Backstage with designersblock at London Design Festival 2012
Designersblock is about to celebrate turning 15 years old at London Design Festival 2012 with a birthday party in a little-used space underneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall and sundry other corners of the Southbank complex, including the Royal Festival Hall shop.
You are all invited.
Rory Dodd: ‘I always liked the Southbank; it’s a real crossroads kind of place. It’s got Londoners and it’s got tourists. It’s busy, multicultural, with a really wide mix of cultures and ages coming here or passing through.’
Rory Dodd: ‘Designersblock has an unashamedly populist outlook so this is a great spot for us. We found this amazing area under the Queen Elizabeth Hall that was used as a staff café and storage room, yet it’s one of those places that people walk into and say, “Oh, what a fantastic space!”
Rory Dodd: ‘We try to find new ways of doing things with designersblock, so we love opening up empty spaces that people haven’t seen before and then transforming them into something completely new. Then our exhibitors come in and add yet more layers of personality.’
Bud Moore: ‘The idea of taking over the RFH shop really appealed to us; it’s in a very public space with a broad cross-section of visitors. It seemed like the right audience for us. The people at the Southbank have been great to work with especially since the nature of the venue means that arrangements can be a bit fluid.’
Bud Moore: ‘I love it that the shop is stocked with these beautiful things made by people we know and have worked with over the years. It’s almost a family thing.’
Bud Moore: ‘Some of our less established designers can learn a lot from the actual process of getting a product ready for our shop. In a funny way, my favourite products are the designerblock T-shirts. There’s a new design for each show, which kind of reminds me of the journey we are on.’
Piers came down with a bad cold so I hope to ask him some questions today, sneezes permitting…
