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"I use colour as a way of starting a conversation" says designer Yinka Ilori

Architects should collaborate more with artists and designers to inject a sense of fun into their often-serious projects, London designer Yinka Ilori tells Dezeen in this exclusive interview.

North London-born Ilori, who recently designed his vibrant new studio with architect Sam Jacob, told Dezeen of his belief in the importance of multidisciplinary creativity.

"I want to see a lot more architecture and artist collaborations, and that's why I've been working with Sam," said the designer, who is known for applying bold colour to his work and also referencing his Nigerian heritage.

"It's so important. Architects obviously have a very serious job, which I think then has an effect on their creativity, to not be as playful or experimental."

"Whereas I think where I come in is I bring the humour, the community and the joy, which I think is what's lacking in some architecture."

Top: designer Yinka Ilori (photo is by Lewis Khan). Above: The Colour Palace was on display in Dulwich, London (photo is by Adam Scott)

Ilori previously joined forces with architecture office Pricegore to design The Colour Palace, an interactive pavilion featuring a multi-hued facade that was installed outside London's Dulwich Picture Gallery for the 2019 London Festival of Architecture.

Taking cues from the vibrant fabrics found in Balogun market in Lagos, as well as those in the markets of nearby Peckham, Ilori designed both the structure and the colour palette of the pavilion with Pricegore.

"I think that project, in particular, did open architects' eyes to collaborating with artists more," reflected Ilori.

"The pavilion in Dulwich worked really well because if I hadn't had my input, it might have just been a black box. And I think, if it had just been a black box, kids probably wouldn't have gone inside it."

"What you do then, is you eliminate an important part – young kids. Because they are the next generation. They're the ones who we want to hopefully inspire to make the world a better place."

"It's a nice way of opening up a topic"

While vivid colour characterises Ilori's portfolio of work, which includes furniture and public art, he insisted there is a greater meaning behind it than simply cheerful aesthetics.

"Sometimes I use colour as a way of starting a conversation," explained the designer. "It's quite a nice way of opening up a topic and softening what could be a harsh reality."

According to Ilori, community engagement is at the heart of what he creates, shown in projects such as the Launderette of Dreams, a temporary installation that appeared in east London at the end of last year.

The Launderette of Dreams was a temporary installation. Photo is by Mark Cocksedge

Designed in collaboration with Lego, the project presented a children's play zone made from ten brightly-coloured washing machines featuring Ilori's signature vivid palette and geometric shapes.

Incorporating more than 200,000 Lego bricks, the installation intended to pay tribute to the role of launderettes in communities while also engaging children in art and design.

"Being in a launderette space, watching your clothes go round and round, it brings an element of togetherness," said Ilori.

"I live and breathe the work I put out"

Another recent Ilori project that aims to harness the attention of both children and adults is Listening to Joy, a wiggly technicolour maze currently on display at the V&A Dundee museum, which explores the differences between how both younger and older people approach interactive play.

"One of the things I really care about is that this is a lifestyle," Ilori said of his installations.

"It's not just that I am this 'king of colour' and I tell stories. I actually live and breathe the work I put out into the community."

"It's kind of through the way I speak, my energy, through what I wear. Because it wouldn't be fair if I was projecting joy and love and happiness and not being happy."

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Yinka Ilori 3D prints Canary Wharf basketball court in rainbow colours

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/05/26/canary-wharf-basketball-court-yink-ilori/)

"I have grumpy days but pretty much I'm a positive person, and I think that has come from my upbringing and my family," he added.

Having grown up in a diverse neighbourhood on Essex Road in Islington before studying Product and Furniture Design at London Metropolitan University, Ilori's breakthrough project is widely considered to be If Chairs Could Talk (2015), a collection of multicoloured upcycled chairs.

Ilori cites his Nigerian heritage as a formative influence on his work, which he described as "very emotive".

"I've always been obsessed with stories. My parents always told me about their childhood," he said, explaining that his chair collection was informed by the tales he grew up listening to.

Bring London Together transformed traditional pedestrian crossings. Photo is courtesy of Yinka Ilori

The designer said that pairing colours together is something he feels able to do as a result of being exposed to many vibrant combinations in his younger years.

"Because I've seen these [colour] palettes for so long, they do come naturally to me," he considered.

"There are no rules. There's no Pantone Colour of the Year, there's no 'that is the right way of working', and my mum and dad, especially Nigerian women, will coordinate their own toning, their own shades and textures. They're not worried about clashing."

"I really believe in cultural exchanges"

Ilori said that he would like to see more of London's multiculturalism reflected in its architecture, which he has intended to do with projects such as Bring London Together.

Created as part of last year's London Design Festival, the project involved 18 of the city's pedestrian crossings being transformed from traditional black and white stripes into bright bands of colour.

"I was chatting to someone the other day and they said they'd been to Mexico. And they said, London is so grey [in comparison] and I was like, you're right."

"But London is so full of culture. The energy's colourful. The food, the race, what we wear. Everyone's so individual. But it's not reflected in our architecture. I'm gonna change that."

"I really believe in cultural exchanges. The more you learn about different cultures, the more it makes for a better world."

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Yinka Ilori and Sam Jacob "rethink what an artist's studio is"

Designer Yinka Ilori has collaborated with British architect Sam Jacob to give his London studio and office a colourful revamp.

Ilori worked with Jacob to transform the standard industrial-style unit into a bright and lively flexible workspace.

Yinka Ilori collaborated with Sam Jacob to redesign his studio

"The brief for the studio focussed around two core ideas," Ilori told Dezeen.

"The first was to rethink what an artists' studio is and look at how we could experiment with space to create a flexible and multifunctional environment that could respond to the different needs," he continued.

"The second idea was to put my team at the heart of it and create a space that really allows them to come together, exchange ideas and feel like they were part of a community."

Ilori's office space is largely pink

Entirely painted in the bright tones often used within Ilori's installations, furniture and artworks, the space is divided into three distinct zones.

These areas, which will be used as an office, exhibition area and archive with a kitchen, are divided by curtains and sliding doors so that they can be combined into a large space.

[

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The 2D becomes 3D at London's Cartoon Museum

](https://www.dezeen.com/2019/07/12/sam-jacob-studio-cartoon-museum-london/)

"We wanted the studio to have distinct zones but at the same time be able to open or close spaces to create privacy," explained Ilori.

"We've used a number of translucent and solid curtains as well as large sliding doors to my office which means all the spaces can feel connected or we can separate different areas out," he continued.

A transparent curtain divides two spaces

Each of the spaces is also defined by the colours used to paint the walls.

"We've also used colour to define the function of the space so my team and my work area is dominated by pink, while the communal spaces and display spaces use blues and yellows," added Ilori.

Ilori's office is accessed through a pair of sliding doors

Overall, Ilori believes that the collaboration with Jacob has resulted in a unique office that makes the most of the space.

"Sam and I have quite a lot of common ground in terms of our design aesthetic so it was a really interesting experience to be able to share our ideas," he said.

"We were both able to see things through the others' perspective and specialism which is what has resulted in us creating something really quite unique."

Furniture is stored in the archive space

"We spent a lot of time discussing the space together to see how we could make it work for me," he continued.

"It was through those discussions that we were able to shape the design to make sure it was as practical as possible and could really function as a contemporary studio."

Ilori recently created a colourful maze-like installation for the V&A Dundee and designed a rainbow-coloured basketball court in Canary Wharf.

Jacob's recent projects include London's Cartoon Museum, an events space for the ArtReview magazine and a contemporary neolithic shelter in Shenzhen.

The photography is by Lewis Khan.

The post Yinka Ilori and Sam Jacob "rethink what an artist's studio is" appeared first on Dezeen.

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Yinka Ilori creates maze of colour and sound for V&A Dundee

Designer Yinka Ilori has created a colourful maze-like installation called Listening to Joy for the V&A Dundee, exploring the difference between how adults and children approach space.

Open to visitors of all ages, Listening to Joy is a labyrinthine interactive play area made up of curving mesh walls patterned in bright graphics.

Yinka Illori's Listening to Joy installation is located in the Locke Hall of the V&A Dundee

Unlike in a conventional maze, the mesh panels are covered in zippers that can be opened and closed, so visitors can remake the space, rather than becoming trapped in a dead end.

Ilori designed Listening to Joy as a way of honouring play, a behaviour that is instinctual to children but less so to adults. "Listening to Joy is a celebration of play, an essential experience to enjoying life as well as practising our problem-solving skills," said Ilori.

Ilori creating the installation to celebrate play and kids' uninhibited movement through space

The zippable walls are intended to reflect on what the V&A Dundee describes as "the often-contradictory spatial patterns adults and children form while experiencing space".

Children tend to be fluid and non-rational, while adults take a more controlled and linear approach, following implied boundaries.

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In addition to the maze, Listening to Joy includes a musical component. Two circular xylophones are nestled in the space, inviting visitors to make sound.

The music created through the instruments is being recorded and will be mixed into songs that intend to document the sounds of the space and, through them, the joy that visitors felt.

The mesh walls of the installation can be zipped open and closed, allowing visitors to remake the space

"Play should be collaborative, so I have created this installation for visitors of all ages to explore sounds, colours and patterns in a shared space," Ilori said.

"I hope that Listening to Joy will spark imaginations and remind all of us of the power of play."

Listening to Joy was created especially for the V&A Dundee and is installed on the ground floor of the Locke Hall. It will remain open until 24 April 2022.

The installation also incorporates xylophones, and the music of the space will be remixed into songs

Ilori is a London-based designer who calls on both his British and Nigerian heritage in his work.

His recent projects have included colourful crosswalk installations for the London Design Festival and a temporary skatepark at Miami art week.

He was also the creative director of the 2021 Brit Awards and designed its trophies together with Es Devlin.

The photography is by Michael McGurk.

_Listening to Joy is on show at V &A Dundee until 24 April 2022. _SeeDezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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Yinka Ilori unveils brightly coloured temporary skatepark in Miami Beach

British designer Yinka Ilori has applied his trademark colourful style to a demountable skatepark at the Faena District in Miami Beach during Miami art week.

Called the Skateable Object Park, Ilori's temporary installation features salmon-pink ramps on a bright yellow floor and was commissioned by the female-founded "nomadic boutique" Unique Design X Group.

The skatepark was designed by Yinka Ilori

It forms part of a five-day programme of art activities called Unique Design X Miami @ Faena District, which takes place at the Miami Beach complex developed by Argentinian property magnate Alan Faena.

Colourful ramps are positioned within a yellow space

Defining itself as "a team of colour-obsessed architects and designers", Ilori's studio is known for its vibrant and often intricately-patterned work.

The Miami Beach skatepark is a large expanse of yellow space surrounded by patches of grass and trees, while quirky-shaped skate ramps are coloured in a mixture of salmon-pink, orange, green and blue.

The skatepark was designed in partnership with The Skatepark Project

Ilori designed the skatepark in partnership with American skateboarder Tony Hawk's The Skatepark Project – a non-profit organisation with a mission to provide accessible places for young people to skateboard in underserved communities.

Each year, Unique Design X Group plans to commission an artist to design and install a temporary skatepark in Miami.

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Yinka Ilori builds colourful Lego launderette in east London for kids to play in

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"A permanent skatepark is a major undertaking both financially, and due to the permanent allocation of a large space," said Unique Design X Group.

"The possibility of being able to assemble and disassemble the skateable obstacles is what makes these [temporary] parks 'kits'."

The skatepark makes use of Yinka's vibrant colours

Yinka Ilori is a British-Nigerian designer based in London. Last year, he transformed a former exhibition hall in France into another vibrantly-coloured skatepark.

Other recent skatepark projects include La Duna in Mexico, the design of which was informed by the undulating forms of sand dunes.

The images are courtesy of Unique Design X Group and Yinka Ilori.

_Unique Design X Miami @ Faena District is on show in Miami Beach until 5 December 2021 as part ofMiami art week, which also involves Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach. _SeeDezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The post Yinka Ilori unveils brightly coloured temporary skatepark in Miami Beach appeared first on Dezeen.

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Yinka Ilori builds colourful Lego launderette in east London for kids to play in

Designer Yinka Ilori has worked with Lego to create the Launderette of Dreams, an installation in London that reimagines the everyday community space as a children's play zone.

The Launderette of Dreams features Ilori's signature bold colours and geometric shapes, applied across ten "washing machines" and the walls of a shopfront on Bethnal Green Road in east London.

Yinka Ilori's Launderette of Dreams is located on Bethnal Green Road in east London

The installation also incorporates more than 200,000 Lego bricks, which are used both as a structural material and as objects for play.

Children are invited to play and socialise in the space, which also includes hopscotch floors, a giant Lego mural and a vending machine that dispenses toys instead of soap.

The installation was produced for Lego and includes over 200,000 Lego bricks

Ilori wanted the installation to pay tribute to the multifaceted role that laundromats can play in communities, while harnessing the creative optimism of children to transform an everyday shopfront.

He said the project was rooted in the strong childhood memories he had of playing at his local launderette on Essex Road, north London, while the adults were preoccupied with laundry.

The installation includes a mural wall that visitors can build and disassemble

"It was where I could dream about the things I wanted to achieve," said Ilori. "We often forget about the mundane spaces which play an important role in bringing the community and people from different cultures and backgrounds together, as well as providing an opportunity for kids to meet, play and share ideas."

"Community launderettes are essential to the fabric and DNA of many communities," he continued. "I hope the Launderette of Dreams inspires both adults and children to believe they can dream and create anywhere."

There are also interactive "washing machines" filled with kaleidoscopic light installations

Ilori invited children from his former school, St Jude & St Paul's C of E Primary School, into the design process.

During a visit to a local launderette, he had them think about how they would rebuild the space for the better and bring people in the community together, and their ideas shaped what would become the Launderette of Dreams.

A key feature of the space is its washing machines, which contain kaleidoscopic light installations and Lego creations in the drums. Some machines are interactive and can be spun.

Another main play area is the Lego mural wall, which allows visitors to build, disassemble and rebuild the design using Lego bricks.

Hopscotch can be played on the floors

The installation is part of the Lego Group's Rebuild the World advertising campaign, which celebrates children as "the masters of creative problem solving".

The Launderette of Dreams will be open from 28 October to 6 November at 133-135 Bethnal Green Road, London, and entry is free.

Ilori made the installation to honour the role that laundromats can play as a community and social space

Ilori is a London-based designer who calls on both his British and Nigerian heritage in his work.

His recent projects have included colourful crosswalk installations for the London Design Festival and a rainbow-hued 3D-printed basketball court.

He was also the creative director of this year's Brit Awards and designed its trophies together with Es Devlin.

The photography is by Mark Cocksedge.

The post Yinka Ilori builds colourful Lego launderette in east London for kids to play in appeared first on Dezeen.

#all #installations #design #london #uk #lego #yinkailori

Yinka Ilori creates 18 colourful crossings over London's streets

London-based designer Yinka Ilori is transforming 18 pedestrian crossings for this year's London Design Festival, using vibrant bands of colour.

Ilori has replaced the usual black and white stripes on 11 colourful crossings on Tottenham Court Road in central London with bold shades of blue, orange, pink, purple and green.

The designer has also teamed up with students from University of the Arts London to design a further seven crossings for the City of London, with one set to be painted by volunteers during the festival.

Ilori has created 11 colourful crossings over Tottenham Court Road

The project, called Bring London Together, is intended to bring joy to the thousands of people walking through London's streets every day.

It follows a series of other temporary road artworks that have created in the city, by designers including Camille Walala and Eley Kishimoto.

"For me, colour and pattern have always been a way of celebrating places, communities and experiences," the designer told Dezeen.

"Instead of being mundane, these crossings can become a focal point where people can experience art. Hopefully, it will make them smile and bring a sense of joy and positivity to their day."

The design consists of lines dissected by circles, as a symbol of connectedness

Bring London Together is one of the landmark projects for London Design Festival 2021. It also forms part of Let's Do London, a tourism campaign spearheaded by London mayor Sadiq Khan, with the aim of supporting the city's creative, retail and hospitality sectors following the pandemic.

The same design features on all the crossings along Tottenham Court Road.

The pattern consists of lines dissected by circles, intended to represent the strength of connectedness we feel from the people around us. Ilori said he was thinking about relationships he formed with friends and neighbours over the past 18 months.

These kinds of motifs are a common theme in Ilori's work, with past examples including his Colour Palace at the London Festival of Architecture in 2019, and his pandemic artwork, Better Days Are Coming I Promise.

Ilori has created the designs for London Design Festival 2021

As the city tries to move forward from the challenges of Covid-19, Ilori hopes the design will help Londoners feel happy to be out and about again.

"It's about trying to bring our community back out onto the streets to celebrate," he said.

"We are still in a pandemic, but we're trying to get out of it slowly. I'm trying to make Londoners feel they can actually live their lives again."

The project is also part of a tourism campaign led by London mayor Sadiq Khan

For the seven crossings in the City of London, the city's central business district, Ilori worked with student designers Annabel Maguire, Sophie Cornish-Keefe and Eliot Everton on a series of different designs.

One of these seven will be located on the Queen Street pedestrian area outside the headquarters of Bloomberg, the company that funded the project. This crossing will be painted by volunteers over two days during London Design Festival, on 20 and 21 September.

London Design Festival 2021 takes place from 18 to 26 September. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

The post Yinka Ilori creates 18 colourful crossings over London's streets appeared first on Dezeen.

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Yinka Ilori 3D prints Canary Wharf basketball court in rainbow colours

Local designer Yinka Ilori has created vibrant patterns for the first public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London's financial district, which features a 3D-printed floor.

The half-sized court is squeezed into a small lot in Bank Street Park and designed for three-a-side basketball, which sees both teams shoot into a single hoop.

Yinka Ilori has designed a colourful basketball court

Unlike the hardwood or concrete floors typically used for the sport, Ilori's court is covered in 3D-printed polypropylene tiles produced by Hampshire company OnCourt.

This allows the designer's kaleidoscopic court markings, which feature his hallmark geometric motifs, to be embedded into the material itself rather than just being painted on top. The technique is meant to ensure greater durability.

The court is made from 3D-printed sports tiles

"The colours used on the court are very vibrant and I think they will last a long time," Ilori told Dezeen.

"It's still a sports court so there will be wear and tear but I think the colour and material will keep. People already started using it over the weekend but it's still in good condition so I think that's one of the key benefits."

Ilori designed bright pink court markings and a purple semi-circle for free throws

Called Traction², the flooring is "the first fully machine-printed sports tile surface in the world" and provides greater traction while reducing stress on players' knee and ankle joints, according to OnCourt.

Printed around the edge of the court in bold, uppercase letters is the slogan: "Be the best you can be".

This was chosen to make players of any level feel welcome and assuage any guilt they might have about not staying active after a year of being stuck inside due to continual coronavirus lockdowns.

A wall of hoarding runs along the perimeter of the court

"I didn't want people to put too much pressure on themselves and instead just celebrate being alive and being around family and friends because not everyone made it through the year," Ilori explained.

"It was about trying to inject this sense of hope and positivity into the space. All you can do is give your best – I think that applies to everything that we do in our lives."

The hoarding is decorated with Ilori's geometric patterns

Ilori's colourful prints also spill out onto a wall of hoarding that runs along the perimeter of the court, while a pattern of blue and orange waves laps the backboard of the court's sole basketball hoop.

This recurring aquatic imagery speaks to the deeper connection with nature – and water in particular – that the designer has developed since the start of the pandemic.

"During lockdown, I spent a lot of time going to different forests, parks and canals," he said.

"I just find being around water quite calming so it's a reoccurring theme in the projects I'm doing this year."

Ilori has also designed a basketball to match the court

The court is open to the public and basketballs will be provided free of charge to encourage its use by the general public, while tournaments are planned for later this summer.

To Ilori, who has previously applied his joyous, colourful style to a skate park in Lille and a South London railway bridge, the project is evidence of a renewed focus on public spaces in the wake of the pandemic.

The backboard behind the basketball hoop is emblazoned with a wavelike pattern

"We went through a whole year of not going to museums or galleries," he said.

"But having your work in public spaces makes it accessible to everyone – every race and every culture. No matter how much money you have, you can access art in the public space because it's free. So that's why I think what they're doing at Canary Wharf is super important."

The court is situated in London's Canary Wharf

Although originally designed as a second home for London's financial sector, Canary Wharf is now home to more than 75 public artworks by 50 different artists, including Camille Walala's Adams Plaza Bridge mural.

This forms part of a wider push to give a new sense of life and personality to an area that has historically been described as a "weekend ghost town", designed for work rather than play.

The post Yinka Ilori 3D prints Canary Wharf basketball court in rainbow colours appeared first on Dezeen.

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