London Design Biennale 2021, Somerset House

We’ve seen it frozen over to become a glittering ice rink in winter, but this summer, the vast Georgian courtyard of Somerset House is being transformed into a forest of 400 trees – the centrepiece of the 2021 London Design Biennale.

Designer ES Devlin – whose diverse portfolio spans the set of Sam Mendes’s The Lehman Trilogy and a former stadium tour of Beyoncé as well as large-scale art installations – is behind the project as artistic director of this year’s biennale. The aim of the installation, Forest for Change, is to put the climate crisis front-of-mind for visitors in a bid to advance the UN’s sustainability plan. Amid the trees is a clearing in which visitors can learn about different elements of the UN’s plan which, in addition to tackling the climate crisis, includes fighting inequality and putting an end to poverty.

The forest features 23 different types of trees, all found in the UK and northern Europe. Visitors will be able to enter the installation and wander through the enchanting forest, which will be on show for the entirety of the biennale, from 1 - 27 June, before it’s moved to a new location.

Postponed in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, the third edition of the London Design Biennale is returning to Somerset House in June 2021 with award-winning designer and artist Es Devlin as its artistic director. The artist is known for her large-scale installations which play with light and language. For 2018's London Design Festival, her project, Please Feed the Lions, saw a fluorescent red lion prowling around Trafalgar Square which passersby could ‘feed’ poetry which was projected onto Nelson’s Column later that evening.

Devlin has chosen ‘Resonance’ as this year's theme to guide over 50 countries, cities and territories in their installations and presentations. 'We live in an age of hyper resonance, the consequences of which are both exhilarating and devastating' Devlin explains, 'everything we design and everything we produce resonates'. Resonance is a powerful part of our digital world where ideas reverberate across online channels and more people are reached on a greater scale than ever. The theme also seeks to shed light on environmental issues, as Devlin highlights that the products that we create 'resonate' through food chains and our climate.

London got its very own design biennale in 2016 and despite its novice status, the past two editions of LDB have been phenomenal showcases of engaging and innovative designs and design solutions by world-leading designers, architects, scientists and writers from around the world.