London Biennale

Established in 2016 by Sir John Sorrell CBE and Ben Evans CBE, London Design Biennale promotes international collaboration and the global role of design. Since its inception the Biennale welcomes the world’s most exciting and ambitious designers, innovators and cultural bodies to the capital.

The fourth edition of London Design Biennale took place from 1 to 25 June 2023, artistically directed by the Nieuwe Instituut the Dutch national museum and institute for architecture, design and digital culture. Taking over the entirety of Somerset House, including the Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court and River Terrace, participants from across the globe will be invited to imagine and enact new forms of international cooperation and participation including with each other—through the medium of design.

Eureka was a part of the Biennale and is a showcase of design-led innovation changing our world from leading research centres.

It spotlighted the ground-breaking creative thinking taking place inside the UK’s university research departments for our society and the economy, while examining the role of institutions in nurturing the next generation of problem solvers.

Together with London Design Biennale, the exhibition was showcased at Somerset House in June to address ideas around sustainability, health, aging and community cohesion that are in an incubator to start-up phase.

AI- DA Robot

The Biennale is not always the centre of ceramics but an interesting insight into what concerns artists from many countries.

But this year we were treated to AiDa Robot (Oxfordshire) and a body of work of ceramic art that was beautifully produced but had no discern able function at all.

Curated by Lucy Seal and project director Aidan Meller with special guest the Ai- Da Robot.

The catalogue describes Ai-Da as an artist in residence at Porthmeor Studios in St Ives, and was influenced by the St Ives School, Bauhaus, Picasso’s Madoura works, Bloomsbury’s Omega Workshops and the Leach Pottery.

Her designs evoke the increasing dematerialisation of our lives. The household items of the installation exist in the physical realm but also in the digital. The development and use of AI is in its infancy, but there is no question it will change lives irrevocably.

Or put another way the display was a very well produced piece of fun?