Munich/London. “Third places” – those that lie
between work and home – provide important contact points in our modern
urban society. They expand the room we have to live in and help us to
relax, meet up with one another and increase our productivity.
Freelancers, for example, often use cafés as offices and restaurants
as meeting rooms. At the London Design Festival 2016, MINI is
exhibiting the MINI LIVING “Forests” installation by Asif
Khan, which showcases three interpretations of the “spaces
between spaces”.
The MINI LIVING “Forests” creates new spaces which can be accessed by
the public, used as desired by each visitor and tailored to the needs
of our urban society. With this installation, the MINI brand is
continuing the conversation on future city living which it started
with the MINI LIVING installation at this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan.
The concept underpinning the MINI LIVING “Forests” installation is
inspired by the Japanese idea of ‘shinrin yoku’, which literally means
‘forest bathing’. It means every sense switches to absorb the forest
atmosphere – what you hear, what you smell, even the feeling
underfoot. At another scale, plants are used as a tool to assert
personal space at its boundary with public space, whether on one’s
desk at the office or at the perimeter of one’s home. The project
brings these two ideas together for visitors to experience new
sensations within the city. The three ‘themed’ rooms (Connect, Create,
and Relax) are located in the busy urban surroundings of Shoreditch in London.
The Connect Space is a place for meeting up and
catching up – spontaneously or pre-planned. A large table forms the
centrepiece of the room. The best possible ambience in which to focus
on work, meanwhile, is provided by the Create Space.
It represents an island of creativity and productivity, and allows
users to arrange its furnishings as they wish. The Relax Space
welcomes visitors with an abundance of plants and invites
them to take a step back from everyday life and relax.
The MINI LIVING “Forests” installation by Asif Khan is open to the
public and available for use during the London Design Festival (17 –
25 September). It shows a creative approach to improving the quality
of life in our cities in the future.
Opening times*:
17 September: 10.00 – 20.00 hrs
18 September: 10.00 – 18.00 hrs
19 September: 08.00 – 20.00 hrs
20 September: 08.00 – 22.00 hrs
21 September: 08.00 – 21.00 hrs
22 September: 08.00 – 20.00 hrs
23 September: 08.00 – 20.00 hrs
24 September: 10.00 – 20.00 hrs
25 September: 10.00 – 18.00 hrs
* All times are GMT.