Located in the Hermitage rooms at Somerset house this installation asks ‘how do we use our city? How could our use of it be more efficient and fun? London has been reinventing itself since Roman times. But what are the forces that shape our city today, and how can we take a more active role in that shape? The pressure of climate change and increasing population mean that more than ever before we must look at efficient and creative ways for using public space. Design for London works with Organisations across the city to make it more beautiful, legible and accessible. London open city offers every Londoner the opportunity to contribute to this project. This exhibition shows the ‘tug-of-war’ nature of London life that is only exaggerated by the cities fast pace: order versus chaos, interaction versus privacy, and heritage versus change. The exhibition, as opposed to the conventional dry planning or governmental exhibition, aimed to be immersive, unexpected, participatory and fun. It was split into 4 main areas to reflect this. The first with commissioned interactive video telescopes by Tim Simpson, then‘Activate’ with commissioned art works housed in huts by Nils Norman, Siggi Egglston, GPA and Mark Garcide, ‘Connect’ with projections and video by Conrad Ventur and ‘Unlock. Also 3 essays were commissioned by Edwin Heathcote, Gillian Darley and Alan powers.

Design, curation, and graphics by O.N.E., DFL, and Studio Myerscough