The UK’s largest and free design festival, Clerkenwell Design Week, returned last month and reports a record-breaking year with more than 37,000 visitors.
Last month’s Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW), which ran from 23-25 May 2023, reported a total of 37,725 visitors from both the UK and overseas, making it their best attendance results in its 14-year history and 24% up on 2019.
The 2023 festival comprised a total of 11 exhibition venues presenting more than 300 design brands and makers, as well as a network of over 160 local showrooms hosting a range of product launches, workshops and talks.
Photograph by Sam Frost…©2023… samfrostphotos.com
A series of specially commissioned, inflatable public art by British artist Steve Messam was dotted around Clerkenwell and joined by other immersive, one-off features including a mycelium-made, modular seating structure by PLP Architecture; a collection of multifaceted, Megalithic columns from Duffy London; a multi-sensory, wave-like tunnel constructed from seaweed paper by Jestico + Whiles; and not least, the BAUX temporary exhibition with special feature walls by Morag Myerscough.
This year’s festival also welcomed a selection of design destinations which hosted installations, brand features and temporary design showcases. They included The Goldsmiths’ Centre, Cowcross Yards Paxter Locher House, Groupwork Architects, Brewhouse Yard and Bourne and Hollingsworth.
Conversations at Clerkenwell, curated by brand consultant Katie Richardson, was also back for three days with headline speakers including Morag Myerscough, Philippe Malouin, Nipa Doshi of Doshi Levien, Yuri Suzuki, and James Patmore of Soho Home. The talks programme took place in Spa Fields, alongside the ICON at 20 intimate sessions with the likes of Mimi Shodeinde, Tom Dixon and Ben Cullen Williams at Old Sessions House, and [d]arc thoughts, a lighting dedicated talks series at Light inside House of Detention.
Photograph by Sam Frost…©2023… samfrostphotos.com
Marlon Cera-Marle, Director of Design at Media 10, said, “We’re absolutely delighted with what we achieved this year, not only because we reached our highest visitor numbers yet, but also because we were met with so much excitement and enthusiasm from our visitors and the wider A&D community.”
“This year we made a full-scale return to Clerkenwell and with our most extensive programme to date. Everyone was so looking forward to seeing interesting products and meeting with their suppliers and peers again.”
Cera-Marle added, “I’d like to thank everyone including our local showrooms, partners, exhibitors and sponsors, who have supported us this year and made CDW another resounding success.”
Clerkenwell Design Week is back from 21 – 23 May 2024. Sign up for the CDW newsletter to stay tuned.
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