Art Basel 2019: Design Miami/
Art Basel comes to Miami once a year and it’s like the Super Bowl for the design world. Its a global forum, where collectors, designers, and art-lovers alike come together to check out the new and exciting world of design. Most of Art Basel (or Art Miami) is more than just a marketplace, its where the world’s top galleries gather to present museum-quality exhibitions. It’s always difficult to narrow down the best work, but this year was especially hard — there was SO much going on. Plus if you’re like me and tried to cram it all in a day or two… it’s hard to take it all in. Luckily I had my team to help me during Day 2 at Design Miami/.
Beats by Fernando Laposse (Design Miami/ 2019)
Design Miami/
Last day of Art Basel, I spent my Sunday morning at Design Miami/ surrounded by the world’s best collections all under one tent.
Known as the sister fair to the Art Basel: Miami Beach, it is directly across the street from the Convention Center. Design Miami/ “balances exclusive commercial opportunities with progressive cultural programming” basically they create an opportunity for collaborations between designers and design institutions, in all aspects of design: architecture, art, fashion, decor, products.. etc. Plus Design Miami/ hosts a variety of panels and lectures with the design world — so it was a lot going on in this tent. Thankfully I had my Basel team (aka: hubby + cousin) to keep me company as we explored. Upon entering Design Miami/, a grouping of Instagram-worthy Pink Beasts, by artist Fernando Laposse in collaboration with fiber artist Angela Damman, hung to welcome visitors. Which we, of course, laid in the hammocks and took photos with. Pink Beasts (and Fendi Roman Molds) were among the most talked-about / insta-photographed creations at the fair.
This year the fair had an interesting theme, an environmental approach, through the “Elements: Water” which many of the collections translated in their presentations. Very similar to having an art concept, a few notable on-theme presentations were: Swarovski’s presentation Water, Lexus’ The Sunshower, and Evian’s One Drop Can Make a Rainbow (each a collaboration with an artist or designer). Other themes also emerged that forged “conceptual foundations linking designers of the past with those of the future”; such as Marcel Wander’s folding lounge chair for Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades.
FENDI presents Roman Molds by Kueng Caputo
Like walking on a cloud or a dream — Roman Molds, a collection from Zurich-based design studio Kueng Caputo, combines FENDI’s iconic “Roman leather and versatile, unpretentious terracotta brick in ten pieces meant to be building blocks that in multiplication create a series of intimate rooms” for socializing and exploring the grand loggias of FENDI’s HQ in Rome, the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. The exhibit was so beautiful and probably the backdrop for most Instagram photos at Design Miami/ this year.
Lexus presents The Sunshower by Nao Tamura
This installation brought the relaxing beauty of sunshowers (rainbow colored rain in the sun) and the brand’s ideology in “omotenashi (hospitality), takumi (artisans), and the indoor-outdoor philosophy of engawa”. At the center of this relaxing space was a Lexus LC Convertible, a “vehicle that dazzles in rain, shine — or both”. There we had samples of ooho, an innovative water capsule made of seaweed extract. One was plain water and another sample was water infused with floral ——. Quite the sensational experience, ooho explodes in your mouth, and yet has a calming effect.
Swarovski Presents Water
Water is fundamental to the Swarovski business which uses the Alpine rivers that provided the energy and fresh water supplies essential to crystal production. In 2000 the company established Swarovski Waterschool, a community investment program that inspires present and future generations to practice sustainable water use. This installation explored Swarovski’s longstanding and extensive work in water stewardship and education. The installation is an escape from the noise of Art Basel into a green rain forest with crystal “water” droplets hung above you.
Miami Design District presents Pink Beasts by Fernando Laposse
The Miami Design District is no stranger to art & design. Bordering Miami’s art districts (Wynwood), MDD is home to upscale boutiues in a walk-able 6-block radius full of artistic installations and sculptures. For Design Miami/, MDD has chosen the London-based Mexican designer, Fernando Laposse, for their “2019 Neighborhood Commission, where he debuted Pink Beasts: long, pink sisal tassels, hammocks, and sloths suspended through the trees”. To become the main entrance piece and one of the most talked-about / insta-photographed creations at the fair.
Louis Vuitton Presents Objets Nomades
Louis Vuitton continues to “transport its heritage into new territory with an enriched Objets Nomades collection of foldable furniture and travel accessories”. The design house dominates in fashion and design — both of which I consider an art form in itself. So when it comes to furniture design they did not disappoint, because how cool would it be to own this trunk coffee table! There are now 17 Objets Nomades.
Always reinventing itself, Louis Vuitton has collaborated with some of the most creative up-and-coming and established designers working today. Paying homage to the House’s special pieces of the past, such as the iconic Bed Trunk which is translated into a new contemporary interpretation for the Lounge Chair. Marcel Wanders: the Lounge Chair, was new to this year’s presentation, is “an unfolding and portable oasis for relaxation. The three individual modules fit into each other like a puzzle” according to Wanders.
The funky, experimental, and artistic furniture pieces weren’t the only ones that stood out this year. Most of us were stopped in our tracks curiously trying to understand (what I found out is) a clock! Made up of rotating planes, the pieces move to create individual numbers (much like a digital clock number). The 15:30 also known as 3:20 pm, was the time I took the photo pictured. Alls fun at Design Miami/ every year, the exhibits are a different experience, and they never disappoint.
Friedman Benda (Design Miami 2019)