DOMUS x CAKE | 19-21 May | Event Programme Clerkenwell Design Week 2026
EVENT 001:
GROUNDED TRANSCENDENCE
Exploring the growing desire for more grounded, sensory spaces in an increasingly digital world.
Developed in collaboration with Cake Architecture, the event builds on their ongoing practice exploring the relationship between space, sound, and material. Rather than approaching this as a fixed idea, Grounded Transcendence unfolds as a working process, experienced and shaped through interaction.
Over three days, the Domus Clerkenwell showroom will continuously evolve, with each day taking on a distinct spatial and atmospheric identity: from gallery (day one), to listening room (day two), then club (day three). A programme of talks, screenings, and performances unfolds within these shifting settings.
DAY 1
TUE 19 MAY
GALLERY | SPACE | PROTO
The series opens in gallery mode, positioning proto-synthesis as an act of observation and assembly in progress.
Grounded Transcendence (Exhibition)
Bringing together artists, designers, and photographers examining nightlife and rave culture, the works operate as live tests, foregrounding material, surface, and spatial conditions as the foundation for the evolving synthesis.
TALK
Trends Forecast: Proto/Synthesis
Part 1: Proto
Tues 19 May
10.00 – 10.45 am
In an age of digital saturation, Proto explores the primal desire for grounded design, material truth, and spaces that illicit feelings of safety and shelter. In the first of three trends forecasts, cavernous interiors, quarried stone, and a raw, natural aesthetic form a visual language anchored in deep time. Taking examples from interior design, architecture, fine art, and fashion, the 30-minute talk explores how this concept and accompanying materials will shape interiors over the next 18 months.
IMMERSIVE
Sonic Matter: Sensory Architecture
& Sound
Tues 19 May
11.00 am – 12.00 pm
Drawing on her approach to sound healing and “grounded transcendence,” Jazreena Harlow creates immersive spaces where sound becomes both a sensory and energetic architecture. Using tools like crystal sound baths, voice, and vibrational frequencies, she designs environments that slow the nervous system and invite deep internal connection, blending practical grounding with expansive, almost transcendent states. The experience includes a 10-minute talk that resonates with the first movement of proto-synthesis, Proto, reflecting on the ideas underpinning her practice and the relationship between sound, embodiment, and perception.
TALK
Photographic Dispersion
By Evan Purdy
Tues 19 May
1.00 – 2.00 pm
An exploration of how photographers move from external observers to embodied participants, using the camera as an extension of the subconscious. Evan Purdy reflects on image-making as a way of navigating intimacy, community, and desire, where the line between subject and author begins to blur. Grounded in his own practice, the talk considers photography as both a personal and collective act.
By Invitation Only
Opening Party
Tues 19 May, 6.00 pm – Late
Join us for an immersive evening inspired by rally and rave culture, where light, texture, and sound come together in a high-energy sensory environment, complete with music, drinks, and a dynamic celebration of design. Presented by Tango, the night features a full line up of electronic music from live acts and DJs.
DAY 2
WED 20 MAY
LISTENING ROOM | SOUND | PROTO–SYNTHESIS
The space shifts into a listening room, where sound becomes the primary medium through which elements begin to cohere. Talks, screenings, and sonic interventions deepen the dialogue between space and surface, drawing the project into a more immersive and connected phase.
TALK
Trends Forecast: Proto/Synthesis
Part 2: Proto/Synthesis
Weds 20 May
10.00 – 10.45 am
In the second of three trends forecasts, Proto/Synthesis explores the visual language of thresholds and opposites: raw vs refined, natural vs synthetic, primal vs futuristic. Taking examples from interior design, architecture, fine art, and fashion, the 30-minute talk explores how this concept and accompanying materials will shape interiors over the next 18 months.
IMMERSIVE
Sonic Matter: Sensory Architecture
& Sound
Weds 20 May
11.00 am – 12.00 pm
Drawing on her approach to sound healing and “grounded transcendence,” Jazreena Harlow creates immersive environments where sound becomes both sensory and spatial architecture. As the space shifts into a listening room, crystal sound baths and vibrational frequencies bring elements into alignment, slowing the nervous system and fostering deep internal connection. In resonance with the theme of proto-synthesis, her work weaves together body, space, and sound into a connective, immersive field. The experience includes a 10-minute talk reflecting on the ideas behind her practice and the relationship between sound, embodiment, and perception.
TALK
Nightclubs as Spaces for Collective Transcendence
Weds 20 May
1.00 – 2.00 pm
This talk explores the nightclub as a site where sensory intensity, synchronised bodies, and shifting psychological states converge into moments of collective transcendence. Francesca Mamino draws on her ongoing research into nightlife and club culture to examine how identity can blur and shared experience emerges. Fluid in its approach, the work considers the club as a space of complexity, shaped by perception, behaviour, and the forces that move through it.
By Invitation Only
Party
Weds 20 May, 6.00 – 10 pm
Join us for an immersive evening shaped by rally and rave culture, where light, texture, and sound converge in a high-energy sensory environment. The night unfolds as a spatial and sonic experience, bringing together music, drinks, and a charged atmosphere of collective release. Presented by Terra Obscura the night features a full line up of electronic music from live acts and DJs.
DAY 3
THUR 21 MAY
CLUB | SURFACE | SYNTHESIS
The final day culminates in a club setting, where the accumulated elements resolve into a collective experience. Light, sound, and structure converge in a heightened moment of release, completing the transition from process to synthesis through shared intensity and movement. Presented by Shady Sisters, the space is activated with electronic music from live acts and DJs throughout the day.
TALK
Trends Forecast: Proto/Synthesis
Part 3: Synthesis
Thurs 21 May
10.00 – 10.45 am
In the third of three trends forecasts, Synthesis explores material truth in a digital age. This is a trend of light and atmosphere - of escapism and immersion - and speaks of a speculative, high-tech future where digital and natural worlds merge seamlessly into a single, unified design language. Taking examples from interior design, architecture, fine art, and fashion, the 30-minute talk explores how this concept and accompanying materials will shape interiors over the next 18 months.
IMMERSIVE
Shady Sisters
Collective
Thurs 21 May
9.00 am – 6.00 pm
Shady Sisters presents a day of electronic music from live acts and DJs, rooted in deep, minimal, and gritty techno. Known for their intimate, underground approach, the collective curates immersive lineups that champion emerging talent and create a shared dancefloor experience. Open to all, no booking required.
By Invitation Only
Closing Party
Thurs 21 May, 6.00 pm – Late
Join us for an immersive evening inspired by rally and rave culture, where light, texture, and sound come together in a high-energy sensory environment — complete with music, drinks, and a dynamic celebration of design. Presented by Shady Sisters, the night features a full line up of electronic music from live acts and DJs.
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