On what is a busy week in New York’s design and art calendars, Collective Design launched its much-anticipated annual fair at the Skylight Clarkson Square, just west of Soho. Now in its fourth year, the fair features 31 international galleries that focus on collectible design, including Johnson Trading Gallery, Gallery ALL, 99¢ Plus Gallery, Friedman Benda, and R & Company. The roster of represented designers includes historical luminaries – Isamu Noguchi for Johnson Trading Gallery, Harry Bertoia for Lost City Arts and Mark McDonald – as well as a long list of contemporary designers, including Christian Wassmann for Frederieke Taylor, and the Campana Brothers for Friedman Benda.
This year, the fair launched what it calls ‘Collective Concept’, a series of booths that allowed invited designers to exhibit their work without gallery representation, further extending the fair’s reach. For the inaugural cohort, the fair turned to Lindsey Adelman, Apparatus Studio, Fort Standard, Calico Wallpaper and Cocobolo Design.
The results are diverse. Adelman presented a video, Some Relationships Are Better Than Others, that shows two of her ‘Burst’ chandeliers crashing into each other to become a cloud of tiny particles. She did this alongside a new chandelier made with Nymphenburg porcelain discs. Apparatus Studio presented its first foray into fixtures using LED light, and Fort Standard launched a new furniture collection, ‘Qualities of Material’, that explores the possibilities of wood, stone and leather.
Interspersed throughout the fair are five booths designated as ‘Collective Features’ that present work from Sight Unseen, BDDW/M.Crow, A/D/O and CW&T, Print All Over Me and Various Projects, and Nicole Nadeau. For BDDW/M.Crow, Tyler Hays launched a new body of work that moves down in scale. For this, he developed a series of knives, puzzles and clothing, taking aesthetic cues from the American West.
The fair also provides an opportunity to commission new work. Brooklyn design firm The Principals conceived an outdoor installation, Glacial Drift, at the venue’s entrance. The modular construction provides outdoor seating and space for plantings, all while filtering light, providing an ambient presence on an otherwise industrial city block.
R & Company presented new works by glass artist Jeff Zimmerman (centre), alongside zoomorphic creations by the Haas Brothers (pictured left) and covetable furniture from the Brazilian icon, Joaquim Tenreiro (at back)
BDDW was one of five booths designated as ‘Collective Features’. Founder Tyler Hays launched a new body of work under his M. Crow label, which included a marble record player, handpainted jigsaw puzzles, a desk mirror and even a small boat
Galerie Negropontes presented a refined, yet eclectic selection of furniture from Hervé Langlais against black and white artwork by Dan Er Grigorescu
Patrick Parrish Gallery devoted its space to exhibiting the architectural furniture works of Ian Stell
New York-based designer Fernando Mastrangelo made his fair debut with a moody selection of statuesques, textural pieces made from sand and cement
A view of the fair's VIP lounge concept, 'Office Space', designed by ASH and featuring a limited edition of the firm's 'WC4' chair
Lindsey Adelman Studio unveiled a new chandelier featuring custom-made Nymphenburg discs, along with a video installation Some Relationships Are Better Than Others, as part of ’Collective Concept’ – click above to watch
Fort Standard’s ’Relief Stone’ cabinet drew in the crowds with its graphic sensibility and poetic density. Read the whole story about their collection here
Calico Wallpaper experimented with Kintsugi, the Japanese technique of repairing pottery, to create its 'Satori' design. Printed on metallic gold leaf paper to produce a watercolour effect, the design's six colourways reference the textures of ceramic glazing.
Sight Unseen partnered with the fair to spotlight work from up-and-coming design names. These included handmade furniture and objects from the Los Angeles-based duo, Only Love is Real...
... and a collaborative, multidisciplinary presentation from New Yorkers Alex Proba and the design studio Bower
Apparatus revealed a pair of new lighting designs – 'Tassel' (pictured left) and 'Circuit' (right). The New York-based studio's 'Portal' table in marble also cut a strong figure
Marc Selwyn Gallery presented a series of canine portraits by William Wegman (pictured left), while next door, Various Projects, Inc. collaborated with Print All Over Me to exhibit 'Block Party' – a celestial landscape made out of custom made foam sectionals
INFORMATION
Collective Design Fair is on view until 8 May. For more information, visit the Fair’s website
Photography: Clemens Kois
ADDRESS
Collective Design Fair
Skylight Clarkson Square
550 Washington Street
New York
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