Clerkenwell Design Week
A collaboration between Jestico + Whiles and Bolon
PLUS is an immersive installation created for Clerkenwell Design Week 2024.
The installation, a collaboration between Jestico + Whiles and our Clerkenwell neighbours, Bolon, took over the external courtyard shared by the two.
The design take the form of a spatial sculpture that transforms into an immersive light installation at night, created by Jestico + Whiles along with lighting specialists Studio Fractal and Architainment. Visitors were able to walk through it, interact with it, and even reassemble it.
Sustainability was at the heart of the installation, which was created using waste materials from Bolon’s production process. The installation had a pre-assigned afterlife to reuse the materials again after CDW.
“Since we moved into our studios in the heart of Clerkenwell in 2017, our installations and launch parties for CDW have become special milestones for all of us at the practice. It’s a true festival atmosphere, where the energy of the entire quarter comes together, through organised chaos, to capture the spirit of community, collaboration and conviviality in Clerkenwell.”
PLUS
More is More
In his 1489 treatise, mathematician Johannes Widman introduced the symbols − and +, known respectively as minus and mer, derived from the Modern German mehr, meaning “more”. Robert Recorde, credited with designing the equals sign, brought plus and minus to Britain in 1557. He described the plus sign as representing “more”, and the minus sign as denoting “less”.
The concept of “more or less” carries ambiguity and significance, prompting reflection. While designers are often taught the mantra “less is more”, the focus here is on “more is more”, echoing Aristotle’s notion that the whole exceeds the sum of its parts.
The plus sign, with its graphic simplicity, embodies this concept. By creatively manipulating Bolon flooring into organic sculptures resembling oversized pixels, a new dimension of expression emerges. Through shaping, carving, and layering, the flooring transcends its original form, blending seamlessly into holistic images.
Dynamic lighting further enhance the installation, adding movement and depth. In this context,
“more is more” becomes a celebration of creativity and innovation, transforming ordinary materials into extraordinary experiences.
Flimsy Works
A pre-assigned afterlife for the installation
Flimsy Works will be re-using the exhibition’s timber structure to design a pavilion in Kings Cross later this year. The pavilion will showcase work, and be built by state school students aged 15-18 who are interested in pursuing careers in design as part of STORE’s 2024 Summer School. The idea is to salvage typical section timber from London’s construction industry, experiment with simple joinery techniques, and then reconfigure the material into a ‘log cabin’ which celebrates repair and reuse.
“Carefully selected colours of light explore the conceptual representation of geometry, negative space and texture. Viewers are challenged to examine the installation through combining the colour palette, the tension of forms and the relationship between perspective and materiality.”
