What’s on this Clerkenwell Design Week 2023

This Clerkenwell Design Week, we are excited to present as the centrepiece of our exhibition, a collaboration between Iris Ceramica Group and Architects Szczepaniak Teh. Cloud to Cloud explores the water cycle, its importance, and our dependence upon it.
We have some fantastic events lined up and are looking forward to welcoming you! Our programme includes panel talks, original films, live music, tastings, and learning sessions. We will be investigating green hydrogen and water, design and optimism and rum. Guests include filmmaker Pavel Borecky, graphic artist Anthony Burrill, and author of The Eyes of the Skin – Architecture and the Senses, Juhani Pallasmaa.
Film: Living Water + Online Q&A
An ecographic film by director Pavel Borecky, Living Water is an atmospheric journey into the clash between the state of Jordan, agricultural businesses and Wadi Rum indigenous communities over the last abundant source of drinking water. Screening followed by an online Q&A with Pavel Borecky.
TIME |
13:00 - 14:00 |
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Cloud to Cloud: Water, Green Hydrogen and the Future of Ceramics
Iris Ceramica Group are one of the first tile manufacturers to start the transition to green hydrogen kilns. CEO, Federica Minozzi, commissioned the kinetic sculpture Cloud to Cloud installed in our collaboration space. Federica, Nicholas Szczepaniak (the architect) and Solus Creative Director Sam Frith discuss the inspiration behind the piece and how it relates to more sustainable modes of living.
Food by Migrateful |
18:00 - 18:30 |
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Panel talk |
18:30 - 19:30 |

Moving Earth: Sustainability & Ceramics RIBA-approved CPD
Our Sustainability Manager, Ken Graham, has carried out indepth research into the industry and its impact on the planet. Our popular Moving Earth: Sustainability and Ceramics CPD, presented by Ken, comes out of this research and addresses the climate crisis and the role that ceramics can play in creating sustainable buildings.
Lunch by Palm Greens |
12:00 - 13:00 |
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Moving Earth CPD |
13:00 - 14:00 |

Film: In Conversation with Juhani Pallasmaa + Discussion
In The Eyes of the Skin (1996), Juhani Pallasmaa observed that, “The door handle is the handshake of the building”. Distilling, with impressive clarity, an attitude toward architecture that is both humane and embodied. The book has since become a classic of architectural theory. We visited Juhani Pallasmaa at his studio in Helsinki to talk about the authentic, the deeply real experiences that shape design. The film of this conversation will be introduced by Conleth Buckley.
Film |
18:00 - 19:00 |
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Two Drifters Rum tasting |
19:30 - 20:00 |

Performance by Expert Lover
Thoughtful ambient house and lively electronic music curated by James Mason. Live performance followed by a DJ set.
TIMETime |
20:00 - 22:30 |
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FILA CPD: Sustainable Surface Protection Solutions and Indoor Air Quality Care
FILA Solutions is committed to creating healthier environments through their products, and this is demonstrated in it becoming the first in its sector to achieve the Indoor Air Comfort Gold certification from Eurofins. This CPD will explore how FILA products can contribute to healthy and sustainable environments, as well as the important practicalities of their products.
Time |
12:00 - 13:00 |
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Drop-in terrarium workshop
Terrariums are self-sustaining eco-systems. In many ways, terrariums are tiny planets. The Earth’s atmosphere acts just like the glass of the jar, trapping CO2 for forests to absorb and turn into oxygen. Drop in to our terrarium session to create your own self-sustaining world, a piece of living art that you can enjoy for years to come.
Time |
14:00 - 16:00 |
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Iris Ceramica Group: EcoActive buildings, where design and science meet
This lecture analyses how technology innovation can create new solutions to improve the environmental impact of new buildings. Photocatalytic technologies indeed, applied to the ceramic surfaces for floors and walls, offer unique features to improve the well-being and safety of spaces and those who live in them, without renouncing to the highest aesthetic and technical values. Due to those properties, the active surfaces can be defined “eco active surfaces” thanks to the impact they have on the environment in which they are installed.
Time |
16:30 - 17:00 |
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Panel talk: How can design drive optimism and change?
Design is powerful; it can shape how we think, feel and act. So how can we harness design to generate optimism and drive change? Graphic artist Anthony Burrill, colour expert Justine Fox, and activist architect Rob Delius discuss these questions within the context of their work.
Pasta by Pasta Evangelists |
18:00 - 18:30 |
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Panel talk |
18:30 - 19:30 |

DJ Arveene
Returning to Clerkenwell Design Week after last year’s ascendant set, music producer and DJ, Arveene has supported the likes of Liam Gallagher, Daft Punk and is soon to be joining The Prodigy on their latest tour.
20:00 - 22:30 |
