London Design Festival 2026

During the London Design Festival 2026, held from September 12 to 16, the 'In-Between Thresholds' exhibition highlights the innovative work of students from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. These students from the BDes Furniture and Interior Design programme present their experimental bamboo lighting designs, which were developed during an intensive four-week course at NID.

The exhibition, presented by OSA Studio, explores themes of transitional spaces, memory, and presence. The showcased installations demonstrate how bamboo can be transformed into contemporary lighting materials through new approaches to shaping, joining, and finishing techniques. Projects draw inspiration from diverse sources, including Indian cultural references and personal memories.

Key installations include "TARANG," inspired by water movement in traditional courtyards, "Aroha," which reinterprets traditional Indian Deepstambhas, and other works reflecting Indo-Islamic patterns, childhood memories, and Amavasya rituals. These works aim to move beyond conventional applications of bamboo, connecting structure with atmosphere through bending, movement, light, and shadow. The festival provides a platform for NID students to present their material-led design explorations to an international audience.