London Design Festival: The Abney Effect
London-based studio WAX Atelier will present a special showcase, The Abney Effect, for the London Design Festival from 16th - 22nd September. Curated by Company, Place and set in WAX Atelier's new ‘Labs’ studio in the newly renovated Abney Park in Stoke Newington, visitors will be presented with a series of installations and activations showcasing the potential of tree-derived materials like oils, waxes, resins, fibres, and dyes.
Image: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
Image above: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, Fabrics coloured with dyes extracted from trees, by Lola Lely Studio, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
Image above: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, Fabrics coloured with dyes extracted from trees, by Lola Lely Studio, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
Located in one of London's 'Magnificent Seven' garden cemeteries, The Abney Effect exhibition will showcase the work of eight artists and designers, both established and emerging, to highlight the transformative potential of sustainable tree-derived materials, harvested from living trees or collected as part of good forest management.
Supported by the British Council, Hackney Council and Abney Park Trust, the project is Inspired by the Victorian Age of Enlightenment and acts as a modern cabinet of curiosities. A series of installations and activations will unfold in and around the WAX Atelier Lab, illustrating how nature, process, and creativity intersect in unexpected ways. Featured works will include a series of pieces from WAX Atelier crafted from Orange by products (flowers, leaves and fruit) which becomes valuable material for their new collection; CQ Studio’s sequins created from bio-resin derived from waste water from the dye process and cellulose harvested from fungi; and a special installation from KILOMET109, a Hanoi based studio who collaborate with craft communities in Viet Nam on all aspects of textile production, from sowing seeds, to harvest, to weaving and natural dyeing - all using indigenous processes and local materials.
Image: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, Kapok Silk Cotton by KILOMET109, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
Designs on show come courtesy of renowned international practitioners from the UK, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, and Viet Nam, nurturing meaningful and poetic connections within the design space, and featuring creative partnerships that blend natural and synthetic materials in thoughtful and innovative ways to promote material reuse.
There will be a series of interactive activities throughout the week, including wax flower making, and wax leaf printing workshops, and further demonstrations led by WAX Atelier, CQ Studio, and more.
Image: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
On show throughout the London Design Festival, The Abney Effect will be open daily from 10am to 5:30pm from 16 - 22 September, with extended hours for special events.
Visit waxatelier.com and follow @waxatelier for full event listings and to book individual sessions.
Supported by the British Council, Hackney Council and Abney Park Trust, the project is Inspired by the Victorian Age of Enlightenment and acts as a modern cabinet of curiosities. A series of installations and activations will unfold in and around the WAX Atelier Lab, illustrating how nature, process, and creativity intersect in unexpected ways. Featured works will include a series of pieces from WAX Atelier crafted from Orange by products (flowers, leaves and fruit) which becomes valuable material for their new collection; CQ Studio’s sequins created from bio-resin derived from waste water from the dye process and cellulose harvested from fungi; and a special installation from KILOMET109, a Hanoi based studio who collaborate with craft communities in Viet Nam on all aspects of textile production, from sowing seeds, to harvest, to weaving and natural dyeing - all using indigenous processes and local materials.
Image: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, Kapok Silk Cotton by KILOMET109, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
Designs on show come courtesy of renowned international practitioners from the UK, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, and Viet Nam, nurturing meaningful and poetic connections within the design space, and featuring creative partnerships that blend natural and synthetic materials in thoughtful and innovative ways to promote material reuse.
There will be a series of interactive activities throughout the week, including wax flower making, and wax leaf printing workshops, and further demonstrations led by WAX Atelier, CQ Studio, and more.
Image: The Abney Effect exhibition for LDF by WAX Atelier, photographed by Sara Hibbert.
On show throughout the London Design Festival, The Abney Effect will be open daily from 10am to 5:30pm from 16 - 22 September, with extended hours for special events.
Visit waxatelier.com and follow @waxatelier for full event listings and to book individual sessions.