design miami basel – DesignApplause

My nose my stekkerdoos: studio job for lensvelt. Milan 2013.

Jun 25, 2013

We were quite looking forward to talk to Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job, whose creations can stress art as the counterpoint to design, can be wildly fun, unpredictable and we anticipated an equally lively chat. A healthy body of work affirms modernism though their sculptural translations also resemble sophisticated contraptionisms of time-traveling with Jules Verne. Tonight, Studio Job is presenting their new ‘Job Office’ collection for Lensvelt. The collection consists of a buffet cabinet, a desk, and an LED lamp and is an extension of the Job Cabinet launched by Studio Job in Milan 2011 – a metal cabinet with a single door that also comes with a gold-colored key. The venue, the refectory within the monastery within the Museum of Science and Technology. The walls and ceilings covered with beautiful 18th-century Sala del Cenacolo frescoes. ‘The Wall’ is our background music.

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[DA] The chosen space is extremely surreal. And the installation’s teaser promotion is of famous people with golden noses. Job, please explain this concept for us.
[JOB] Do you know what stekkerdoos means?

[DA] Please tell us.
[JOB] The concept is ‘stekkerdoos’ translated from Dutch means multiple socket, in this case, my nose, my socket. And you know, I have a strange nose. In high school I was told my nose looked like a socket. But on the other hand, the nose is also a handle to open a drawer in an office desk.

[DA] This is a story about turning a negative into a positive.
[JOB] I think so. Yes feel the handle, feel the nostrils. Finally you can open a drawer by putting your fingers in the nostrils and you don’t have to worry about your mother saying you can’t do that. After all these years.

[DA] An ultimate revenge.
[JOB] Yes, exactly.

[DA] When did you think of this concept.
[JOB] I knew it when I was 15. It just took 25 years to make it happen.

[DA] Tell us about the ‘Job Office’ collection.
[JOB] Lensvelt makes office furniture and people today are working more and more in their home. So we are trying to personalize this experience. These pieces are very modernistic, in a modern style, like this lamp that goes back to the 50s and we also merged a sculptural presence to the pieces. A merger of the right industrial product with the gilded sculpture.

[DA] The nose is a very organic statement and the gilded button is huge.
[JOB] Yes, regarding the nose I was looking for a handle and maybe we were looking for a human statement. An the most iconic thing about the lamp is this big on/off button. And there are 100 lamps in this installation celebrating 100 years of Lensvelt. Like a big KGB office with all these lights for interrogation.

[DA] This space, this installation. Reminds me of the crazy offices in the movie ‘Brazil’.
[JOB] Exactly. This reminds me of the Pink Floyd movie ‘The Wall’ where you could see all the hammers. That’s the reason for ‘The Wall’ background music.

[DA] How does humor play into your design concepts.
[JOB] Humor is quite important. Human beings are already too serious, especially taking themselves too serious.

[DA] Several designers we talked to mention noise and chaos and they are providing ‘peace’ and ‘natural’.
[JOB] Peace and natural is not new in design. All of us are just mirrors. I feel our design is reflecting what we are up to and our environment isn’t that peaceful. And our environment is very surreal, it’s never what you think it is.

[DA] What expression are we looking for here. Something good looking?
[JOB] No. We must all admit that we are like those sparrows who try to steal the bling. We are all attracted to stuff that shines. And of course we are attracted to beautiful things and I like to play with that a little bit. But I’m not interested in aesthetics at all. I’m interested in how humanity functions, in the seducing quality of the bling bling. The sculptural aspect can be seen in our work: We have created a lot of huge gold sculptures. And the office is all about function and we about are looking for a fresh a personal look for office furniture.

[DA] Is there a sustainable aspect of the office collection.
[JOB] Sustainable is important but the term is a marketing term. What we do is make unique pieces that are well made, and some of the pieces cost quite a bit. These pieces will be handed down from generation to generation, never thrown away. Some are museum quality and they will last a long time. It could be that 100 years from now there will be more Studio Job products around than Ikea and they are so much bigger.

job and nynke in the studio | photo: t. wolzak

[DA] What is your office environment like?
[JOB] Nynke and I work in a concrete environment, like a bunker. We are surrounded by modern design from the 50s and 60s. I like the period a lot, the post war reconstruction period. If I had lived in the 50s our work would reflect that period. I’m sure if Pierre Jeanneret or Jean Prouvé lived today their work would look so different. That’s what I mean about reflecting time, the work is really a diary. It’s such a tragic thing to be a designer when the only thing we can do is dematerialize. But this can be inspiring, if you can be as less a designer as possible and maybe make art. The conflict of design and art is quite interesting.

[DA] Everything here tonight for Lensvelt are production pieces. Though your body of work includes a great deal of collectables.
[JOB] Studio Job is in the collections of maybe 40 museums. And we have many solos exhibitions around the world. So we enjoy and thrive on limited edition sculptural pieces but we are also invited by producers to create production objects.

[DA] Is the function different with limited vs production.
[JOB] It can be. It really has to do with the working with the brands and their objectives. But our mindset is to push the solutions as far as we can. I see this philosophy in fashion, in haute couture, which has a strong sculptural aspect to it. And haute couture inspires the creation and production of products which still possess the sculptural quality but becomes more reachable to the larger audience.

[ Dutch Profiles ] are short documentaries about architects, graphic, product and fashion designers in the Netherlands. The series debuted in 2009 and there are currently 85 videos plus 10 in production to date.

[design miami basel 2013 ] 10/12> chartres | carpenters workshop gallery | 2013
13/15> black cat | carpenters workshop gallery | 2013

[ neocon 2013 ] 16/17> aftermath | maharam | 2013
18> bavaria | maharam | 2013

[ studio job ] [lensvelt ] [ salone internazionale del mobile ]

W hotels designers of the future 2013. Design miami basel 2013.

Jun 14, 2013

seung-yong song, bethan laura wood and jon stam | click > enlarge

Continuing its commitment to innovation in design, W Hotels Worldwide unveiled the works of the 2013 W Hotels Designers of the Future Award winners during Design Miami/ Basel (June 11-16, 2013). Now in its fourth year, the collaboration between W Hotels and Design Miami/ seeks to give emerging designers a global platform from which to showcase their work.

This year for the first time the three winning designers were sent to specific new or renovating W Hotels to solve a particular design challenge or need. In addition to being showcased at Design Miami/ Basel, the newly commissioned, site-specific works will later be installed at W Hotels in Verbier, where the W brand’s first ski retreat will debut later this year; Bangkok, which opened in December 2012; and Mexico City, which will soon undergo renovation.

“Design has been core to the DNA of the W Hotels brand since our inception in New York City nearly 15 years ago,” said Paul James, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels, St. Regis and The Luxury Collection. “The W Hotels Designers of the Future Award allows us to work with the best emerging design talent from around the world, while providing a global platform of exposure for these young talents during Design Miami/ Basel and beyond.”

For this year’s commission, the winners, including Seung-Yong Song (Korea), Jon Stam (Canada) and Bethan Laura Wood (UK), have unveiled their interpretation of the brief, entitled “Making Connections.” Each designer’s project facilitates exchange between local communities and the international visitors who pass through them, whether for business or leisure. The goal of these projects is to deepen the appreciation for the distinct regional characteristics found in each destination.

“The W Hotels Designers of the Future Award has become an important incubator for emerging talents, allowing the winners to develop a project and directly interact with the receptive audience at Design Miami/ Basel,” said Marianne Goebl, Director of Design Miami/. “This year, the award is brought to yet another level by incorporating a research trip. We are thrilled to see the designers’ experiences reflected in their projects in a meaningful and engaging way.”

[ Making Connections ]
Seung-Yong Song’s Wheeljek Collection was created for W Bangkok and takes its inspiration from the fluidity and flexibility of the city’s ubiquitous street food carts. Observing the ingenuity of the design of this everyday object, Song was struck by the many uses of the carts in the bustling capital; it is at once a means of transporting goods, a kitchen, a restaurant and a bar. His collection takes the street cart concept and transforms it into an object which can be adapted to suit the user’s needs and modified into various forms and sizes, from cart to table to storage.

Designed for W Verbier, Jon Stam’s Claude Glass is an abstract timepiece that captures the landscape of the small Swiss village throughout the seasons. Stam has collaborated with local photographer Guido Perrini to capture Verbier within a digitized black mirror where one can speed up or reverse time by turning the object. As most tourists experience the destination during its world renowned ski season, Claude Glass provides a medium for a different kind of travel, showcasing the picturesque locale all year long.

Bethan Laura Wood’s Crisscross is a glass fixture created for W Mexico City and designed to evoke a cascade of floating flowers. The work combines a range of influences taken from the city, from its colorful markets and graphic displays of flowers to the Aztec-meets-Deco architecture and triple-relief Baroque detailing. Wood has enlisted the specialist skills of two different worlds of glass – artisan Pedro Myver, a Pyrex master in Italy, and Nouvel Studio, the Mexican colored glass specialists – to make work that crosses the boundaries of local and global, acting as a conduit for creative communication.

[ designers of the future ]
Started in 2006 at Design Miami/ Basel, the Designers of the Future Award recognizes up-and-coming designers and studios that are expanding the field of design. Each year, three designers or studios are selected as a way to honor a variety of approaches in the constantly evolving landscape of contemporary design. The Award moves beyond pure product and furniture design to acknowledge technologically and conceptually vanguard pieces that work across multiple disciplines, offering the next generation of design creatives the opportunity to present newly commissioned works to an influential audience of collectors, dealers, and journalists at Design Miami/ Basel.

The W Hotels Designers of the Future Award also draws attention to design practices that exemplify new directions for the design field, and as W Hotels continues to grow globally, the Award provides the W design and innovation teams with access to the world’s brightest talent in contemporary design. The objective for W Hotels is to create a vision of how guests may conceptually interact with cutting-edge and technologically advanced design solutions throughout hotel Living Rooms (the W brand’s re-interpretation of the hotel lobby) and guestrooms globally.

The winners were selected by an international jury that included Jan Boelen of the Design Academy Eindhoven and Z33; Tony Chambers of Wallpaper* magazine; Aric Chen of M+ Museum Hong Kong; Alexis Georgacopoulos of Ecole Cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL); Marianne Goebl of Design Miami/; Benjamin Loyauté, author, curator and journalist; and Mike Tiedy of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, parent company of W Hotels Worldwide.

Qualifying candidates for the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award must have created original works in the fields of furniture, lighting, craft, architecture and/or digital/electronic media. Candidates must have been practicing for less than 15 years and have produced a body of work that demonstrates originality in the creative process, while also exhibiting an interest in working in experimental, non-industrial or limited-edition design.

Previous winners of the W Hotels Designer of the Future Award, including Philippe Malouin, Markus Kayser, Tom Foulsham, Asif Khan, Beta Tank, Graham Hudson, Mischer’Traxler, Random International, Studio Juju and Zigelbaum & Coelho, continue to celebrate their successes. W Hotels guides each award winner from the conceptual stage to a level, which ultimately provides a global platform whereby they can expose their work to guests and design enthusiasts alike.

[ w hotels worldwide ]
W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and the industry innovator with 44 hotels and retreats, including 16 W-branded residences, in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. With more than 14 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to reach 60 hotels by 2017. [ w hotels residences ] @WHotels #WDOF

[ design Miami/ ]
Design Miami/ is the global forum for design. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce. Occurring alongside the Art Basel fairs in Miami, USA each December and Basel, Switzerland each June, Design Miami/ has become the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design. [ design miami blog ] @DesignMiami #DesignMiami

Prima by zaha hadid. Swarovski and vitra design museum.

Jun 5, 2013

Zaha Hadid has created ‘Prima‘ an installation for Swarovski at Vitra Fire Station on the Vitra Campus, Weil am Rhein, Germany. Hadid, is one of the world’s most celebrated architects and the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, the most prestigious award in architecture. For years, her radical designs remained on the drawing board, but the turning point came in 1993 with the opening of the Vitra Fire Station commissioned by Vitra’s founder Rolf Fehlbaum.

Prima will be installed in front of the Fire Station, reflecting and honoring the design process of the building. The project recalls the dynamism of Hadid’s original drawings created for the Vitra Fire Station, exploding in three dimensions from the lines and planes of the paintings and sketches. Its reflective surfaces contain seating for visitors and are illuminated with LED technology.

Hadid comments, “I’m equally proud of all my projects as they each represent different times of my career and periods of research, but I have a particular affection for Vitra Fire Station as it was my first building. Rolf Fehlbaum shares my passion for architecture and was inspired by my early visualizations. He dared to engage me without seeing a prior track record and without the certainty of public success. Returning to Vitra to work with Swarovski on this installation has been a very rewarding experience.”

Painting formed a critical part of Hadid’s early career as the design tool that allowed powerful experimentation in both form and movement – leading to the development of a new language for architecture. Hadid’s interest in the concepts of fragmentation and abstraction is evident throughout her repertoire and continues to this day. Originally engaging with the work of Kazimir Malevich, Hadid translated the warped and anti-gravitational space of Russian avant-garde painting and sculpture into her own unique architectural practice.

Using the advanced design and manufacturing technologies available today, the facets of Prima are a direct translation of the dynamic two-dimensional lines and planes on the canvas, reflecting Hadid’s detailed experimentation to perfect the Fire Station design. The installation continues this research, documenting Hadid’s remarkable journey as an articulator of complexity: a 2D sketch evolves into a workable space, and then into a realized building.

Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, commented: “Zaha is an astonishing force of nature who imparts her designs with power and grace in equal measure. It has been an honour to work with her once again on this exciting celebratory commission. Prima is a dramatic sculptural installation – half art, half furniture, and stunningly beautiful.”

Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman of Vitra, said: “I am happy to have worked with Zaha Hadid at such an early stage of her dazzling career. Her Fire Station is a spectacular building and it looks as impressive now as it did when it was first built. Few other architects would have been able to transform a modest commission like ours into a masterpiece of contemporary architecture. Zaha has been able to do so, thanks to an incredible sense of space and a radically new vision of what architecture can represent.”

[ prima ] is a structure composed of five highly polished components with angled planes, the installation is made from composite materials, and the surfaces are covered in a gun-smoke metal coating. Each component weighs 300 to 500 kg and the overall dimension of the installation is 11 x 8 metres.

zaha hadid and nadja swarovski

[ zaha hadid ] Hadid was born in Baghdad and studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before moving to London to attend the Architectural Association (AA) School. She founded Zaha Hadid Architects in 1979 and completed her first building, the Vitra Fire Station, Germany in 1993. Her dynamic and innovative projects include the MAXXI: National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome, the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games and the Guangzhou Opera House in China. Hadid is currently working on a multitude of projects worldwide including High-Speed train stations in Naples and Durango; the Fiera di Milano masterplan and tower as well as major master-planning projects in Beijing, Bilbao, Istanbul and Singapore. Time magazine included Hadid in their list of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World’ and in 2012, Zaha Hadid was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

[ swarovski ] is a global leader in crystal with a diverse product portfolio that is loved by designers and millions of customers around the world. It brings innovation in jewelry, fashion, beauty, home accessories and collaborates in art, design, fashion, film, stage and screen that challenges emerging and established creative talents to evolve groundbreaking new uses for crystal.

[ vitra design museum ] is dedicated to the research and presentation of design, past and present, and examines the relationship of design to architecture, art and everyday culture. The Museum was founded in 1989 by the company Vitra and its owner Rolf Fehlbaum and is today led by directors Mateo Kries and Marc Zehntner. Mounting two major exhibitions and several more shows, events and workshops per year, it has its headquarters in a building by the Californian architect Frank Gehry, situated within the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. Its extensive collection encompasses key objects of design history, and the estates of several important figures in design (including Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Verner Panton and Alexander Girard).

installation: 12 june > 11 august 2013 | weil am rhein, germany
@swarovski #prima

Top picks. Design miami/ basel 2013.

May 31, 2013

design miami/ basel’s new herzog & de meuron designed home

Collectors, museum representatives, designers, architects and critics select their favorite work from [ Design Miami/ Basel ] 2013’s gallery program

Growth Chair | Mathias Bengtsson | Galerie Maria Wettergren | casted bronze 2012

“Growth Chair is arguably the most ambitious example yet attempted using a ‘digital seed’ that, guided by the designer’s protocols, grows wild in a virtual world.” ~Murray Moss / Principal, Moss Bureau

Wood Fossil Table 01 | Nucleo | Gabrielle Ammann // Gallery | wood and epoxy resin 2012

“As a kid, I collected all kinds of things cast in resin. Later, when I studied at the Cooper Union in New York, I cast my architectural models in resin, and now I am truely fascinated to see this conservation and display technique applied to furniture on a larger scale. It´s the real thing, and yet it holds back from us. It is sentimental. It feels as if it’s from a different time, and yet demands state of the art care and extreme technological control in the production process.” ~ Jürgen Mayer / Architect, J. Mayer H.

Ribbon Chair | Pierre Paulin | Jousse Entreprise | steel-foam & fabric 1966

“I have always loved the ribbon chair for its fluid qualities. To me, it has a great sense of humor. It almost looks like a smiling face.”~Vicente Wolf / Interior Designer

Writing Desk | Finn Juhl | Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery | rosewood, gunmetal & brass 1953

“The writing desk that Finn Juhl designed in 1953 consists of different elements: a drop-leaf made of rosewood, a metal tube supporting structure and a suspended four drawer cabinet. The different elements are clearly legible; Juhl broke with monumental gestures and the idea of material unity as well. Juhl’s writing desk is less organic than other danish design pieces of this time; he succeeded in blending international and danish tendencies. For me the writing desk is one of the most striking and convincing examples of modern design.” ~Hubertus Adam / Director, S AM – Schweizerisches Architekturmuseum

Collectors, museum representatives, designers, architects and critics select their favorite work from Design Miami/ Basel 2013’s gallery program.
Console & Mural | Alberto Giacometti | Galerie Jacques Lacoste | carved marble 1939

“Giacometti’s work in marble is an inspiration to the forms and shapes that can be abstracted from such a material. It allows for the imagination to go beyond what we see.” ~Juan Montoya / Interior Designer

Pair of chairs | Eileen Gray | Galerie Jacques Lacoste | chromium-plated tubular steel frames & leather ca. 1930

“My choice of two elegant chairs designed in the ’30’s by the great Eileen Gray, might have something to do with seeing her recent retrospective exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Artist, designer, architect, Eileen Gray was an anti-conformist and something of a jack-of-all-trades and I was bowled over by her diverse creativity. She was one of a rare breed of outstanding self-made women of her day, considered avant-garde and remarkable for breaking into a male dominated world. Most famous for her iconic lacquer tiled screens and carpets that resemble abstract canvases, even in her mid ’90’s, Miss Gray had an insatiable curiosity and she continue to work exploring and experimenting with new materials when the source of lacquer from China and Japan became scarce. The chromium-plated tubular steel and leather chairs I have selected, are restrained and almost austere. There is no showy flamboyance in their design. Rather a geometric simplicity and presence that has endured the passage of time.” ~Janice Blackburn / Curator and Journalist

Block containers | Sylvain Willenz | Victor Hunt Designart Dealer | cast glass 2012

“I find these to be extraordinary for their simplicity of form. The modern geometric shapes are versatile and add a pop of color to any interior” ~Alexandra Champalimaud / Interior Designer

Maison des Jours Meilleurs | Jean Prouvé | Galerie Patrick Seguin | aluminum & wood 1956

“My favorite of many favorites is the Maison des Jours Meilleurs from Jean Prouvé at Seguin. I love it and would be happy to move in immediately. After all, every day living in it promises to be one of ‘my jours meilleurs’.” ~Sam Keller / Director, Fondation Beyeler

1050 lamp | Gino Sarfatti | Galleria O. | aluminum & polished brass 1951

“The Gino Sarfatti 1050 Lamp looks like a casual constellation of different as found objects: the strange sculptured basement, the yellow spot and the pink round element on the top. These happy fellows form together an ambiguous and ironic presence in the room. It is static but at the same time it looks like it is going to move. It creates a new spatial perception oscillating between balance and instability. Looking at this Lamp you may find yourself wondering if something is wrong about it. There´s no answer. And this doubt makes it perfect.” ~Simona Malvezzi / Architect, Kühn Malvezzi

Ironing board coffee table | Greta Magnusson Grossman | R 20th Century | wood & brass 1952

“I have always been intrigued with designs created in the mid twentieth century. Equally, I enjoy the fact that this particular piece of furniture has drawn its inspiration from an utilitarian object of the everyday life. For me, it is timeless and poetic – it also possesses a sense of unassuming simplicity and is genuinely functional.” ~Andre Fu / Interior Designer, AFSO

[ Design Miami/ Basel ]

Design miami/basel. Highlights 2012.

Jun 19, 2012

galerie jacques lacoste | click > enlarge

The seventh edition of Design Miami/ Basel broke attendance records and sales throughout its seven-day run in Basel, Switzerland June 11-17, 2012. Forty of the world’s leading galleries presented both contemporary and historic design, to 22,000 design collectors and enthusiasts who attended the fair.

demisch danant

galerie BSL

philippe malouin, w hotels designer of the future winner

Design Miami/ Basel’s partners again actively contributed to the fair’s cultural programming, with the Design Perfomance Craftica by Formafantasma for FENDI and Beta by Eyal Burstein for Swarovski Crystal Palace. Perrier Jouët debuted its partnership with Design Miami/ Basel as the official champagne sponsor for the fair and exclusive automotive sponsor Audi provided a VIP shuttle service in the luxurious A8.

[ participating design galleries ]
Caroline Van Hoek / Brussels
Carpenters Workshop Gallery / London & Paris
Cristina Grajales Gallery / New York
Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery / Copenhagen & Paris
Demisch Danant / New York
Didier Ltd / London
Dilmos Milano / Milan
Franck Laigneau / Paris
Gabrielle Ammann // Gallery / Cologne
Galerie Anne-Sophie Duval / Paris
Galerie BSL / Paris
Galerie Chastel-Maréchal / Paris
Galerie Downtown- François Laffanour / Paris
Galerie Dutko / Paris
Galerie Eric Philippe / Paris
Galerie Patrick Seguin / Paris
Galerie Jacques Lacoste / Paris
Galerie kreo / Paris
Galerie Maria Wettergren / Paris
Galerie Perrin / Paris
Galerie Ulrich Fiedler / Berlin
Galleria O. / Rome
Gallery Libby Sellers / London
Gallery SEOMI / Seoul
Heritage Gallery / Moscow
Hostler Burrows / New York
Jacksons / Stockholm & Berlin
Jousse Entreprise / Paris
Nilufar Gallery / Milan
Ornamentum / Hudson
Pierre Marie Giraud / Brussels
Priveekollektie Contemporary Art|Design / Heusden
R 20th Century / New York
Salon 94 / New York
Todd Merrill Twentieth Century / New York

[ design on/site ]
Antonella Villanova / Florence presenting Manfred Bischoff
Armel Soyer / Paris presenting Pierre Gonalons
Erastudio Apartment-Gallery / Milan presenting Vincenzo De Cotiis
Granville Gallery / Paris presenting Matali Crasset
Victor Hunt Designart Dealer / Brussels presenting Humans Since 1982

[ about design miami ]
Design Miami/ is the global forum for design. Each fair brings together the most influential collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics from around the world in celebration of design culture and commerce. Occurring alongside the Art Basel fairs in Miami, USA each December and Basel, Switzerland each June, Design Miami/ has become the premier venue for collecting, exhibiting, discussing and creating collectible design. [ designmiami/ ] [ designmiami/designlog ]

Gallery libby sellers plays games. Design miami/basel & olympics 2012.

Jun 6, 2012

log chess set, peter marigold |2012 | single branch, plywood, graphite. 62 x 62 x 2 cm | click > enlarge

gallery libby sellers is in design miami/basel for the third year in a row, presenting a curated group show themed around the game of chess. the presentation takes as its inspiration an exhibition hosted by the julien levy gallery in new york, 1944, during which Levy, max ernst and marcel duchamp invited a veritable “who’s who” of modernist artists to contribute chess sets, art works and furniture to the exhibition. the curated group show will include specially commissioned works by designers including: fabien cappello, simon hasan, stuart haygarth, paul Kelley, julia lohmann & gero grundmann, peter marigold, rolf sachs

chess set | simon hasan |2012 | patinated brass, screen printed leather, hot rolled steel plate, brass fittings. 60 x 60 x 2 cms

event > design miami/basel 2012
venue > hall 5 messe basel | booth g19 | 4005 basel, switzerland
preview > 11 june 2012 (by invitation only)
open to the public > 12 > 17 June, 2012 | daily from 11am – 7pm

it’s all about the games in london this summer. during the 2012 olympics, gallery libby sellers moves the chess sets to her gallery and titles the show “games” of course.

event > games
venue > gallery libby sellers | 41-42 berners street | london w1t 3nb | +44 (0)20 3384 8785
date > 4 july > 18 august 2012
open to the public > 12 > 17 June, 2012 | daily from 11am – 7pm

[ gallery libby sellers ]

David adjaye. 2011 Designer of the year award.

Sep 8, 2011

photographer ed reeve

Just alerted, Design Miami/, the global forum for design, is pleased to announce that David Adjaye, OBE, Principal Architect of Adjaye Associates, has been selected as this year’s recipient of the Designer of the Year Award.

Each December, the Design Miami/ Designer of the Year Award recognizes an internationally renowned architect, designer, or studio whose body of work demonstrates unmatched quality, innovation and influence, while expanding the boundaries of design. The Designer of the Year must demonstrate a consistent history of outstanding work, along with a significant new project, career milestone, or other noteworthy achievement within the previous twelve months. Past Designer of the Year winners include Zaha Hadid, Marc Newson, Tokujin Yoshioka, the Campana Brothers, Maarten Baas, and Konstantin Grcic.

Adjaye’s use of architecture as a catalyst for generating community, his novel application of materials, and his diverse catalogue of projects that intersect architecture, design and art, complement Design Miami’s objective of creating a forum that advances the discourse surrounding experimental design while encouraging visitors to connect and exchange ideas within its venue.

“Winning Designer of the Year is huge for me,” says Adjaye. “To win an award like this from the design community is really significant because so much of my work is about crossing platforms. Being recognized this year–which culminates in all of the work and research I’ve been doing in Africa–is extremely meaningful.”

installation pavilion “genesis”

Adjaye was chosen by a diverse selection committee comprising individuals who significantly impact international design discourse: Maarten Baas, Baas & Den Herder Studio; Daniel Charny, Design Curator and Critic; Pierre Doze, Design Critic; Marianne Goebl, Director for Design Miami/; Brooke Hodge, Hammer Museum; Ellen Lupton, Maryland Institute of College of Art & Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum; Ravi Naidoo, Design Indaba & Interactive Africa; Deyan Sudjic, Design Museum London; Noriko Takiguchi, Design Critic; Alexander von Vegesack, Vitra Design Museum & Boisbuchet.

Based in London, with offices in Berlin and New York City, Adjaye is one of the world’s leading architects. His ingenious use of materials and unique ability to showcase light coupled with his democratized approach to the architectural process have helped establish his reputation as an architect with an artist’s sensibility and vision. His many worldwide projects include the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO (winner of the 2011 First Prize Public Buildings IX ARCHIP International Architecture Award); The Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver, CO; the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, Norway; flood-resistant houses in New Orleans for Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation; and the Stirling Prize-nominated Idea Stores in London, England. Adjaye’s current projects include the design of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American Culture and History (NMAACH) on the National Mall in Washington, DC, set to open in 2015.

David Adjaye’s belief in working together with artists and other cultural thinkers has led to a number of notable collaborations on both building projects as well as exhibitions. The practice established its early reputation with a series of private houses where the artist was client, and this dialogue continues with recent public buildings, exhibitions and research projects. Adjaye Associates was responsible for: the exhibition design of the all-video SITE Santa Fe Eighth International Biennial Exhibition “the dissolve” (2010); Olafur Eliasson’s “Your black horizon” light installation at the 51st Venice Biennale (2005); and Chris Ofili’s “The Upper Room” exhibited (1999-2002 and 2010), which is now in the permanent collection of Tate Britain. [ edited cameronpr release ]

david adjaye on “genesis”
Designed to provide visitors with an immersive experience, Genesis is a complete environment, which integrates enclosure, aperture, views, respite, meditation and community. Like a giant piece of architectural furniture, the Design Miami/ commission has enabled Adjaye to combine structure, seating, window and doors into a single gesture for the first time.

The pavilion is a triangular prism measuring 10m x 10m x 10m x 3.6m, located at the entrance to the fair. It leads visitors to the courtyard space upon arrival, ushering people inside. It is also the point of departure, and is a final gathering space as visitors leave the fair, with its curved window offering strategic views of the galleries. Comprising a series of timber frames that form the roof, flooring and walls, these elements work together and through compression, provide the overall structure.

The internal space is formed by carving out an oversized ovoid shape from the centre. This distorted shape is set at an angle and abuts the perimeter to form the exit, entrance and window. The seating is established by a secondary subtraction from the interior – which repeats the distorted ovoid, creating a platform along the cut-away timber frames. While compressed and joined together with additional filler pieces, the timber frames are not completely fused. This allows light to filter inside from the exterior and roof, providing a dynamic filigree of light and shadow. Light is further brought inside via an opening in the roof, which acts as a dramatic light well.

designer: david adjaye

design/miami—schedule of events
design miami/ 30 november – 4 december
public admission: 12p-8p daily | 12p-6p sunday
preview (by invitation only): 29 november
vernissage: 29 november | 6-10pm

about design/miami
This seventh edition of Design Miami/ features worldwide galleries specializing in 20th and 21st century collectible design. Design Miami/ annual shows in Basel (June) and Miami (December) bring together worldwide collectors, gallerists, designers, curators and critics. [ design/miami ] [ design/miami blog ]

Design miami/basel 2011. R 20th century gallery.

Jun 17, 2011

Founded by Zesty Meyers and Evan Snyderman, R 20th Century Gallery is internationally recognized for its curatorial acumen and deep knowledge of mid-20th century and contemporary design. For Design Miami/ Basel 2011, they will present a selection of works by significant 20th and 21st century designers including Jose Zanine, Greta Magnusson Grossman, Jeff Zimmerman, and Bae Sehwa. Among the works on display will be several unique pieces by Joaquim Tenreiro, which were commissioned for a home in the Flamengo district of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

[ via design miami/ | @DesignMiamiBlog | facebook ]

Design miami/basel 2011. Carpenters workshop gallery.

Jun 16, 2011

Carpenters Workshop Gallery expands the boundaries of design by uniting and transcending the contested categories of conceptual functional sculpture through thought-provoking exhibitions. At Design Miami/ Basel, Carpenters Workshop will present a privately commissioned new chandelier by Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn from Drift. Other highlights will include Atelier Van Lieshout’s Thin Man, a bench/sculpture that serves as Van Lieshout’s exploration into the ways in which Anglo-Saxon and European society sit on the back of the Third World; and works by Vincent Dubourg which fuse furniture, architecture, and sculpture.

[ via design miami/ | @DesignMiamiBlog | facebook ]

2011 designers of the future award. Design miami/basel. W hotels.

May 11, 2011

left: west beach cafe | asif khan | photo julian abrams

Since 2006, the Designers of the Future Award has honored emerging designers and studios. Each year, multiple designers are recognized as a way to honor a variety of approaches in the constantly evolving landscape of contemporary design. The award moves beyond pure product and furniture design to acknowledge technologically and conceptually vanguard pieces that work across multiple disciplines. The goal of the award provides next-generation design creatives the opportunity to present their works to a wide-ranging audience of collectors, dealers and journalists at Design Miami/Basel, while drawing attention to new directions in design.

The W Hotels and Design Miami/ Basel partnership allows winning designers the opportunity to exhibit their projects at W Hotels around the globe following the first presentation at the Design Miami/ Basel fair in June. The winners are: asif khan (uk) | mischer’traxler (australia) | studio juju (singapore)

designers: asif khan | mischer’traxler | studio juju

schedule of events
Design Miami/ Basel 14-18 June 2011
Public Hours of Admission 11a-7p daily
VIP Opening (invitation only): 13 June
Press Preview: 13 June 3-6p [ pre-register online ] Vernissage: 13 June 6-10p
Nocturne (invitation only): 16 June 7-9p

about design miami/
Design Miami/ is the most prominent and substantive forum for collectible design, representing a convergence of commerce and culture. Its annual shows in Basel, Switzerland (June) and Miami, USA (December) bring together the most influential galleries, collectors, designers, critics and curators from around the world. [ details ]

Design Miami/ Basel is presented in partnership with HSBC Private Bank, whose dedication to innovative international design is an example of its emphasis on the value of connections.

about w hotels worldwide
W Hotels is a contemporary, design-led lifestyle brand and the industry innovator with 41 hotels and retreats in the most vibrant cities and exotic destinations around the world. With more than 12 years of proven success, W Hotels is on track to reach more than 50 hotels by the end of 2012. W Hotels and W Retreats have been announced for Paris, St. Petersburg, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Bangkok, Athens – Astir Palace, and Verbier, among other international destinations. [ details ]