- Title: Forest sprouts at London Design Biennale tackling global crises
- Date: 1st June 2021
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 1, 2021) (REUTERS) COURTYARD AT SOMERSET HOUSE SIGN IN COURTYARD READING (English) "LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE 2021" FOREST OF CHANGE IN COURTYARD UNITED NATION'S GLOBAL GOALS ON DISPLAY IN FOREST OF CHANGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE, VICTORIA BROACKES, SAYING: "When Somerset House was built, it was built on principles of man being the measure of all things, and that seemed like a provocation. But it also seems to be saying something that we no longer believe is true. We now know we have to live with nature, so by bringing a forest into the heart of the courtyard, we're presenting that idea very, very clearly." VARIOUS OF FOREST OF CHANGE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE, VICTORIA BROACKES, SAYING: "The whole Biennale is a presentation of ideas, it's from international countries, from all over the world are taking - part countries, cities, and territories. And as you could imagine, with the last 15 months in a pandemic, that's incredibly hard for everybody to do. They've met all kinds of challenges, but they've done that because they believe in the power of design to change things for the better and that is what this exhibition is about." VARIOUS OF FINNISH DESIGNER, ENNI-KUKKA TUOMALA'S EMPATHY ECHO CHAMBER PEOPLE INSIDE TUOMALA'S EMPATHY ECHO CHAMBER (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR, LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE, VICTORIA BROACKES, SAYING: "We have Pavilion's from countries, cities, and territories, from all over the world, from Indonesia to Taiwan. We even have Antarctica and each has taken a space and is presenting a different idea there. But what we found over the last 15 months is that people are really focussing in on the big issues now, environment obviously-we are here in a forest, but also social equality, the importance of health, the future of work and so on. So there are a series of installations, each with their own idea, but they kind of come together around the big ideas of things that are what people are thinking about now."
- Embargoed: 15th June 2021 13:45
- Keywords: 400 trees Exhibits London Design Biennale Somerset House climate change equality migration pandemic sustainability
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001EFKLF89
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The London Design Biennale opened on Monday (May 31) at Somerset House with hundreds of trees in the venue's courtyard forming a "Forest for Change" as the event explored climate, poor health, inequality, and other challenges and crises of our time.
The exhibition, the first large-scale international cultural gathering in the city since pandemic restrictions eased, will run for three weeks with pavilions showcasing ground-breaking designs from countries and communities around the world, including the African Diaspora and Antarctica.
The "Forest for Change" was designed by Es Devlin, artistic director of the Biennale, and is an interactive installation to raise awareness of the United Nations' Global Goals.
The idea was to "counter this attitude of human dominance over nature, by allowing a forest to overtake the entire courtyard," Devlin is quoted as saying on the event's website.
The Antarctica pavilion highlights the breaking off of the Larsen B ice shelf and the use of algorithms to rebuild the icebergs through artificial intelligence while Guatemala reflects on water usage with a sound installation.
On the river terrace outside, American designer Ini Archibong's Pavilion of the African Diaspora takes the form of an arched shelter inspired by the shape of a cowrie shell, for centuries a currency in Africa. The structure will serve as an innovative multi-use educational and event facility, and as a sanctuary to tell stories and create a diverse reality.
(Production: Ben Makori) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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