Meet the Designers: Showroom Showcase (2)

As part of LFA 2022, the LFA unveiled the winning installations for the second edition of Showroom Showcase. Now in its second year, this series of installations see a series of innovative paper installations by emerging architects and designers displayed in some of London’s leading design showrooms.

We chatted to the designers and showrooms about the collaborations. Click on the videos below to hear the conversations.

Alternatively, you can download the Showroom Showcase self-guided walking tour by heading to our Building Sounds podcast feed via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or by searching for ‘Building Sounds’ wherever you normally get your podcasts.

The Floating Column by Space A @ VitrA

Our starting point was to celebrate a rainbow of emotions in space. We loved the idea of using colour to create something that had an impact in the space's tall 5m ceilings. We were inspired by the form of flowing, overlapping and looped strips of textile weaving and enjoyed the joyful mix of shades demonstrated by artists like Annie Albers. We loved the idea of an elongated, radial piece that both resembled a floating classical column but also a grand chandelier. The piece is fabricated from a material that is used everyday (in the home) and generally taken for granted : toilet roll. As a material it is infamous for its impact on global deforestation and more specifically its role in the 'panic buying' sprees that took place at the start of the Covid -19 lockdowns. But by showcasing this taboo product we wanted it to be a 'joyful beacon' calling to arms a collective wave of action to question its role in our 21st century homes, offices and public spaces.

Choose Love, by It's a local collective with Tom Tse @ Billi

Choose Love celebrates the power of paper and words, and the relationship of human and river. It tells a mythical tale of life under water, praising the beauty and importance of the river’s ecosystem - a value we share deeply with Billi. Inspired by a tradition in both of our East Asian cultures - fai chun - calligraphy written on decorative paper as blessings to carry into the new year, Choose Love is also a meticulously carved blessing. With everything going on in the past two years, with ‘Choose Love’ we want to create a beautiful, interactive reminder that love is a choice; it is an action. Choose Love is generously supported by G.F Smith

UNFURLED by HAGENHINDERDAEL @ Gaggenau

Working with paper as the raw material, UNFURLED is a feature installation taking over the shop window at Gaggenau London. Using a zero-waste methodology, we propose to integrate the installation across the existing structural framework and recycle old Gaggenau catalogues in an architectural gesture expanding across the shop window. Taking on both a 2d and 3d form, catalogues will either be stacked or folded as they transform into a 3d sculptural artwork. The experience will be strong in both day and night, and through its RE-USE and NON- OBSTRUCTIVE installation methodology, ensures we align with Gaggenau brand principles whilst activating the architectural space of the shop window.

Lateral Flow by WallaceLiu @ Siemens Home London

Watching the slow movement of water across thin strips of paper, waiting for red lines that will determine our fate. Since the invention of the litmus test by Spanish physician Arnaldus de Villa Nova in the 14th century, paper has been used in science and medicine, providing a simple and affordable mechanism to test the properties of a substance. We would like to play with our recent, collective experiences by exploring the tectonic and aesthetic properties of large format strips of quantitative test paper that slowly absorb a substance, making invisible qualities tangible and real, revealing pixelated memories through the way they change colour and texture.