London Design Biennale 2018 Explores Emotional States at Somerset House

The second edition of the London Design Biennale, running from September 4 to 23, 2018, at Somerset House, features projects from over 40 countries. Curated by Joseph Grima—the new curator for Design, Fashion, and Craft at Triennale di Milano—the event is explicitly inspired by the Venice Biennale. This year's theme, 'Emotional States,' draws on the Gallup Global Emotions Report 2017, which surveyed 149,000 interviews across 142 countries. The report ranks Paraguay highest in positive emotional experiences and Yemen lowest; the UK ranks 38th, alongside Mali, South Africa, the US, and Bolivia, with a 15% decline in positive life evaluations attributed to Brexit. Italy's contribution, 'L'Architettura degli Alberi,' curated by Grima, Andrea Cavani, Giulio Orsini, and Veronica Basta from the Archivio Architetto Cesare Leonardi in Modena, presents 24 drawings by Cesare Leonardi and Franca Stagi. The installation emphasizes 'restorative design' and the human-environment relationship.