10 Aquatic exhibitions at DesignMiami 2019 – Courtesy of DesignMiami.
Miami 2019 – Element: Water is the main theme chosen by DesignMiami/‘s curator Aric Chen. Many of the galleries and exhibitors at the Curio program as well as partners of the fair and satellite installations responded with mesmerizing aquatic exhibitions. Here the ones we like the most!
- RELATED STORIES: read more about Miami Art and Design Week on Archipanic…
Carpenter Workshop Gallery
Courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
Venice has recently suffered a major flood due to Climate Change and poor local administration. Carpenters Workshop Gallery brings to Miami a collection by Virgil Abloh which debuted in the Italian city earlier this year. Titled Aqua Alta, “the series of ‘sinking’ furniture acts as a reminder of the city’s – and the planet’s – rising sea levels,” explains Abloh. On show chairs and benches with a doorstop under a leg as well as a floorlamp, all casted in solid bronze and with topsy-turvy angles as if they have been submerged by a rising flood at any moment.
Curio: TAKT Project
Photo courtesy of TAKT Project.
After the successful exhibition at Milan Design Week, TAKT Project develops the GLOW GROW project working with pottery while continuing its exploration beyond the natural-artificial dicotomy. The Japanese studio used changing light emitted by programmed LED to harden resin and solidify it. The resin, growing like an iceberg, shows various expressions in the changing lighting and grows into a new shape. “It is not an imitation of nature, but a process that incorporates the principle of nature into artificial operation.” says Satoshi Yoshiizumi to Archipanic. Indeed, the real-time installation creates a new “crop” that is neither natural nor artificial.
Curio: Luis Pons Design Lab
Photo by James Harris.
Luis Pons Design Lab teamed up with Vermeil to present the interactive Tangara Collection “whose colors have been hand-selected in reference to the ocean. The series was developed from the idea of giving a new meaning to wood hinge”. The result is an exquisitely sober collection assembled by interlocking wood or composite panels to build cabinets that can be grouped together to create multiple and modular configurations.
Gallery All
Photo by James Harris.
Gallery ALL creates an immersive, aquatic environment influenced by the Light and Space movement in Southern California and reflected through the azure glass furniture from Studio Buzao and Saerom Yoon. Buzao’s Null collection features rectangles and circles as well as changing hues in the calming tones of clear blue skies and water. Made from compound glass bonded with UV glue, the series comprises a bench, a side table, a table lamp, a pendant lamp and a wardrobe. Buzao’s collection debuted at Design Shanghai earlier this year.
Galerie SCENE OUVERTE
Photo by James Harris.
Galerie SCENE OUVERTE, new to DesignMiami/, exhibits ocean-inspired furniture inside an ‘underwater’ tableau. Young French artist Léa Mestres presents the Bumble armchair made from resin and metallic paint and a Coral light sculpture; on show also William Coggin’s Coral coffee table and more.
R & Company
Photo by James Harris.
R & Company debuts an immersive installation of new handmade sculptural works by Rogan Gregory. “The abstract and organic formswere inspired by extraterrestrial forms as well as unknown marine life of the deep sea”. This is the first time the designer is conceiving of a full space, including wall finishes, a fireplace mantle, a rug, lighting and seating.
PATTERNITY x Cosentino
Photo by Alberto Rojas.
Cosentino presents The Liquid Collection by London-based pattern design duo PATTERNITY. Launching three new colours of Dekton®, the ultra-compact, large format surface on show at the Collectors Lounge. Inspired by Liquid, each of the individual colours focus on the beauty of nature and celebrate sustainable design practice.
Nao Tamura c Lexus
Image via IG @nownao.
Sunshowers, the phenomenon of rain during sunshine, have been a source of mystery and amazement all over the world. In Japan, they are considered a good omen and portent of prosperity and a good harvest. From here, automotive leading company Lexus has responded to the fair’s theme of Elements: Water by commissioning designer Nao Tamura to create an immersive, multimedia installation that evokes the wondrousness of this natural, outdoor phenomenon.
Swarovski Waterschool
Photo via IG by @swarovskiusa,
Swarovski was founded near the Alpine rivers that provided the energy and fresh water supplies essential to crystal production. That’s why the Austrian company established the Swarovski Waterschool. The community investment program aims to inspire present and future generations to practice sustainable water use. The installation in Miami explores Swarovski’s extensive work in water stewardship and education.
The Coral City Camera project
Bas Fisher Invitational and Bridge Initiative present Coral City Camera by Coral Morphologic, a new 360-degree underwater camera installed at PortMiami creating a live feed video artwork monitoring a growing coral community. Installed at PortMiami, this is the culmination of years of studying the ecosystem of Biscayne Bay.
Photo via IG @ randcompanynyc.
‘Bubble’ armchair and ‘Coral Light’ sculpture by Léa Mestres and William Coggin, courtesy of Gallery SCENE OUVERTE.
‘Null’ dining table by Studio Buzao – Courtesy of Gallery ALL and Studio Buzao.
Glow Grow pottery by TAKT PROJECT – Courtesy of TAKT PROJECT.
Courtesy of Luis Pons.
10 Aquatic exhibitions at DesignMiami/ 2019 – Courtesy of DesignMiami/.
