SPOTLIGHT On: Netil House Open Studios x LDF

In conjunction with London Design Festival 2022, Netil House, one of East London’s best known creative hubs, opened its doors inviting the public into the the realms of leading design studios: Jason Bruges Studio, Studio NARI, Two Times Elliott and XK Studio.

Jason Bruges - Credit: Teo Della Torre

Jason Bruges treated us to a behind-the-scenes look of their studio. The multidisciplinary team discussed their research and hands-on creative process, whilst showcasing a series of demos and prototypes that revealed the development behind recent artworks such as The Centre, an immersive healing environment created for the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

Jason Bruges - Credit: Teo Della Torre

'It’s always amazing to do something collectively with Netil House and other residents. It was such a great evening, with a lovely, engaging crowd who came to celebrate design.' - Charikleia Stringa, Business Development & Marketing at Jason Bruges

Jason Bruges - Credit: Teo Della Torre

Currently celebrating its 20th Year, Jason Bruges Studio is made up of architects, industrial designers, engineers, visualisers & specialists in electronics & programming. Internationally renowned as a pioneer of the hybrid space between art, architecture and technology, the Studio intervenes in the urban environment to weave a sense of magic into the fabric of a place. Each project explores interrelationships between people, data, nature & technology telling stories and creating conversations that stir the imagination & bring people together.

Studio NARI - Credit: Teo Della Torre

Studio NARI hosted a typeface workshop series, where participants build physical letters to be used for the creation of collaborative typeface. Those who took part received a typeface they can use for life. They also invited guests to join paint by numbers calligraphy exclusively with the studio.

Studio NARI - Credit: Teo Della Torre

"The event was a great success, it was a pleasure to have so many creative minds in the studio and the output from the workshops was incredible." - Caterina Bianchini, Founder & Director of Studio NARI

Studio NARI - Credit: Teo Della Torre

NARI is a creative practice and branding studio, established to bridge the gap between design and art. This is encapsulated by their acronymised mantra - Not Always ‘Right’ Ideas - and is at the core of everything they do. Drawing the focus away from the ‘do’s & don'ts’ of textbook graphic design the studio practices a humanistic and artistic approach, realised through a bespoke typographic foundation brought to all projects. The studio's recent clients include Nike, Vogue, Charli XCX, D&AD, Marcus Rashford, Mob & Apple Music.

XK Studio - Credit: Teo Della Torre

XK Studio opened its doors for a screening and behind the scenes look of their commercial commissions and latest self-initiated work, including XK_R, a new series which explored footwear aesthetics in a digital realm.

XK Studio - Credit: Teo Della Torre

"It was an amazing opportunity to showcase our newest self-initiated project, XKR as well as some other projects, on some pretty large screens and share a look into some of the behind-the-scenes processes for our previous commercial commissions. We were blown away by the great turnout and it was a joy to see and meet such a diverse range of people walking through our doors from creatives of all fields, to students and those just fascinated by design in general." - Yanika Chauhan, Producer at XK Studio

XK Studio - Credit: Teo Della Torre

XK studio specialises in the creation of hyper-real 3D visuals and moving image. By adopting a blend of artistic and technical approaches, they craft visual narratives in motion that are often inspired by nature, science or materiality. These concepts are re-imagined through a design lens and imbued with emotion, tactility and mesmerising intricacy. Collaborators and clients range from cultural institutions such as London Symphony Orchestra, House of Culture Stockholm to leading brands such as Apple, Microsoft, Nike, Timberland & Hublot.

Two Times Elliott - Credit: Teo Della Torre

Two Times Elliott invited the public to join them for a workshop that drew inspiration from traditional quilt-making methods and translated them into digital explorations.

Two Times Elliott - Credit: Teo Della Torre

"It was terrific to invite so many new as well as familiar faces into the studio. Many thanks also to @drink.220 for providing the refreshments!" - James Horwitz, Founder of Two Times Elliott

Design today exists on a spectrum between the cultural and the corporate. Whilst it is fine to pick a side, Two Times Elliott works intentionally between both polarities. Designers have a responsibility to challenge the status quo. Two Times Elliott don't believe, however, that their studio's capacity for innovation should depend on a client's risk tolerance. So instead, they define separate schedules for autonymous and commercial work in the studio and cultivate a deliberate symbiosis between the two. In this way, cultural and commercial pursuits are not mutually exclusive—one hand washes the other.

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