As part of Venice Design Week 2024, VDW Light Selection is an exhibition featuring global lighting designers, including Seattle-based glass artist and lighting designer, Julie Conway, of studio Illuminata, and more. The exhibition will be located at Hotel Baglioni Luna, a magnificent 12th century palazzo and 5 star hotel, in Venice, Italy. Past exhibitors include globally recognized brands and lighting artists such as Michele Scarpa, Stab Studio, Isamo Noguchi, Angelo Mangiarotti, Multiforme, and Luceplan.

Venice Design Week is the festival dedicated to design held in the city of Venice, every October since 2010. For a week, the lagoon of Venice comes alive with exhibitions, conferences and meetings, competitions, workshops and guided tours that take place in a unique setting, full of history and contemporaneity, in a continuous exchange between cultures meeting and mutual comparison. 

Get your tickets to meet the designers of the VDW Light Selection exhibition on October 18th at the link below.

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Polish designer Oskar Zięta‘s exhibition, Through Process to Progress, has officially opened at Loop Generation, a renowned sustainable fashion house in Chelsea, England. The exhibition showcases Zięta’s innovative work with metallic materials, highlighting an expertise in design and craftsmanship. The event commenced with a spectacular launch reception and marked the start of a six-week residency at this exclusive West London store.

Moreso, Through Process to Progress offers an immersive exploration of Zieta Studio’s creative process, highlighting their unwavering commitment to sustainable design. Their ethos is rooted in the belief that true progress in design emerges from a deep understanding of material and process. The exhibition invites visitors to journey through Zieta Studio’s innovative approaches, where traditional craftsmanship meets cutting-edge technology to redefine the possibilities of metal. At the core of this exploration is FiDU, an advanced metal-inflating technology pioneered by Oskar Zięta, which transforms flat steel sheets into intricate, three-dimensional forms. These forms are not just art objects. They are functional, lightweight, and sustainably produced, embodying our philosophy of creating with minimum waste and maximum impact.

The exhibition showcases a series of Zieta Studio’s most iconic works, each a testament to the studio’s dedication to sustainability. From the sculptural Plopp stool to the dynamic Rondo and Tafla bionic mirrors, a series of home accessories as well as experimental sculptures, these objects illustrate how sustainability is seamlessly integrated into the design process.

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Marking the Aga Khan Museum’s 10th anniversary, Light: Visionary Perspectives, the Museum’s newest major exhibition, explores light’s multifaceted impact. Featuring contemporary installations by prominent international and Canadian artists, architects, and designers, including Anila Quayyum Agha, Tannis Nielsen, Olafur Eliasson, Kimsooja, and Anish Kapoor, the exhibition delves into how light shapes history and continues to influence our perceptions, emotions, and understanding of the world. These installations use unique designs to illustrate various physical properties and symbolisms of light, showcasing its universal ability to unite individuals, inspire empathy, and highlight the significance of diversity.

Extending beyond the galleries, Light: Visionary Perspectives also explores how light interacts with the building’s architecture and design. The ephemeral yet essential qualities of light set the tone for the building’s design inspiration; from the granite exterior to the shadows cast by the mashrabiya pattern on the Courtyard’s surrounding glass, the omnipresence of light is felt and seen even on gloomy days. This notion of light was built into the Museum, serving as a metaphor for the pluralistic unity that flows through its exhibitions and offerings.

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Art and design gallery Galerie SCENE OUVERTE inaugurates their new exhibition space in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, with the solo show ‘Prométhée’ by the prolific architecture and design studio RoWin’Atelier. Featuring a new limited series of tables, lamps and vases, Prométhée marks a new chapter in the studio’s practice – for the first time, RoWin’Atelier transcend their design-centric roots to explore the realm of craftsmanship. Fascinated with the transformative effects of fire and heat on ceramic, lava stone, bronze, copper, lead crystal, glass paste, and obsidian, the studio unveils an immense universe of aesthetic possibilities, bringing to life a collection that reflects their commitment to unparalleled authenticity and artisanal excellence.

Founded by French architects Hervé Winkler and Frédéric Rochette, RoWin’Atelier has established a reputation for its seamless fusion of architecture and design. Rhythm, structure, and virtuosity, combined with a rich tapestry of visual references, including 20th-century decorative arts and archeological artefacts, are at the core of the duo’s visual language. In ‘Prométhée’, RoWin’Atelier reveals a bold new chapter in its evolution – for the first time, Winkler and Rochette venture into the practice of craft. Immersed in a deep exploration of materiality, the duo becomes fascinated with the transformative effects of fire and heat on various materials, including ceramic, lava stone, bronze, copper, lead crystal, glass paste, and obsidian, leading to the production of a limited series of one-of-a-kind furniture and decorative pieces.

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Artweeks Istanbul, one of Istanbul’s most anticipated contemporary art events, returns for its 10th Anniversary. Since its inception in 2018, Artweeks Istanbul has evolved into a biannual cornerstone of Istanbul’s artistic and cultural calendar; this unique gathering will be attended by Turkey’s leading galleries, collectors, artists, and art aficionados, and will explore the captivating world of art and creativity.

The 10th Edition of Artweeks Istanbul will commence with an exclusive preview on Tuesday, October 1st, followed by a special opening ceremony in the evening. Over the following two weeks, the event will host Turkey’s leading art galleries, numerous private and corporate collections, as well as various talks moderated by Harvard Business Review. Art enthusiasts will also be able to visit cafes and restaurants featuring different concepts within the event area.

Bringing together renowned artists and collectors from various disciplines as well as passionate art enthusiasts, the event will be a vibrant celebration of Istanbul’s artistic and creative culture following the summer season. Furthermore, due to Artweeks Istanbul’s commitment to public accessibility, all exhibitions and talks featured in the 10th Edition will be open to the public and free of charge.

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The newly opened hotel, Mix Brussels, announces the first edition of Curated, a collectible design exhibition featuring the works of 44 designers and curated by Lionel Jadot (who was just awarded Designer of the Year 2024 by Maison & Objet). This event transforms the former Royale Belge — ​ a piece of 1960s brutalist architecture — into a vibrant space for designers, artists, collectors and architects to exchange and share their work. The exhibition is open and accessible to everyone – both hotel guests and visitors – providing a unique opportunity to discover a diverse range of collectible design in the unique setting of Mix Brussels, a renovated 70s building demonstrating that the old and the new can coexist.

Curated will present a variety of works, including ceramics, woodworking, and experimental materials, serving as a platform to showcase collectible design and foster connections among designers, artists, and the public. In an increasingly globalized industry, this event emphasizes the significance of locality and craft, inviting both Belgian and international audiences to engage in discourse around the future of design. Entry is free, but attendees must book a ticket first.

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Opened on September 5 and on until October 10, the Buone Nuove/Good News – Women In Architecture – from MAXXI to MET exhibition anchors TMU’s fall schedule. Alongside the popular traveling exhibit, this semester’s public lectures include the likes of Omar Gandhi (October 3) and Alison Brooks (October 31), while talks by Claire Weisz, Sarah Lynn Lopez and Chris T. Cornelius have already been announced for early 2025.

A characteristically eclectic and thought-provoking program for the Houston-based institution includes lectures by visual artist David Wiseman (September 23), as well as architects Sebastián Adamo (October 2), Sean Canty (October 9), Farshid Moussavi (October 16) and Joshua Jih Pan (November 1), to name just a few. In addition, the 13th edition of the school’s influential PLAT journal launches with an event on November 11.

Ottawa-based design enthusiasts can look forward to an October 2 lecture by Toronto-based architect Heather Dubbeldam. Organized by the Azrieli school in collaboration with the Ottawa Regional Society of Architects, the talk — titled “Building Impact: Architecture, Research and Advocacy” — will take place at the Ottawa Art Gallery, kicking off the 2024-2025 FORUM Lecture Series.

In Philadelphia, the busy fall schedule includes a talk by artist, writer and photographer Virginia Hanusik (September 16). While the impressive roster features multiple lectures and events per week, a few highlights include a September 25 lecture by Lina Ghotmeh, as well as Marina Tabassum’s address on “Displacement of Architecture and Transition,” taking place on October 9. A November 6 talk by Steven Holl is another highlight — among many others — for an action-packed semester.

While a talk by SO-IL recently kicked off the fall lecture series, the accompanying “Urban Domesticity” exhibition remains on show at 1 Spadina Crescent’s Larry Wayne Richards Gallery until October 25. Meanwhile, the fall lecture schedule continues with the September 25 “Future Ancestor” talk by architect — and citizen of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin — Chris T. Cornelius.

This year’s busy fall program includes lectures by Mariam Issoufou (September 26), Marina Tabassum (October 10), Kate Orff (October 21), Minsuk Cho (October 30) and Edourda Souto de Moura (November 7). Throughout the semester, the Lectures in Planning series complements the architectural talks, while a series of multi-disciplinary Actioning Summits bring together a wealth of experts — encompassing design, art, history and civic activism — to tackle pressing cultural and socio-economic issues through the lens of the built environments.

Berlin-based designer and Deadline Architekten co-founder Matthew Griffin comes to Montreal on September 26, followed by legendary landscape architect Laurie Olin, who will deliver a talk on November 12. Rounding out the fall program, details of a lecture on lighting – taking place November 25 – are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

The GSD’s packed fall 2024 calendar includes a September 24 talk — titled “Building with Care: Feminist Perspectives on Design in Conflict” — by Malkit Shoshan, Tatiana Bilbao and Elke Krasny. The lecture series continues with Signe Nielsen (September 26), and a pair of events (October 9 and 10) marking the much-anticipated release of Richard Sennett’s book Democracy and Urban Form. Later in the semester, Anne Whiston Sprin will deliver this year’s Frederick Law Olmstead lecture on October 29.

On the west coast, the Vancouver-based School of Architecture + Landscape Architecture kicks off the 2024-2025 lecture series with “The DNA of Belonging: False Creek South” on September 25, with further events set to be announced soon.

Architecture and Labor author Peggy Deamer comes to Ann Arbor on September 30, while the likes of Bjarke Ingels (November 1) and Eyal Weizman (November 18) round out a can’t-miss fall program. In addition, the school’s Climate Futures Symposium takes place on October 17-18, “exploring the ways architecture and planning can help to bring about a better future for people and the planet.”

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Looking for more fall events? Taking place in downtown Toronto on October 24-25, Azure’s inaugural Human/Nature Conference will bring together thought leaders from across Canada and around the world to share proven strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change. Tickets are on sale now!

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Pearson Lloyd’s “Well Made: What it means today” brings together a wide range of designers and thought leaders at Yorkton Workshops. Part of the 2024 London Design Festival, the show is on from September 14-22.

While the firm’s presence and outlook is global in scope, they retain a decidedly local presence. Case in point? As part of this year’s London Design Festival (LDF), Pearson and Lloyd are curating the landmark exhibition “Well Made: What it means today,” which brings together 30 design voices — including Jasper Morrison, Cat Drew, Erwan Bourollec and Anniinna Koivu — to examine the meaning of creativity, sustainability and quality across a variety of design disciplines. Ahead of the festival’s opening on September 14, the pair have also assembled a list of LDF highlights for Azure readers. Read on below for Tom and Luke’s top picks:

Creating a sense of place is a primary human condition and over the last hundred years or so, industrial production has removed us from the use of local and sustainable materials and solutions. The exhibition not only explores materials but methods of construction, moving away from a very linear industrial model of the factory and looking at nature as a source of constructional inspiration. The show investigates biodiversity and biomimicry in design, as well as bio-morphic design, bio-based materials and bio-regenerative design. — Luke Pearson

I have loved this work ever since it was first exhibited a few years ago. Rescaling the craft and aesthetics of pottery transforms it into a new sense of being. Quite mesmerizing. Clustering micro vase and pot forms together leans more towards sculpture than simply function. — Tom Lloyd

As a professional designer, we are often held back by what we know and our muscle memory. The generation that is emerging — naïve, curious, and (hopefully!) free from inhibition — is a barometer for changing views but also acting at the front end of “what if?” in terms of technology or material experimentation. This exhibition is looking at material developments, climate action and the integration of artificial intelligence with design to drive innovation and sustainability. Whilst we may have grounds to fear AI, it’s clear to me it is a tool we must harness to allow us to think collectively and optimize global efforts that otherwise get dispersed and lost in the ether. — Luke Pearson

Design should be political. This review of design as part of protest in this exhibition immediately drew me in. The Beacon structure is a beautiful, if not subversive, example of real world innovation. Creating a symbol of protest that cannot easily be dismantled by the police, it clearly did its work in irritating the powers that be. Design and innovation are needed in all walks of life. — Tom Lloyd

Kingston University, unlike so many design schools these days, celebrates and has a high focus on the act of making. This is evident in the teaching and the resultant creative output. I feel, as a designer, the physical process is vital to understand the nature of materials, their inherent qualities and ultimately how they can be manipulated to become useful, desirable objects. — Luke Pearson

I have known the team at Mitre and Mondays for some time and am always charmed by their thinking and ambition. Their theme this year of “Tolerance” is a lovely mixing of the physical and social sides of what we do as designers. I am intrigued to see their creative response. Look out for their mobile café installation as it moves around the city. — Tom Lloyd

This panel discussion at the V&A looks at the notion of play. I have always said that I am lucky in that as an adult, I have found a career that allows me to play. Play is vital to the act of discovery and insight, so for a designer, it’s a key component of our daily activity; As a human being, it is vital simply in order to maintain a healthy mind. It’s a pleasure activity. But as we grow up, the general perception is that play is something that children do, and that it isn’t functionally useful. It will be interesting to see the discussions of how play relates to the topics of wellbeing, creativity, society and the digital landscape in this V&A initiative. — Luke Pearson

We all know the massive impact of the fashion industry on our planetary health. Fast fashion and hyper fast trends create material obsolescence at an alarming rate. Exhibitions like this, which shine a light on the problem — but also look at ways to tackle it — should be front and centre of the design debate. — Tom Lloyd

As a lover of cultural divergence, I have witnessed the global economy erode the specificities of different peoples’ and locations’ meanings. As we travel the world, there is a global blandness to the high street. The joy of finding something unknown and unfamiliar — or a curious interpretation of something — is a continual need I have and still propels me. Sometimes these objects are ubiquitous everyday things that are simply typologically different and sometimes they are utterly unique. — Luke Pearson

Marina Willer’s beautiful show bringing to life the graphic language of man hole covers across London is going to be a hit. It reminds us to be curious, look around us and enjoy the richness of our built environment. In the show, Marina has created brass rubbings straight off the pavement and turned them into artworks through colour and composition. Stunning stuff. — Tom Lloyd

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The 2024 edition of the London Design Festival runs from September 14-22. Pearson Lloyd’s “Well Made: What it means today” is on at Yorkton Workshops during the entire run of the festival.

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For London Design Festival 2024, Faye Toogood takes over the Poltrona Frau flagship store in Fulham Road, with an installation celebrating the Squash Collection, first presented during Milan Design Week earlier this year. The installation is a tactile and playful expression of historical and English folk references, pairing Toogood’s experimentation with Poltrona Frau’s leather craft. The exhibition at the flagship store features folk art motifs hand-painted across the glass windows that frame the installation from the outside, and quilted leather and hand-crafted wooden totems with irregular doors and windows that frame the inside. The featured pieces of the collection include the Squash Armchair, Ottoman, and Side Table, as well as the Squash Mirror and the Squash Rug.

Faye Toogood is a British designer from the countryside focusing on interior design, homewares, fine art, and fashion. In 2008, she founded Toogood, her London-based Design Studio, and since then has become a reputed figure in the design and art industry with her works exhibited in museums across the world. Poltrona Frau is an authentic Italian high-end furnishing brand that has been in the industry since 1912, valuing artistic aptitude and meticulous construction that leads them to use the highest-quality leather in all their works.

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Spring on the Prairie: Kiyoshi Izumi and the work of Izumi Arnott and Sugiyama is the first comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the work and legacy of Kiyoshi Izumi (1921–1996), a pioneering figure in Canadian architecture. This landmark exhibition will provide a deep dive into the 32-year career of Izumi, whose innovative designs have left a lasting impact on Saskatchewan’s architectural landscape.

Kiyoshi Izumi, the first known Canadian architect of Japanese descent, overcame significant social and racial barriers in the post-war era to become a celebrated architect both provincially and nationally. Born in Vancouver to Japanese immigrant parents, Izumi’s life took a dramatic turn following the introduction of Canada’s War Measures Act in 1942, which led to the forced relocation of Japanese Canadians in coastal British Columbia. Izumi was able to avoid internment camps and eventually settled in Regina, where he became a leading figure in modernist architecture.

Izumi’s architectural career is marked by a series of iconic projects that have shaped the cultural and civic landscape of Saskatchewan. With partners Gordon Arnott and James Sugiyama, Izumi and the architectural firm of Izumi Arnott and Sugiyama were responsible for significant landmarks such as the expanded College Avenue Norman Mackenzie Art Gallery, the Regina Public Library Central Branch, and the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts (now Conexus Arts Centre). In Saskatoon, the firm contributed to the postwar expansion of the University of Saskatchewan campus, including notable buildings like Marquis Hall and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Izumi’s career was his collaboration with British psychiatrist Humphry Osmond and Canadian biochemist Abram Hoffer. Together, they reimagined psychiatric hospital design, leading to the construction of the Yorkton Psychiatric Centre in Saskatchewan. To ensure his designs were sympathetic to patients, Izumi engaged in unconventional research methods, including experimenting with psychedelics. This unique approach allowed him to gain insights into how space and environment could affect patients’ experiences, leading to architectural innovations that earned international recognition.

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