DESIGN EXHIBITS
SPONSORED BY BOND Studio and the New York Chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA.NYC), SURFACE MAGAZINE, OLIGHTING, AND ISAORA
NEW YORK DESIGN WEEK
MILK STUDIOS and The 414 GALLERY
MEATPACKING DISTRICT INTIATIVE (MPDI)-MAY 17th, 2009
6:00PM
Words by Judith Ecochard
Images from Bond, ISDA: NYC & J. Ecochard
This year’s edition of New York City’s Design Week and the Meatpacking District's Design venues had the frenetic buzz of the granddaddy of all contemporary/industrial design fests---the one in Milan.
It wasn’t just the packed venues serving up engaging exhibits (and cocktails) after the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) at the Javits Convention Center had closed for the day.
Or the impossibly chic eye candy crowd of New Yorkers, ex pats, Europeans and other international exhibitors who donned their sleekest black attire to see what’s new in product design, fashion and lighting.
For us, it was the intelligent thought that underpins innovative design and architectural mashups---- “reflecting the Meatpacking District’s multi-disciplinary allure,” according to Abe Gurko, producer of MPDI…that had our brain cells all fire up.
We began the picture perfect weather night with a familiar event space, the spacious Milk Gallery Studios-a venue for several NY Fashion Week runway shows. We got there soon after the 6PM start time…and already a crowd was on hand, taking in the ten design project/objects with the intense zeal that reminded us of our undergrad days- when we once engaged in daily intellectual discourses on IDEAS.
Curiously, that may not have been the point of this exhibit--- for an oversized placard smack dab at the entrance proclaimed:
“Over-analyzing things tends to be
the natural reaction in increasingly
complicated times. The pressure
to fix problems hinders the need
to rethink problems."
OKAY
BOND BeLowTech is a multi-discipline design studio founded by the congenial and clearly smarter than us---Joe Doucet. (Fashion Note: he was wearing a Patrick McGoohan Number Six style elegant jacket in beige)
As soon as we scored a glass of wine (hey, it was a LONG day), we wandered around the space and actually admired the “fundamental application of design and thought”...that “address life’s complexities through a lens of simplicity and invention.”
Our favorite object, the BLACKBOX SMS PRINTER,(pic above), is a credit card receit type portable device that prints out a double ‘sales slip’ copy of IM or text messages via a plug into a phone or laptop. With the quip “…a paperless society sounds good only on paper…” we envision gazillions of cheating spouses, boy/girlfriends, and conveyors of illegal substances now having to worry about hard copy evidence of their bonnes mots---previously only available by legal subpoena.
We also admired the HAND DRIVING GLOVES by Doucet that allows a visible one finger salute…thereby “allowing the motorists to tell others to get a grip without losing their grip.".
Matthias Kaeding sourced Neolithic times for his CERAMIC COOKING KNIVES shaped liked Stone Age tools. Depending on the task, the basic multi-tasking utensils can be turned for sharper edges. And the knife will certainly slip by metal detectors…our concern, actually even though we admired the utilitarian genius of it.
INFO BOND STUDIO
A short stroll away, we arrived at the 414 Gallery (414 West 14th Street) space that conjured up a rewind back to jam packed Rave events---except, of course with a better dressed, better smelling crowd, a few less smiley faces…and a DJ was spinning toe tap-pers at a few decibels less.
But there were neon blue snowcones---that could’ve had us glowing in the dark.
A visual and design experience, we enjoyed/admired the exhibits of modern furniture, lighting, ceramics, and cutting edge fashion. There was also a section devoted to Brazil from IDEA/BRASIL with our fav-Havianas flip-flops on display.
Other highlights were Jeff Jenkins X&O Nesting Tables and Ana Linares' Velora Candle Holders.
Very Cool…and we hope accessibly priced if put into production. Which should quell the opines of design snobs questioning the innovative aspects of it all. Gee, if no one ever uses any of it with some kind of ease …what’s the point IMHO.
STREET LOUNGE-OUTDOOR SEATING BY ROYAL BOTANIA
Spice Market Square, 13th & 9th Avenue
Image Judith Ecochard