Design Salon with Yinka Ilori

Yinka Ilori, will lead a public conversation on how collaboration and culture can influence new ideas in design. As part of London Design Week celebrations, the evening of cultural discussion and discovery will be spearheaded by the London based designer. Renowned for his up-cycled pieces, inspired by the traditional Nigerian parables and African fabrics that surrounded him as a child, visitors can join IIori at The Salon as he and a specially assembled panel of designers and artists explore the role of diversity and culture in the world of modern art and design.

As part of the event, leading practitioners in photography, fashion, art and design will take a seat at a specially created table to discuss multiculturalism’s influence on London’s unique design DNA. Panellists at the table include: Wale Adeyemi MBE, fashion designer and previous Head Designer at B-side; Lakwena, artist and muralist whose clients include the likes of Adidas, ASOS, H&M and Longchamp to name a few; Ruth Ossai, photographer who captures narratives from Nigeria and the African diaspora and Terence Sambo Casting Director, stylist and fashion editor at PAUSE Magazine Online. The Salon will be moderated by Helen Jennings, Editorial Director and Co-Founder of Nataal, the new global media brand celebrating contemporary African fashion, arts and culture.

The speakers on the evening will touch upon how cultural institutions and creative platforms empower a melting pot of artistic talent and how these may foster new ideas and reflect a shared identity. For the Salon, NOW Gallery has commissioned Ilori to create a new series of chairs and will present Not all that Glitters is Gold, an installation that invites the audience to choose a seat instinctively. Ilori is passionately against the unnecessary waste he has seen in European and West African consumer cultures and this drives him to reuse discarded furniture and other found objects. Bringing Nigerian verbal traditions into playful conversation with contemporary design, Not all that Glitters is Gold, will touch on themes such as hope, sexuality, and social class.

Ojerime, described as a ‘musical poet of South London’s city streets’, will add a musical backdrop to the evening. Offering a distinctly British take on soul and noir R&B, Ojerime will perform a special set as part of the evening’s line up. In addition, a special late view of WALALA x PLAY, the interactive abstract installation and immersive maze created by Camille Walala as NOW Gallery’s summer design residency, will be open to those attending the Salon.