The best place to start at LDF, and arguably the heart of the festival, is the Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington. It's home to the Global Design Forum, the Digital Design Weekend, and ten curated LDF installations hidden in endless corniced mazes of silverware, sculptures and sketch classes. V&A X LDF Awakenings. Photo by Anki Delfmann My personal highlight amongst the exhibits, Craft x Tech Tokai returned for a second edition, pairing artisans from six Japanese craft regions with international designers to rethink centuries-old techniques. Working across lacquer, metal, wood, ceramics, washi paper and textiles, the collaborations combined traditional craftsmanship with contemporary ideas and forms. Craft x Tech Tokai. Photo by Anki Delfmann Grid Unwoven, Mino Washi x Lanzavecchia + Wai for Craft x Tech Tokai. Photo by Anki Delfmann Grid unwoven by Lanzavecchia + Wai is a self-standing screen that reimagines the traditional shoji using Mino washi and light. The paper's fibres flow from dense to delicate like a waterfall. Changing backlighting reveals its texture. Fushi, Mino Yaki x David Caon for Craft x Tech Tokai. Photo by Anki Delfmann Fushi by David Caon is a modular ceramic console and light made using the Mino Yaki technique. Precisely made identical forms are assembled around an internal structure, while the unpredictable Oribe glaze makes every surface unique. Yamollo, Iga Kumihimo x Atang Tshikare for Craft x Tech Tokai. Photo by Anki Delfmann Yamollo by Atang Tshikare is a sculptural light made using Iga Kumihimo braiding, inspired by fire contained within a mountain. Earth-toned cords form the enclosing structure, with light intensifying towards the peak and exposed threads revealing the intricate weave. Seto Sometsuke Yaki x Eugene Kangawa for Craft x Tech Tokai. Photo by Anki Delfmann Eugene Studio presented a beautiful series of wooden chairs and tea vessels, combining traditional Japanese joinery with Seto Sometsuke ceramics. Katagin

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