Cruise Ship Interiors Expo Europe

Already preparing for the month ahead? March may be the month for you. Discover the latest on the business environment and export opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean, learn about the link between nature, interiors and human wellbeing, or look to the future of design with international trade shows as Munich Design Week draws the focus on how good design drives sustainability: ecological, economical and social.

6th – 9th March

Malaysian International Furniture Fair – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The biggest furniture trade show in Southeast Asia, the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) introduced a fresher perspective on design with a brand new look and concept called ‘Design Connects People’ since 2018 for greater business opportunities, renewed locational advantage, and innovative solutions in furniture and creative spaces. Every March, quality exhibitors and buyers from all over the world converge on this global stage. MIFF’s commitment to professionalism, innovation and dynamism is backed by a dedicated team of bright individuals; it is no wonder MIFF is always a sought-after destination and the ideal business platform for trade professionals.

7th – 15th March

Munich Creative Business Week – Munich, Germany

Munich Creative Business Week (MCBW) 2020 co-operates for the first time with the INTERNET WORLD EXPO (10-11 March) with a focus on the connection of design and digital commerce. The Munich Design Week underlines its conceptual and content orientation with changing thematic focal points along the major social trends with debates on climate change and the energy transition under the theme “Sustain by Design”, because good design drives sustainability: ecological, economical and social. A particular focus is on the topics of the future of innovation, cities, fashion, work, communication and digitisation.

9th – 14th March

LiFE Gallery by ViDERE Aquariums – Birmingham, United Kingdom

The LiFE Gallery by ViDERE Aquariums is a one-week exhibition showcasing an art gallery of nature aquariums and natural art, all curated to inspire ideas about how we can incorporate nature into our business and commercial spaces. The official opening of the gallery at 6pm on the 9 March will include a tour by ViDERE Founder, Akil Gordon-Beckford followed by a CPD Table Talk “Brand from Biophilia”. This will be a presentation covering the link between nature, interiors, and human wellbeing as well as an overview of the ‘Workplace Stress Study’ he and his team carried out in 2019. Throughout the week there will be workshops, events, and talks as well as live stream interviews introducing you to the amazing world of Aquariums, Human-Centred Design and BIOPHILIA.

Click here for details

9th – 13th March

Latin America and the Caribbean UK Roadshow 2020 – United Kingdom

Want to get the latest on the business environment and export opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LatAC)? Are you an experienced exporter thinking of expanding to a region full of vibrant and lucrative markets? The Department for International Trade (DIT) is delighted to invite you to join the 2020 edition of our LatAC Roadshow. Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for LatAC Jo Crellin and eight DIT country directors will be updating UK companies on the latest opportunities in these exciting markets. The Roadshow will be visiting Manchester, Birmingham, London, Bristol, Cardiff and Belfast.

Click here to register your interest

26th March

SBID Regional Event: Bringing the Outdoors In – Scotland, United Kingdom

Garden Designer, Lynn Hill calls for joined up thinking, blending indoor and outdoor spaces to create a seamless transition between the two. With an opportunity to gain insight and inspiration, interior designers are invited to join for an interactive evening, enjoy a cocktail or two and get creative with some paint techniques whilst Lynn shares her practical ideas to bring unity in the design of home and garden.

Click here for details

This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features the first photography exhibit for famed Toronto photographer, Elie Kimbembe who became personal photographer to The Weeknd, Travis Scott, Banks and Selena Gomez. Stacklab collaborated closely with Elie on the design of the ‘Solo’ exhibition which combined themes such as discovery and immersion, creating a sense of intimacy and interpersonal connection. The main gallery features a series of vaulted chambers, made up of a regular arrangement of diffusely lit fabric wells.

Sector: Public Space Design

Company: STACKLAB

Project: #Solo

What was the client’s brief? 

We collaborated closely with acclaimed photographer, Elie Kimbembe on the design of his first solo exhibition. A social media icon, Elie was interested in creating a new gallery ‘type’ that offered a contemplative and interactive art viewing experience for the digital art consumer (in contrast to the ephemeral and solitary way his art is typically consumed). #Solo combined themes like discovery and immersion with intimacy and interpersonal connection.

What inspired the interior design of the project? 

The main gallery featured a series of eight vaulted chambers, made up of a regular arrangement of fifteen diffusely lit elastane wells. Harnessing Einstein’s theories on the curvature of space, each ‘well’ appeared to have been stretched from the top-down, emitting a deluge of ultrasonic mist across the luminous floor plane. Contrasted against the gravity of the conic piers, Sixteen of Elie’s photographs hung, back-to-back, in the quiet, vaporous space between them.

The bold, tectonic wells, each measuring 13 feet in diameter, framed and illuminated Elie’s photographs while obstructing others outside of the viewer’s direct sight line. This served a dual purpose of compelling the viewer to circulate the exhibit and created moments of intimacy between themselves, the art, and other observers.

In addition to carrying diffuse light throughout the exhibition space, the ultrasonic mist served two key, performative roles. Firstly, the mist elevated the visible ground plane to further frame the photographs within the vaults. Mostly, however, it precipitated a slow and calming pace to the circulation of viewers within the space. We designed this temporal aspect of the exhibition to answer one of the artist’s primary objectives – “to give people a chance to really interact with the work, and each other”.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The toughest hurdle was time. The quality of the effect we created was significantly improved on thorough iterative prototyping over a very short period. #Solo was fabricated in less than 30 days. On-site installation took a group of six two days, including calibrating the mist medium to the space. Take down took 12 hours, as will re-installation for subsequent uses.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

Achieving specific cost targets, addressing the nuances of the artist’s brief, and (specifically with respect to mist) referencing our project sponsor, Up Cannabis’s signature medium- vapor – as a gateway to creativity were our key highlights of the project.

Questions answered by Jeffrey Forrest, Founder of STACKLAB

If you missed last week’s Project of the Week featuring a kitchen design inspired by clean and minimal styles from Scandinavia, click here to see more.

We hope you feel inspired by this week’s Public Space design! Let us know what inspired you #SBIDinspire