Collective Design Fair Demisch Danant booth
The Todd Merrill Studio Contemporary booth offers unique new works, curated and commissioned by the esteemed dealer. Photo: Liz Ligon, courtesy of Collective Design Fair
Chosen by AD Daily as “10 perfect pieces from Collective Design Fair” Sleeping Girl, 2012, (left) and Hanging Girl, 2013, by the New Yorkโbased sculptor Beth Katleman. Shown by Todd Merrill Studio Contemporary.
Chosen by AD Daily as “10 perfect pieces from Collective Design Fair” Mollusque low table, 2012, by English furniture maker Marc Fish. Shown by Todd Merrill Studio Contemporary.
THE NEW COLLECTIVE DESIGN FAIR OPENS IN NEW YORK
Text by Samuel Cochran |ย May 9, 2013
In the weeks leading up to Collective, a new Manhattan design fair that launched May 8 and runs through May 11, some wondered whether the city really needed another such showcase. The answer, as the inaugural edition proves, is a resounding yes. Mounted at Hudson River Parkโs Pier 57โand nicely manageable, with 23 dealer boothsโCollective presents a carefully considered assortment of 20th- and 21st-century treasures. (In scale and scope the event resembles the celebrated Design Miami series, distinguishing itself from New Yorkโs International Contemporary Furniture Fair, which will be held later this month.) Collectiveโs impressive mix ranges from the pedigreed to the playful, with vintage pieces by Mathieu Matรฉgot, Serge Mouille, and Jean Prouvรฉ installed alongside New Yorkโbased artist Beth Katlemanโs porcelain interpretations of toile and tattoo luminary Scott Campbellโs charred arabesque panels. During the VIP preview, AD100 decorators Muriel Brandolini, Waldo Fernandez, and Alan Wanzenberg could be seen admiring the array.
Complementing the dealer booths are satellite exhibitions, among them a display of woven-fiber seating by Dana Barnes Studio and a show on Italian architect and design maestro Gaetano Pesce. Even the pop-up cafรฉ, with its fleet of rugged chairs by BDDW, was the subject of adoration.
The festivities come to a head on Saturday during a Ping-Pong tournament organized by online art space Grey Area and hosted by the cutting-edge Brooklyn firm Snarkitecture. The thought of balls flying past Prouvรฉ pieces offers a refreshing reminder that design doesnโt have to be about whatโs necessaryโit can also be about whatโs fun.
Click to see 10 perfect pieces from Collective Design Fair.
