London Design Festival has been held annually since 2003 and features exhibitions across the city. Recent years have shown a shift in the usual work being shown. As sustainability becomes more mainstream, and more people are finding solutions to environmental problems using design, the fields of biodesign and biomaterials have become a lot more prominent during the festival. This represents a shift in design overall, with this new design field becoming more popular. 

Biodesign Here Now showcases new innovations within this field and is breaking boundaries within the festival. It is based at Open Cell, a biotech base within Shepherds Bush, which is home to many exciting start-ups and designers. The exhibition showcases some of the residents of Open Cell, as well as exciting new projects, all found inside 70 shipping containers. These projects range from sustainable pollination using flies to grown fashion. We have outlined some of the exciting projects that will be shown at the exhibition as we feel it is important to bring projects like these to the public and champion people working to create solutions that help the planet, and also give you an opportunity to experience them first hand.

The exhibition will run on the 21st and 22nd of September and includes a talk on biodesign at the V&A on Monday, 16th of September. – 

https://www.londondesignfestival.com/event/biodesign-here-now-2

“A showcase of new biomaterial research and development that has been undertaken by designers, brands and material technologists that will transform the material usage, production techniques and material properties in the next two, five and ten years.” – opencell

WETWEAR COTOURE

Using Slime Mould, a unicellular organism, to make clothes. The genus of slime mould Physarum Polycephalum is attracted or repelled by certain food sources. Therefore Wetware uses this to control it in order to follow pre-designed patterns, thus generating textiles.

CAROLYE RAFF

‘An Ocean Full of Opportunities’ is a research project that explores how we can use organisms such as algae to create new material, specifically focusing on the fashion industry.

ROSIE BROADHEAD

Skin II is a collection of clothing made from bacteria that reduces body odour, encourages cell renewal and improves the immune system, when activated by sweat.

RACHAEL COLLEY

Re:mains series of jewellery pieces that utilise food waste such as fruit stones and vegetable peel. The series aims to defamiliarise users with ‘waste’ by turning the materials into beautiful artefacts.