Report from Regent Street: Eve of the London Design Festival

  

Cups of the Day #126 - A Rainy Day in London

Cup Artwork by Gwyneth Leech, mixed media on used paper coffee cups

I am actually here, treading the stones of Regent Street which curves gracefully down from Oxford Circus, its domes and handsome facades washed by light rain this morning and people hurrying by with umbrellas or jumping on red double-decker buses. This is London of the imagination!

September 13th, a rainy Friday

I spent the day yesterday unpacking and hanging the cups, assisted by Anna and Heather, two delightful young women who work at Anthropologie. Before we knew it, 365 cups appeared  to be free floating in the window space and crowds were already gathering outside to take photos. Tomorrow, the Design Festival begins and I will take up residence in the window to draw for five days. See the schedule below.

Anthropologie at 158 Regent Street, London

The cup artwork, as packed for travel

I was relieved to see that the porcelain cups in eight of my designs have arrived in-store. After many months of imagining this, how fascinating to see my drawings so multiplied on rows and stacks of cups! At the moment, the porcelain cups are available exclusively in the Regent Street store. Details of a wider launch will follow.

The Porcelain cups are in-store at Regent Street

Heather directed me to several local coffee bars, just around the corner in Golden Square. I was especially taken with Nordic Cafe, not just the coffee but the cinnamon rolls! An additional treat was watching  the games of municipal ping pong and large-scale chess going forward in the square itself. Definitely enjoying some dolce vita in the calm before the festival gets underway.

Some outdoor entertainment in Golden Square on Thursday evening.

Here are some recent articles and blog posts about the cups in London, and Anthropologie's festival activities:
The Telepragh: Gwyneth Leech - the Art of Paper Cups
Vogue Living: Things to Do and See at London Design Week 2013
Mollie Makes: Anthropologie Celebrates the London Design Festival

For the festival program click here:
London Design Festival Program

 

 Rainy Day in Regent Street

The Cups are on view at Anthropologie 158 Regent Street  24 hours a day through October 4th.

During the Festival I will be drawing on site on the following schedule:

Saturday 14th Sep: 12-3pm
Sunday 15th September: 12-3pm
Monday 16th Sep: 11am – 2pm
Tuesday 17th Sep: 4-7pm
Wednesday 18th Sep: 4-7pm

I will also be returning to Edinburgh where I studied art, and will be doing a live drawing event in Anthropologie's George Street store  on Saturday, 21st September from 12-3 pm, with a talk at 2 p.m.