Through a new curatorial strand titled Design Interventions, Clerkenwell Design Week 2026 will present a series of large-scale, site-specific installations that will occupy streets, churchyards and historic interiors across EC1, inserting experimental structures into the everyday landscape of Clerkenwell.
Developed in response to an open call to emerging and established designers and architects, the selected proposals explore material innovation, perception, social exchange and cycles of growth. Many are designed not just to be seen, but to be used, encouraging visitors to sit, gather and reflect. Registrations for Clerkenwell Design Week are now open, secure your free ticket here to experience the installations for yourself.
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Fountain of Technicolour Beads
On Clerkenwell Green, Fountain of Technicolour Beads by Hong Kong-based studio One Bite Design examines colour as a variable, not a constant.
The immersive terrazzo installation responds to Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD), prompting visitors to reconsider how chromatic experience differs from person to person. By integrating spatial design with social awareness, the work challenges assumptions about visual universality – transforming a familiar civic space into a site of quiet perceptual inquiry.
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The Crinkle-Crankle Bench
Near St James’s Church, The Crinkle-Crankle Bench by StudioFolk reinterprets a traditional form.
Crafted from natural stone bricks and arranged in half-crescent configurations, the sculptural seating references historic boundary walls while encouraging communal interaction. It is both infrastructure and intervention – modest in scale yet deliberate in its social intent.
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The Pulse of Becoming
Outside Haberdashers’ Hall, transforming for the duration of the festival as The Luxury Edit, The Pulse of Becoming will unfold gradually over the course of three days.
Created by recent Portsmouth-based graduates Musab Umair, Amruta Ramesh Pullawar and Sharath Binu John, the installation consists of two opposing crescent shells embedded with chia seeds. As the festival progresses, the seeds sprout, softening the structure with living greenery.
Set against a backdrop of high-end interiors, the work introduces a slower, organic rhythm – foregrounding cycles of death, rebirth and renewal.
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Confluence
Inside St Bartholomew the Great, Confluence by Fung+Bedford brings an origami-inspired form into dialogue with 900-year-old stonework.
Suspended from the nave ceiling, the installation’s folded geometry contrasts with the weight and permanence of the surrounding architecture, creating a striking interplay between fragility and solidity, contemporary design and medieval structure.
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Loom Light
In the atmospheric chambers of the House of Detention, the Light exhibition returns with a focus on material experimentation and technological innovation.
Visitors will encounter Loom Light, a 3D-printed sculpture drawing on the visual language of Op Art, designed by MIMStudios in collaboration with AI Build and SEAM Design. Positioned at the entrance, the work signals lighting’s expanding role as both spatial medium and sculptural form.
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Across the district, installations and interventions extend beyond individual venues, weaving through Clerkenwell’s historic architecture and contemporary showrooms alike. What sets Design Interventions apart is not only their scale, but where they are situated. Instead of being contained within exhibition venues, these works extend into Clerkenwell’s streets and green spaces, integrating design into the rhythms of daily movement. Explore the full programme and find out more information by registering for your free ticket today.
