London Design Biennale
— London, U.K.

The London Design Biennale, which will run from 4 to 23 September 2018 at Somerset House and promises to be a must-visit event for anyone who finds themselves in the English capital. Now in its second edition, the event will be looking to repeat its debut success, with over 40 countries set to take part with projects and experiments exploring the theme “emotional states”.

The theme is inspired by the Gallup Global Emotions Report 2017, which analysed 149,000 interviews in 142 countries around the world to measure feelings and emotions – values which are usually overlooked by traditional economic indicators. According to the report, Paraguay had the highest number of positive experiences, while Yemen had the lowest. The United Kingdom finished in 38th place, level with Mali, South Africa, United States and Bolivia. With Brexit dominating the British landscape, there was a 15% decline in the number of people rating their lives as “thriving” – the biggest drop in the history of British polling.

“London Design Biennale will similarly feel the global pulse, and design installations will investigate the important relationship between design, strong emotional responses, and real social needs”, explains Dr Christopher Turner, the co-director of the event alongside Sir John Sorrell and Ben Evans.