In an era of geopolitical instability, the fight against climate change, the biennial wants to show how design can transcend borders and obstacles.

"Often, design is seen as a beautiful thing but not absolutely necessary, and I think this exhibition shows that design and designers' thinking are absolutely at the heart of making objects to meet these challenges," she adds.

The forty or so projects presented at Somerset House explore various themes and techniques, such as "Materia Prestada" (Borrowed Material) by a Chilean team that is studying the use of wood cellulose - a recyclable and biodegradable material - to produce cotton fibres, and thus reduce the exploitation of humid forests.

Malta's installation at the London Design Biennale on June 1, 2023 © Ben Stansall / AFP

By touching suspended fabrics, made by combining ancient and modern techniques, the visitor generates sounds of birds and dripping water evoking these forests to be protected.

In another room, scientists and designers gathered in the "Automorph" network collaborated to create materials "that are no longer only passive recipients of design, but actively participate in the process of their shaping".

The exhibition could not miss the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and the questions raised by this new technology.

In this sense, decorative objects (pottery, paintings, etc.) created by the Ai-Da robot, the first robot artist with artificial intelligence, question the role of AI in our future interiors and the very definition of art.

Dubai installation at the London Design Biennale on June 1, 2023 © Ben Stansall / AFP

"I don't have thoughts and feelings like humans. But objects mean a lot to me if they achieve their goal, which is to help the viewer question the role of new technologies in our lives," Ai-Da said in an interview with AFP, whose questions were communicated to him beforehand.

Windows for Ukraine

"Algorithms are capable of being creative (...) In their own way, they show us and explore new ideas and it's pretty amazing that a machine can do that," says Aidan Meller, designer of Ai-Da.

While recent advances in AI have raised a wave of concern, even among its creators, we must be aware of the potential repercussions, he warns.

"We need responsibility (...) We want to save the world, we want the positive. But there are negatives, so we have to think about it, slow things down to think about it," he adds.

Artwork created by the robot Ai-Da, the first robot artist with artificial intelligence, at the London Design Biennale on June 1, 2023 © Ben Stansall / AFP

Far from its scientific and ethical considerations, the project developed by the BRDA Foundation in Poland reminds us that the Russian invasion has shaken Ukraine for more than a year.

The foundation, which works for more sustainable and accessible housing, has launched an eco-solidarity program to recover windows discarded after renovations of buildings or houses in Poland, and transport them to Ukraine where they are used to rebuild homes hit by bombings.

"Windows are the first thing that disappears when there is an air strike," and before the war, Ukraine imported them almost exclusively from Russia and Belarus, says Zofia Jaworowska, commissioner of the project, in front of a batch of windows collected in the United Kingdom and soon to reach Ukraine.

"And it's also an opportunity to talk about the potential of reusing materials in architecture, how it can be a response in crisis situations," she adds.

© 2023 AFP