Iwona Blazwick has been Director of the Whitechapel Gallery, London since 2001 and is a curator, critic and lecturer.  Formerly at Tate Modern and London’s ICA, as well as being an independent curator in Europe and Japan; recent curatorial projects include William Kentridge: Thick Time (2016), Thomas Ruff Photographs 1979-2017 (2017), Mark Dion: Theatre of the Natural World (2018) and Michael Rakowitz (2019) at the Whitechapel Gallery, Carlos Bunga: The Architecture of Life at MAAT, Lisbon (2019), The Palace at 4am a group show at the Archaeological Museum Mykonos (2019) and Sight a solo show with Antony Gormley and the Neon Foundation on the Island of Delos (2019).  Blazwick has written monographs and articles on many contemporary artists, published extensively on themes and movements in modern and contemporary art, exhibition histories and art institutions, and is series editor of Whitechapel Gallery/MIT Documents of Contemporary Art. 

Founded in 2007, Raw Edges studio is a London-based design and research practice.Transforming everyday objects, its founders, Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay, develop inventive, emotionally aware products, furniture, interiors and installations. The studio, focusing on both industrial production and experimental one-off projects, is driven by curiosity and brings playfulness to the fore. Raw Edges have collected multiple accolades including the most prestigious Designers of the Future by Design Miami/ Basel, Wallpaper Design Award, Elle Deco Edida Award and Red Dot Design Award. Their work has been acquired by international museums including MoMA and Vitra Design Museum. The studio has collaborated with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Vitra, Stella McCartney, Kvadrat and AirBnb.

For over 25 years the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) has been at the forefront of international wood promotion, successfully building a distinctive and creative brand for U.S. hardwoods. AHEC’s global programme of activities secure a future for American hardwoods by demonstrating the performance and aesthetic potential of these sustainable materials, while providing valuable creative inspiration and technical advice.

Find out more about AHEC

Benchmark is a leading company of craftspeople and designers, founded 30 years ago by Sir Terence Conran and Sean Sutcliffe. Based in West Berkshire on a converted farm, the team is now 50 strong in over 40,000 sq ft of workshops for timber milling, carpentry, veneering, spraying, specialist metalworking and upholstery, as well as design studio and furniture showroom. Benchmark works extensively on design solutions for hotels, restaurants, public buildings, offices and private residences.

benchmarkfurniture.com

The London Design Festival is a key constituent of London’s autumn creative season, alongside London Fashion Week, Frieze Art Fair and the London Film Festival. Established in 2003 its role is to celebrate and promote London as the world’s design capital and gateway to the international design community and it has now established a reputation as one of the largest and most exciting design events in the world. This year the Festival will run from 15-23 September and over 400 events and installations will be on offer across the capital, from an exciting programme at the V&A to plus over 300 partners who will participate in the nine-day Festival.

www.londondesignfestival.com

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is the world’s leading museum of art and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects that span over 5,000 years of human creativity. The Museum holds many of the UK's national collections and houses some of the greatest resources for the study of architecture, furniture, fashion, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery, glass, ceramics, book arts, Asian art and design, theatre and performance. 

www.vam.ac.uk