19 Greek Street transforms gallery into apartment for The Art of Progress exhibition
London Design Festival 2015: windows that charge electronic devices and benches produced using solar power were among the sustainable products, furniture and food items exhibited across four floors at London gallery 19 Greek Street (+ slideshow).
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A theme of ethical living ran throughout the Soho gallery's Art of Progress exhibition, which included a cafe with a "planet-friendly" menu and a floor converted into an apartment to showcase of furniture, product and lighting design.
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A lecture room hosted talks from speakers around the theme of sustainability, while visitors to the top of the five-floor Victorian town house were encouraged to take a break from the bustle of London Design Festival with a series of workshops on mindfulness and meditation.
Work from designers including Mischer'Traxler, Peter Marigold and Studiomama founder Nina Tolstrup was on display.
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Marjan van Aubel added her current windows to the first three floors of the building, allowing visitors and passersby to use collected solar energy to charge their phones.
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Vienna duo Mischer'Traxler showed their hollow Idea of a Tree benches – made from cotton, glue and resin as unique records of the sunlight conditions on the day they were produced – as well as naturally dyed and hand-knotted wool carpets created for rug company Nodus.
For this year's London Design Festival, the pair also filled a room at the V&A museum with glass bulbs containing hand-made insects, which fluttered in response to the movements of visitors.
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Peter Marigold showed alternatives to standard lighting, with lamps powered by forks stuck into vegetables, as well as purposefully uneven shelves made from panels of wood supported by a single log split into four corner pieces.
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Belgian designer Lionel Jadot contributed a distinctive table, with a top that had bundles of copper rods inserted into it, as well as a table with a surface made from a piece of reclaimed ceiling.
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Julian Lechner also used reclaimed materials, with ceramics made from used coffee grounds, and Tord Boontje recycled bottles to develop a collection of glassware.
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"In curating The Art of Progress, 19 Greek Street will send a powerful message about the lifestyle choices we can all make to contribute to a more sustainable and ethical future," said gallery founder and creative director Marc Péridis.
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The Art of Progress took place from 17 to 27 September 2015, as part of the London Design Festival.
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Other exhibitions that took part during the event included a showcase of hand-crafted Irish products, a collection of independent Taiwanese lighting and furniture design, and a show that commemorated 50 years of British road signage.