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IRELAND is the inaugural focus country at the London Festival of Architecture which launched this week. The month-long, citywide celebration of architectural experimentation, thinking and practice, is taking place at venues across the capital, with the theme this year of ‘Work in Progress’.

Ireland was chosen as the first ever focus country for this year’s festival and the honour will see the promotion of Irish design, giving up-and-coming designers the chance to have their work viewed internationally.

The launch took place at Lewis Cubitt Square in King’s Cross where a collaboration by architects Clancy Moore, TAKA, Steve Larkin and Hall McKnight has seen two temporary structures installed that will play host to talks, performances and events with other emerging talents in contemporary Irish design culture. In addition, 9 Lives at the Design Museum’s Tank on the banks of the river Thames, is an installation of photography, drawings, interviews and objects that tells the stories of nine spaces created by emerging Irish architects.

The London Festival of Architecture launch coincided with the launch of New Horizon – Architecture from Ireland, a multi-venue exhibition curated by Raymund Ryan and Nathalie Weadick. London is the first instalment of an international programme that continues at the Chicago Architecture Biennial in October and Shenzhen/Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale in November.

New Horizon forms part of Irish Design 2015 (ID2015), a year-long initiative backed by the Irish government exploring, promoting and celebrating Irish design throughout Ireland and internationally.

Malcolm McNally, www.irishpost.co.uk; 03/06/2015