Es Devlin calls for environmental action at inaugural London Design Biennale Summit

Set designer extraordinaire Es Devlin has called on the design community to tackle the most pressing concern of our age: the climate crisis.

Speaking at the London Design Biennale Summit this week, the creative director of the 2020 instalment of the annual celebration of global creative talent, Devlin described the event as an “opportunity for designers to respond to urgent and radical shifts in every aspect of design that we are all aware need to take place in order for our species to have a chance of survival on this planet.”

The event saw representatives from the likes of Google Arts & Culture, UNESCO and BBC Studios gathering to discuss industry-wide, cross-disciplinary measures toward a more sustainable, liveable future for all.

A series of panel discussions and talks saw the assembled throng consider the theme of the 2022 Biennale, Resonance. The day encouraged participating creatives and nations to think about “the ripple effects” that design concepts have on the way we live both today and in the decades to come.

Es herself was in conversation with architect Bjarke Ingels to chat about the “future of sustainable development practices that bring architecture, design, urbanism and nature together,” as the event organisers put it.

The 2020 incarnation of the Biennale will take place at Somerset House between 8-27 September next year.