Design Week Lagos (DWL) has announced that its annual design festival will be held online. Themed “Vernacular Design” and scheduled for October 1-11, it will address the challenges faced by the design industry due to the coronavirus lockdown. It will be Africa’s first online design festival.
Created in 2019, Design Week Lagos aims to bring together local and international designers to celebrate and promote Lagos as a leading global design capital. The festival highlights creativity and innovation across disciplines, including architecture, industrial design, interior design, furniture design, graphics design, and culture.
“This festival will be a celebration of African vernacular designs; designs based on local needs, materials, and traditions,” said Titi Ogufere, the founder of DWL. “The continent is rich in unique designs, architecture and crafts inherited from previous generations; unlike anything found anywhere else. DWL Virtual Design Festival will be showcasing our vernacular designs to a global audience. While we cannot act like these are normal times, we can at least explore ways of doing business, connecting our design community, and helping African creatives find their voice.”
There will be talks and a roundtable, exhibitions and an auction, a concert and an awards programmes, and product launches. A pre-festival roundtable on August 15 will feature Demas Nwoko, Joe Addo, Kunle Adeyemi, Jumoke Adenowo, Victor Ekpuk, and Jomo Tariku.
