Awards ceremonies.Other events taking place in November and December include an Enzo Mari exhibition in Milan curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, the Quito Pan-American Architecture Biennial in Ecuador, Barcelona Design Week and Contemporary Istanbul.
Above: the iconic illustration of the coronavirus virion is one of the designs on show at the Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition. Top: Walking illustration by Drawing Architecture Studio for the M+ museum’s Archigram Cities symposium
Beazley Designs of the Year exhibition21 October 2020 to 28 March 2021
The nominees for the 2020 Designs of the Year awards are currently on show at the London Design Museum until March of next year, allowing visitors to reflect on the state of the world in the months leading up to the coronavirus pandemic.
Exhibits are arranged in chronological order, starting with Jack and Huei’s proposal for naming Bleached Coral as colour of the year at the start of 2019 and leading all the way up until January of this year, when the CDC released its 3D rendering of the novel coronavirus.
About Time: Fashion and Duration exhibition29 October 2020 to 7 February 2021
In celebration of the 150th anniversary of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the annual exhibition put on by its Costume Institute is this year sharing a retrospective of seminal fashion pieces from 1870 until the present day.
The show, which is usually launched with the Met Gala in May, highlights the cyclical nature of fashion by mixing up styles from throughout the decades in two clock-like gallery spaces created by set designer Es Devlin.
M+ Matters: Archigram Cities Online Symposium4 to 21 November
In a virtual event organised by Hong Kong’s M+ museum, scholars and architects will come together to reconsider the work of British architecture collective Archigram and its enduring influence on modern architectural discourse.
Over a series of three Zoom presentations, speakers will include architects Liam Young and Mark Wigley as well as Atelier Bow-Wow’s Tsukamoto Yoshiharu.
Dubai Design Week9 to 14 November
Dubai is one of the few design weeks to take place not just virtually by also in real life this year, spanning more than 200 events across the second week of November focused on how we can reimagine the way we live in light of the pandemic.
This includes the Global Grad Show, exhibiting projects by students from around the world, and the trade fair Downtown Design alongside the city’s inaugural d3 Architecture Festival.
Dezeen Awards ceremonies23 to 25 November
The winners of this year’s Dezeen Awards will be announced via a three hour-long livestreams, hosted by Saatchi Gallery’s poet in residence LionHeart.
Set on three consecutive days, each ceremony will be dedicated to a different category from architecture to interiors and design, with their respective key judges Norman Foster, Michelle Ogundehin and Paola Antonelli each sharing an address reflecting on this year’s entries.
Combo chair by Frank Chou, one of the designers exhibiting at Design Shanghai
Design Shanghai26 to 29 November
Postponed from its original date in March, China’s preeminent design fair Design Shanghai will now take place at the end of November, highlighting local designers and brands alongside exhibitors from 30 other countries.
The highly-anticipated Norwegian Presence showcase, which is normally exhibited at Salone del Mobile, will be presented as part of the Chinese trade fair instead, alongside a speaker programme featuring Ini Archibong, Ross Lovegrove and Hong Kong designer André Fu.
Design Miami28 November to 6 December
For its 16th edition, the Design Miami fair will supplement its regular programme with a new curated exhibition series called Podium, in which pieces of collectable design and craft will be not just on display but also for sale.
In the wake of a tumultuous year in US history and the divisive 2020 election, the showcase will highlight pieces that question what it means to be American, from a 19th-century Navajo tribe textile to ceramics by Puerto Rican “ghetto potter” Roberto Lugo.
World Architecture Festival30 November to 4 December
The WAF is going virtual this year, with a series of talks, panel discussions and special prize ceremonies being live-streamed for free.
Speakers including UNStudio’s Ben Van Berkel, Archigram founder Peter Cook and Jeanne Gang of Chicago firm Studio Gang will discuss everything from recent technical innovations to the ever-present topic of how we can learn to live with pandemics.
Contemporary Istanbul16 to 20 December
Turkey’s leading contemporary art fair will this year offer both virtual and physical events, including its recurring Plugin exhibition, which this year is focusing on human-machine communication and artificial intelligence.
The event’s online version will act as a platform for visitors to interact with the fair in real-time, during its actual opening hours.
National Gallery of Victoria Triennial19 December 2020 to 18 April 2021
The second triennial from Melbourne’s NGV will showcase projects from around the globe that blur the line between art, design, architecture, science and technology.
More than 80 artists and designers will take part in this year’s edition, including up-and-coming talent alongside stalwarts such as Kengo Kuma, Faye Toogood, Jeff Koons and Patricia Urquiola.
Patricia Urquiola presents an installation titled Recycled Woollen Island at NGV Triennial 2020
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks, as well as up-to-date information about what events have been cancelled or postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen’s discretion. Organisers can get enhanced or premium listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.
In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.
Read more: More
Melbourne Design Week, Homexpo Israel, DesignMarch in Reykjavik and the Collectible design fair in Brussels are among the architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide this March. Other events taking place include the Asia Pacific Architecture Festival, Boston Design Week and the Cambio exhibition by design duo Formafantasma at London’s Serpentine Sackler Gallery. To mark […] More
