When the London Festival of Architecture announced it will be moving its physical activities to later in the year due to the coronavirus pandemic, it came as no surprise; a slew of design and architecture events around the world have been postponed or cancelled due to the ongoing global health emergency. But when the beloved London summer event added that the capital’s public would still get its architectural celebration next month – albeit in an innovative, digital form – we got even more excited.
Retaining its June spot and theme – ‘Power’ – LFA Digital 2020 will be launching a variety of virtual events next week. There’s something for everyone; from online building tours, video-based talks and events (there’s even a pub quiz!), to popular staples such as the Architecture Bake Off, which will take place online for the first time ever, and new entries, such as the project 30 Objects in 30 Days, which sets out to create a series of videos where architects, design enthusiasts and specialists nominate their favourite object that relates to power and architecture, referencing the festival’s overall theme.
‘We are thrilled to be launching such an amazing programme for LFA Digital 2020,’ says LFA director Tamsie Thompson. ‘Only two months ago the prospects for the LFA in 2020 looked doubtful – but thanks to our resilience and an amazing response from our many friends and supporters in London and around the world, we’ve got a festival to be proud of. LFA Digital is full of content that is experimental, daring and challenging – but also plenty of fun. This extraordinary programme for extraordinary times is designed to appeal to a global public audience, and I cannot wait for the LFA’s latest edition to begin.’
Dip into the festival’s rich programme – swiftly and immaculately curated thanks to the enthusiasm of LFA’s many supporters and contributors – to explore architecture as you hadn’t before, and get challenged and inspired by experiencing urban design in a city during lockdown.
