London Festival of Architecture to go annual


Dezeen Wire:
the organisers of the London Festival of Architecture have announced that the summer fair will now take place every year.

This year’s instalment of the formally biennial festival concluded last weekend and featured 16 days of exhibitions, lectures and events that took place in locations across the city.

See more details in the press release below:


The London Festival of Architecture to become an annual summer fixture

The organisers of the London Festival of Architecture, the city-wide celebration of architecture and architectural talent, have announced plans to hold the popular summer showcase on an annual basis beginning in summer 2013.

Previously organised as a biennial event, with the most recent edition concluding last weekend, the Festival is due to return for another three weekend / two week run next year from 22nd June to 7th July 2013.

This year’s event, which saw the adoption of both “The Playful City” theme and the pineapple – a symbol of welcome and hospitality – as the Festival’s official emblem, incorporated hundreds of innovative events and attractions held in various hubs across the capital during an unprecedented summer of cultural and sporting attractions.

Peter Murray, chairman of NLA and Festival Founding Director said:
“The sheer energy and enthusiasm that has been invested in this year’s Festival, by many hard-working organisations and individuals, strongly suggests that an annual event would be well received.

“The London Festival of Architecture receives core funding from the voluntary donations of the 250 Club, but as you’d expect with any ambitious project of this nature, we will need to raise additional funding to ensure we can deliver another Festival of similar ambition and scope in 2013. Needless to say, the will is certainly there to make it happen and we’re already in the early stages of speaking to potential sponsors.”

The annual London Festival of Architecture is curated by The Architecture Foundation, British Council, New London Architecture and RIBA London. This year’s Festival saw a packed programme of events and attractions held in various hubs including the City of London and Southwark, Fitzrovia and Victoria, and King’s Cross and Hoxton.

This year’s many Festival highlights included The Developing City exhibition, which will run at the Walbrook Building until 9th September (New London Architecture); Gibbon’s Rent, the participatory creation of a permanent new pocket park, reclaiming a forgotten cut through in Southwark (The Architecture Foundation); The British Council’s International Architecture and Design Showcase 2012, which will continue to run until 23rd September; and WEATHER – IT’S RAINING OR NOT: Hoxton Square’s playful interactive parasols and a graphic display of “the Weather Yesterday” which will be on display until 9th September (RIBA London).

In addition, to satisfy the enthusiasm and interest that this year’s Festival has generated, additional events are being planned to tie in to some of the key installations over the rest of summer 2012.
This year’s Festival was sponsored by Land Securities and Berkeley Group, and supported by the Mayor of London and through public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

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The Weather Yesterday by Troika

London design studio Troika have been poking fun at the British obsession with the weather with their lighting installation in an east London park.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

The LED lights on the five-metre-high installation change throughout the day to depict conditions from the same time the previous day, so passers-by can see whether the weather is better or worse.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

Classic forecasting icons show whether it was sunny, rainy or cloudy, and a numerical display shows the temperature.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

Custom-made software and a wireless connection enable weather data to be updated automatically.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

The installation opened in east London’s Hoxton Square last weekend as part of the London Festival of Architecture, and it will remain there until 9th September 2012.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

During the festival, the square was also home to a handful of cloud-like parasols designed by London-based architectural practice Harry Dobbs Design.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

Photographs are by Troika.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

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The Weather Yesterday by Troika

Here’s some more information from Troika and the London Festival of Architecture:


The Weather Yesterday takes our obsession with progress ad absurdum by sardonically changing our focus from ‘forecast’ to the ‘past’. The five metre-high sculpture celebrates the weather as a predominant topic of discussion in British culture while offering a spin on the urgency with which we are using our mobile devices, forecasting and interactive technology.

The Weather Yesterday by Troika

The London Festival of Architecture (23 June – 8 July 2012) with its theme of ‘The Playful City’ brings architects and communities together across the capital.

RIBA London is partnering with the London Borough of Hackney and consulting engineers Ramboll to transform Hoxton Square with the ‘Weather – It’s Raining or Not’ installation by architect Harry Dobbs, including ‘The Weather Yesterday’ by creative practice Troika.

An interactive light installation, ‘The Weather Yesterday’ will playfully highlight Britain’s obsession with the weather, with the square set to feature a collection of parasol-shaped structures around a central five-metre-tall visual creation displaying the previous day’s weather conditions using classic forecasting iconography.

Parasol-shaped structures from architects Harry Dobbs, playfully dotted around the square, offer social meeting places for rest, play and discovery under their cloudy canopies. Chameleon-like, they will respond to the visitor, at one moment creating a cosy space protected from the elements, or next opening up to support the wider shared experience of the square.

Exhibition on display 7 July – 9 Sept 2012
Hoxton Square
London

The Weather Yesterday
LEDs, aluminium, custom electronics
2,20 m (H) x 2,20 m (W) x 10 cm (D)

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by Troika
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