The best art, architecture and design events in May
May’s busy cultural calendar will see you perusing the world’s best photo galleries under one roof, getting up-close to some of the country’s best craftsmanship and pondering the future of architecture. Here, we run down the best art, architecture and design events in May 2019.
Clerkenwell Design Week, Clerkenwell, London
Marking its ten-year anniversary, Clerkenwell Design Week promises this year’s three-day edition to be one of celebration and achievement. Expect street-mounted graphics by UAL students marking significant historical locations, product launches by the likes of Established and Sons and a talk series exploring questions like how design can shape the future of our workspaces.
Photo London, Somerset House, London
Take 100 of the world’s leading galleries, collectively representing over 400 artists, and give them all a temporary home in Somerset House for four days and what do you get? Quite simply one of the best photography events in the global cultural calendar: Photo London. This year promises more solo exhibitions and a stronger European representation.
London Craft Week, various locations, London
In locations across the capital, London Craft Week champions the diversity of making, with more than 200 established and emerging designers, makers, brands and galleries from across the globe participating in the five-day event. Check out a Japanese craft market focusing on items made in Gifu prefecture, housed inside Heal’s on Tottenham Court Road, and an exhibition exploring wellbeing through making at Craft Central.
Architectural Futures, Royal Academy of Arts, London
The four finalists of The Royal Academy’s Dorfman Award, which it gives to hot-young-things conjuring new approaches to architecture, will present a sample of their work through models, photographs and films until the 17th May. The finalists hail from Ireland, Niger, Mexico and Thailand, and have been selected for their local and global sensitivity to the increasing complexity of designing buildings in the 21st century.
RIBA + VitrA Talk: Feilden Fowles, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Yorkshire
In March of this year, Yorkshire Sculpture Park gained a new visitor centre designed by Feilden Fowles, who took inspiration from the sandstone bedrock to come up with a layered pigmented structure with a saw-tooth roof. On the 22nd May, our local neighbours (their practice is based in Waterloo, a short walk from our head office) Fergus Feilden and Edmund Fowles will be discussing the project with YSP Director of Programme, Claire Lilley.
Sea Side: Photographed, Turner Contemporary, Margate
Turner Contemporary’s first ever photography exhibition will take a look at photographic representations of the British seaside from the 1850s to now. Depictions of rave scenes, holiday camps, festivals, beaches, waves, sun, skin and sand form a comprehensive look at the seaside by photographers like Anna Fox, Paul Nash and Martin Parr (of course).
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