Knickers, coal and wicker chairs

Instead of Venice and art, for me it was Somerset House and design. The Design Biennale in Somerset House hosts installations from 40 countries, regions and cities until 23 September.

A wide-ranging theme – ‘Emotional States’ – provides room for a huge variety of topics, quite a few related to textile industries. One of those is from Pakistan. It features an installation of garments that form a screen for films about the makers of these garments – the women who are the backbone of the country’s cotton industry.

A surprising Swedish installation imagines a new use for an old energy source. Rather than burning coal, it proposes the material’s use in architecture and interior design.

My favourite though – highly practical compared with many other installations -, is the German entry showing examples of upcycling – transforming waste destined for the tip with skill and craft into one-off, very special pieces. Below a picture of Studio Campana’s  plastic chair encased in wickerwork.