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LONDON DESIGN BIENNALE
1 - 27 JUNE 2021
BOOK TICKETS
 
NEW FOR 2020: DESIGN IN AN AGE OF CRISIS
OPEN CALL TO 31 AUGUST 2020
READ MORE HERE

Design in an Age of Crisis

We want to hear your radical design thinking about the world you want to live in.   How can we create healthier, greener, equal and prosperous societies?  

Design In An Age Of Crisis is a global OPEN CALL from Chatham House and London Design Biennale, inviting radical design thinking from the world’s design community, the public and young people. It seeks to harness the creativity that comes from crisis. Submit your radical design thinking by 31 August 2020.

Submit Your Radical Design Thinking Here
Scroll Through To Hear From The Steering Group Members
Designers, Young People & The Public Will Have The Opportunity To Be

1. Selected for an online exhibition, Design In An Age Of Crisis, in Autumn 2020

2. Exhibited at the London Design Biennale at Somerset House in June 2021

3. Considered for further development and implementation by Chatham House

Radical Design Thinking Inspiration
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette was a 19th-century English civil engineer who created - in response to the Great Stink of 1858 - a sewer network for central London which was instrumental in relieving the city from cholera epidemics, while beginning to clean the River Thames. Image Credit: Mark Lovatt/Getty Images/Flickr Open
Anya Hindmarch, in collaboration with Professor Hugh Montgomery, Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at University College London, created the Holdster as a safe and accessible way for ICU staff to carry their important belongings whilst on the front line during the Covid-19 pandemic. Image Credit: Anya Hindmarch
The 1991 wind-up radio by Trevor Baylis (1937 - 2018), pioneered technology, which not only saved the lives of millions of people but was also environmentally and economically friendly. Baylis reacted to hearing how the AIDS virus was spreading fast in communities in Africa because many people had no access to news of the crisis, and he designed a wind up version needing no batteries. The radios, were able to be air-dropped into the hardest to reach places. Image Credit: Pat Langan
The Briefs

We are living in an age of world crises which the current Covid-19 pandemic has either shone a light on or further exacerbated. These include: the poor health and unhealthy living situations of millions of people across the world; the climate emergency which gets more urgent day-by-day; the deeply embedded social and economic inequalities in our societies; and the rapid transformations in work and the economy which will affect the employment and livelihood opportunities for all. 

Open to all, from established practices to budding young designers across all design disciplines, Design In An Age Of Crisis seeks to find radical and rapid responses to problems facing humanity, today and tomorrow, in response to four briefs.

https://www.londondesignbiennale.com/sites/default/files/General%20Brief.pdf
https://www.londondesignbiennale.com/sites/default/files/Young%20Person%27s%20Brief.pdf
https://www.londondesignbiennale.com/work
https://www.londondesignbiennale.com/environment
https://www.londondesignbiennale.com/health
https://www.londondesignbiennale.com/society
Submit Your Radical Design Thinking Here
The Steering Groups

Chatham House and London Design Biennale convened over fifty international steering group members consisting of designers, academics, entrepreneurs, industry experts and business leaders to create the four briefs. You can find the full list of members across the four steering groups here. The groups met virtually and were co-chaired by:

Health:

Environment:

Work:

Society:

Key Dates & Timeline
Guidelines
GUIDELINES FOR SELECTED SUBMISSIONS

 

All submitters retain ownership and copyright of their work. However, by submitting your idea, you consent to allow London Design Biennale, Chatham House, Somerset House and any collaborating partners and supporters the opportunity to feature and promote your work as part of an exhibition and across advertising and marketing channels.

During the review and shortlisting period, London Design Biennale and Chatham House will contact those being shortlisted. You must respond within seventy-two (72) hours. For verification purposes, you may be asked to provide the original files of your work and your ID. If you are under 18, we will need to confirm consent from your parent or guardian. Due to the number of submissions received, it is not possible to provide commentary or feedback individually.

 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

This opportunity is open globally. Submissions are welcome from individuals and groups, through to professionals and practices. You can choose to respond to one brief, or all four. There is a specially designed brief for young people under 18.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSIONS

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  • You can submit work in any of these file formats:
    • Pdf, word doc, ppt
    • Video (10 seconds – 3 minutes) in mp4, vimeo, youtube link
    • Audio (music, podcast, sound experience) in mp4, vimeo, youtube, psa, audio file
    • Images in jpeg, eps, ai or gif format
  • Please submit high resolution, layered artwork files where relevant
  • Please note that we cannot accept physical submissions
  • Don’t use London Design Biennale or Chatham House logos 
  • Please submit, where possible, in English. If this is not possible, please note that we will use an online translator tool to translate the submission
  • Include all sources or reference points
  • Please only submit original work 
  • For any creators, please ensure you own all rights to use all elements included in the work submitted
  • Don’t submit any content which can be interpreted as discriminatory, abusive, or inappropriate
  • Submissions can be either pre-existing or unique work created especially for this opportunity
Submit Your Radical Design Thinking Here

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