The 17th edition of Design Miami loosely explores the theme of “Human Kind”, or how design can lead to a more conscious state of being. Curated by the fair’s new curatorial director Wava Carpenter, the event features displays by more than 40 exhibitors as well as a host of collaborative projects. From a geodesic dome designed to welcome mind-altering aliens to an arty sink, here is our pick of works from Design Miami.
Photographs by Eric Thayer
Daniel Arsham x Kohler, Stone Flow
The US artist crafted this colossal installation to complement a sink he designed in collaboration with the Kohler foundry in Wisconsin, which uses a new 3D-printing technique of vitreous ceramic. In celebration of Design Miami/ 2021, Kohler has made a contribution to DigDeep, a nonprofit working to bring clean water to families on the Navajo Nation.
Atra
“This is Atra, earth year 2100,” says a spokesman for the Mexico City and Los Angeles-based studio. “It’s a utopian vision of the future where technological advances in humanity have led us to solving many of our problems... Humans are progressing and travelling through these places in comfort, made from natural materials that are sleek and meditative.”
Frank Lloyd Wright, Window from the J.J. Walser Jr. House in Oak Park, Illinois (around 1904) at Bernard Goldberg
The dealer is offering two works by Wright, including this window, one of the earliest examples of his chevron designs, extracted from the J.J. Walser Jr. House in Illinois. The home inspired the Barton House in Buffalo, with both featuring the architect’s distinctive chevron windows.
Samuel Ross, SIGNAL, RUPTURE and AMORPHOUS STRAND series at Friedman Benda
A protégé of the late designer Virgil Abloh—the subject of tributes throughout Miami this week—the UK designer Samuel Ross draws from a rich range of references, from Brutalism to the African diaspora. He aims to “alter consciousness” amid an “attention-starved economy”, says the curator Glenn Adamson.
Wendell Castle, Chest of Drawers (1962) at R & Company
The late US designer made this eclectic cabinet with twisting tendrils in 1962—a pivotal period in his career as he shifted his focus from industrial design to sculpture. The handmade piece is one of three masterworks from the era and “one of the most important—if not the most important—piece on the floor this year”, says the fair’s chief executive, Jennifer Roberts.
Zizipho Poswa, Andile Dyalvane, Madoda Fani and Chuma Maweni, new ceramic works, at Southern Guild
The Cape Town-based gallery is showing a series of newly commissioned ceramic works by the artists Andile Dyalvane, Zizipho Poswa (works pictured), Madoda Fani and Chuma Maweni that are inspired by South Africa’s Xhosa culture and spirituality. The stand won best in show at Design Miami.