The Wick Culture - Davina Mallinckrodt photographed by Bibi Basch The Wick Culture - Davina Mallinckrodt photographed by Bibi Basch
Monday Muse

Interview Cultural Agenda Founder and CEO Davina Mallinckrodt

Interview
Davina Mallinckrodt
Photography
Bibi Basch
23 December 2024
Interview
Davina Mallinckrodt
Photography
Bibi Basch
23 December 2024
Davina Mallinckrodt is among the most trusted and respected figures in the design industry, known for her long-standing and passionate advocacy for craft and makers. The founder and CEO of marketing, PR and communications agency Cultural Agenda, Mallinckrodt is a founder Trustee of the London School of Architecture, Chair of Cockpit Arts, and has recently been appointed as the Vice Chair of the board at the Design Museum. Through all her professional and philanthropic roles, Mallinckrodt has continued to make to space for design in the wider world, and ensure it is a more inclusive and accessible place for all. We honour her journey and find out more about how she built her company from an appreciation of Italian design in the 1990s, why she still loves visiting factories, and how she finds inspiration in emerging designers.

THE WICK:   You’ve just been appointed Vice Chair of the Design Museum. Where did your passion for design come from?

Davina Mallinckrodt:   I was drawn into communications early in my career. My mother was an interior designer (my sister works very successfully in this field with her own business) and I have always had a strong interest in both the decorative and performing arts. So focusing on this area seemed a natural place to be.

I love factories and workshops. The reality of following something from an idea to a practical (often but not exclusively!) “product” is exciting. Design is such a wide term. Design influences so much of what we experience in life and, at its best, is truly life enhancing.

TW:   Tell us more about your relationship with the Design Museum?

DM:   The museum was the brainchild of Sir Terence Conran, a man I knew and greatly admired for his creativity but also his commercial intelligence. I became involved in the museum about 15 years ago, joined the Curatorial Committee and was appointed to the board in 2018. The combination of a young and agile museum, that strives to both excite, educate and engage its subject on all levels, is important. Our audiences are remarkable and the museum has gone from strength to strength since moving into our home at the old “Commonwealth Institute” in Kensington some years ago.

The concept of “Common Wealth” seems most apt in the context of design and I am passionate about engaging a new generation of young in the possibilities of a future where they are actively working in design. Our museum is a fantastic educator and stimulant for this – our audiences of schools are amazing. It hums every day with young people. A total joy.

TW:   You founded Cultural Agenda, working with leading international design companies globally like Alessi, Boffi, Cappellini, Cassina, Artemide, and more. What drove you to create this communications agency?

DM:   In the 1990’s I built my first business in partnership, going on to executive produce short documentary films and corporate content. It was early days for this. In 1995 I undertook the communications and marketing for the British Interior Design Exhibition.

From 1997 I focused in on pure design – I had the privilege of working with Giulio Cappellini – doing communications in English-speaking markets (US and UK). I launched Cappellini’s’ first international flagship store in New York. Really Giulio was the leading talent spotter and gave a platform to a generation of new design talent – propelling many of them into international “stardom”.

The Italians did it so well, with some of the most fascinating archives and history of working with the worlds most influential design proponents – as I love Italy, its history and culture, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to collaborate with companies like Alessi, Boffi, Bisazza, etc – who combined innovative technical industrial skills with a true philosophy of creativity and culture. Design is respected as inherently cultural in Italy and I wanted to reflect this level of passion and cultural authenticity in the UK.

TW:   How do you see the relationship between philanthropy and the cultural sectors evolving in the next decade and how do you want to see the role of the museum change within community? Why is cultural capital important?

DM:   Those are interesting questions, and I think they are inherently linked. Culture is the sum of our society – the nurturing of our combined spirit and vital for our future, both emotionally and commercially. So the understanding that cultural capital is not an “add on” or “nice to have” is crucial at all levels. It drives a vibrant and striving economy from which we all benefit. We are good at it here in the UK – it is worth billions of pounds to the country and we need to nurture and sustain that.

We are lucky to have a government in the UK that actively supports the arts and culture sector. But that is not enough. Engagement from business, from the commercial sector and from individuals is vital to the survival of this ecosystem. To grow active philanthropy requires, in my opinion, a slight change of perspective here in the UK. From something that is seen as just “generous”, into something that we feel impelled (not compelled) to do because of the huge impact it has on society as a whole – that we are contributing to wider society and to the the access for all.

“Design is such a wide term. Design influences so much of what we experience in life and, at its best, is truly life enhancing.”

TW:   In your own collection – what are the three pieces which mean the most to you and why?

DM:   Oh that’s a hard one as so much of my collection pivots around the stories and memories the pieces have – works by many makers and artists that I have collected from their early practice and treasure as they often mark a shift in their artistic journey. I also collect rather a wide range of design, craft and art – that matches my views on what design is.

TW:   You’ve been instrumental in supporting emerging talent through initiatives like the Cockpit Awards where you are Chair of Trustees. What do you look for in the designers and makers you champion?

DM:   Speaking personally it’s all about passion, imagination and a dedication to their art and craft that leads to a degree of technical expertise that allows the art to shine. It also really helps if you like them personally … but I find that so many of the makers are people who embody great values. Cockpit offers amazing support to makers of all kinds and, sadly, as an organisation we have to turn away 60% of the makers who apply to us for our free studio space, guidance and business incubation. We have 180 makers over our two centres in Bloomsbury and Deptford. It’s is a beacon for the highest quality of contemporary craft and arts.

TW:   What is your ultimate ‘luxury’?

DM:   Spending a day at a workshop or studio with an artist or maker. The fact they are prepared to share their expertise and talent is very precious.

TW:   What is your go-to fashion brand that you rely on for a private view?

DM:   Would love to say lots of “private views”, but I buy very eclectic pieces that suit my philosophy of design and life rather than true “fashion”. I love vintage design and buy from a number of “pre-loved” sites. A huge fan of Miuccia Prada – I have a great collection of vintage pieces and continue to add to them.

TW:   Who are your ultimate arty dinner Christmas guests this season?

DM:   Well, have to say Tim Marlow – the Director of the Design Museum – who is fabulously entertaining and knowledgeable. Would love to have Maggi Hambling to dinner – or my dear friend Christine Van Der Hurd – a seminal textile designer. Can I invite Caravaggio? Even in spirit?

TW:   What are the words you use to live by?

DM:   Truth, Passion, Curiosity, and Endeavour.

TW:   Who is your ultimate Monday Muse and why?

DM:   It would have to be the late Glenda Jackson. A girl from the Wirral (Birkenhead) who became one of the most feted and respected actors of her generation, a true political activist who went on to be a serving politician. She overcame the relative poverty of her early life and was exceptionally successful by any standards – she strove for fairness, addressed all she did with endeavour, intelligence and a fearlessness in standing up for her strongly held principles. What a woman!


Share story

READ MORE
The Wick Culture - Deborah Brett, founder of DBCeramic - www.dbceramic.co.uk - Photo by Ana Viana for Omorovicza
Monday Muse

Interview DB Ceramic Founder Deborah Brett

The Wick Culture - Jan de Villeneuve photographed by Cathy Kasterine for Marfa Stance
Monday Muse

Interview Supermodel Jan de Villeneuve

The Wick Culture - Portrait of Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, by Phi Vu
Monday Muse

Interview Artist & Digital Storyteller Hilde Lynn Helphenstein AKA Jerry Gogosian

The Wick Culture - Portrait of Caroline Issa
Monday Muse

Interview Trailblazer and Creative Leader Caroline Issa

The Wick Culture - Portrait of Cora Sheibani wearing Butterfly Earrings and Picasso Ring
Monday Muse

Interview Jewellery Designer Cora Sheibani

The Wick Culture - Zandra Rhodes Portrait by Simon Emmett
Monday Muse

Interview Fashion Designer Dame Zandra Rhodes