Discovered, a global showcase of the next generation of design talent, opened yesterday (September 13, 2021) at the Design Museum, London. Bringing together 20 emerging designers from 16 countries, Discovered presents a visionary group of young creatives from across Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia in an extraordinary showcase of furniture, objects and sculptural works in American hardwood. Set to run from September 13 to October 10, 2021, including the duration of London Design Festival, the 20 designers’ works will be on display at the Design Museum, taking over the ground-floor atrium to showcase the creativity of the group and the versatility of their chosen materials.
A collaboration between the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and Wallpaper* magazine, Discovered offers a series of personal reflections on the experience of the pandemic, while providing a platform for new creatives after a year in which the usual channels for exposure were inaccessible. The exhibition is therefore a much-needed opportunity for emerging designers to get their work out there in front of the public and the industry. Selected from Wallpaper’s annual Graduate Directories and through AHEC’s network, the designers have worked alongside design mentors and AHEC’s global manufacturing partners to each develop a new object.