Biennale Participants

This September, London Design Biennale will welcome the world to our capital city. A diverse group of over 35 countries and cities have been confirmed as participants.

These participants include Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK and USA.

Design teams interpret the theme of ‘Emotional States’ by examining their own relevant cultural, social and political issues.

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Latvian Installation

The Latvian installation called ‘Matter to Matter’ explores a natural phenomenon -  condensation – to transform a technological glass surface into an interactive platform. Visitors are encouraged to leave a temporal message, which naturally disappears within a couple of minutes. As a country that lives in harmony with nature, Latvia encourages visitors to reflect on the importance of the relationship between humans, nature and technology. This calm, sensory environment is Latvia’s interpretation of London Design Biennale’s theme.

The Canadian installation aims to reveal the complexity of a nation by excavating its emotional landscape and documenting a rich national narrative beyond the typical representations of Canadian life and culture. A 360-degree immersive experience will transport the viewer from coast to coast as they reflect on Canada’s vast landscapes and local residents. The journey will tap into towns whose names are inspired by emotions, from Happy Adventure, Newfoundland to Hope, British Columbia.

The V&A will curate the UK entry and have collaborated with UK-based Forensic Architecture, an independent research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London, to design the UK pavilion. Forensic Architecture’s interdisciplinary team of investigators, including filmmakers, software developers, archaeologists, lawyers, journalists and architects, will show how innovative methods of digital design and image capture can enable on-the-ground DIY cultural heritage documentation and preservation.

Working in the Sinjar area of Iraq, Forensic Architecture will support and train members of the Yazidi people to collect, document and preserve evidence of destruction, genocide and enslavement perpetrated by Daesh (Islamic State) against the Yazda. 3D models of the sites destroyed by Daesh will be constructed using aerial photography and photogrammetry and will serve as valuable pieces of evidence for future litigation. The visually, intellectually and emotionally arresting installation proposed by Forensic Architecture responds to the theme of Emotional States by examining how design can directly inform new perspectives and lines of investigation.

The exhibition will present the process by which these images are collected and reconstructed, alongside the objects used in the training of Iraqi citizens such as rigs made from kites, plastic bottles and helium balloons. In addition, it will explore the role digital cultural preservation has played in communities who have recently experienced trauma.