The exhibition, ‘people and places’ is a candid portrait of 15 emerging creative practitioners in London, 2024. Composed of individuals of diverse habitus, the one thing the cohort shares is the momentum and determination to create. The new generation of practitioners is inquisitive, thoughtful and resourceful with the tools they have at hand, spanning several disciplines and mediums. Through their shared love of design, these individuals offer an insight into present challenges, faced within their habitus. Visitors are invited to explore a series of artefacts that respond to these issues in unconventional ways.
The themes address phenomena from around the world. The recent warfare in Gaza prompted Sanad Khoury to explore his Palestinian roots with a sculptural water fountain, meanwhile, Maria Gil scrutinises Postmodernist design history in Poland, highlighting the contrast through her use of divergent forms and materials.
More local to London, Hannah Rot’s rigorous investigation of unfired clay proposes a regenerative approach to product design, with an emphasis on temporariness. Similarly, Romeo Hodges crafts milk stools out of London green wood, in an expressive examination of material properties, and London native Cameron Griffin investigates the rampant bicycle thievery scene, by collecting bicycle locks left on the streets.
In the increasingly chaotic city, Samuel Sant’s poetic and performative incense burner responds to the growing need for calmness and the rise of lifestyles that prioritise well-being. Pavneet Sidhu’s self-talk device aims to aid the neurodivergent community, in their struggle with experiencing stress in public spaces, and Haochun Wang advocates for the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine by incorporating sensor technology in an interactive experience.
In a reflective exploration, Jaeun Sim’s reinterpretation of traditional Korean sacrifice ware aims to stir up conversations about death and Jianming Fang plays with the idea of skin and skeleton in a chair cloaked with leather.
Turning their hands to the culinary arts, Zaccaria Slater set up a condiment brand translating flavours around the world, while Rush Barnett looks at the history and psychology of drinking behaviour with a series of finely crafted mask-like drinkware. Finally, Klinta Locmele’s speculative gravity-free kitchenware looks to the future, aiming to make our migratory journey to Mars more pleasant.