Collective Design Selects Johanna Grawunder as 2018 Collective Influence Honoree and Adds Large Scale Installations to Roster
Collective Design is pleased to announce that this year’s Collective Influence honoree is Milan-based designer and architect Johanna Grawunder. Ms. Grawunder will be presenting a special exhibition entitled Object Permanence at the sixth edition of the fair to be held at Skylight Clarkson North, March 9-11, during Armory Arts Week.
Collective Influence is a signature element of the Collective Design fair that honors the outstanding impact of a living designer or studio each year. The program was established during Collective Design’s first fair in 2013 with the celebration of Gaetano Pesce and is central to Collective Design’s mission to highlight the creative process and emphasize how design is integral to everyday life.
For this edition, Ms. Grawunder, represented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery, will present a selection of lights and furniture that spans from the limited-edition collections Big Sky (2012) and No Whining on the Yacht (2013) to new pieces like Gioster (2017). Gioster is inspired by modernist geometry, from Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion with its walls and divisions that sometimes do not quite touch floor or ceiling, to Craig Ellwood’s Palevsky house and other masterpieces.
Shedding light on her presentation, Grawunder explains, “We often associate modernism with boxes, but the sculptural qualities still have much to offer. I have been collaborating with Carpenters Workshop Gallery since 2011 and am thrilled to be presenting as this year’s Collective Influence honoree at Collective Design.”
In addition to presenting its Collective Influence installation, Collective Design has also welcomed a prestigious group of partners that will expand upon the fair’s diverse programming as well as confirmed an expanded list of featured exhibitors for 2018:
Collective Features
Collective Features invites innovative designers and artists to respond to the extraordinary space of the fair, to create unique experiences for our visitors. The result is a series of large-scale, site-specific installations that have been commissioned from some of the most exciting voices in the field. Previously announced installations from Kristen Wentrcek / Andrew Zebulon (formerly Wintercheck Factory), Reunion and presentations by interior designers Ryan Korban, Alex Papachristidis, and Jamie Bush under the new POV program are joined by commissioned works from the innovative group of architects, designers, and artists listed below.
Alex Schweder – Schweder presents a new commission, “Davenports Yawn,” in collaboration with Davide Quadrio at Alcantara.  Made especially for Collective Design, it offers the gift of respite to guests of the fair, who can recline, two at a time, on a sofa-like form. The experiential installation then slowly inflates and deflates, shifting the guests’ position and perception. Creatively coined “Performance Architecture,” Schweder’s practice straddles the boundary between art and design.
Justin Morin – Based on the movie Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters by Paul Schrader, Morin’s installation is composed of four large-scale, diaphanous tulle curtains, each reflecting the different parts of the film: the prologue, the first act (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion), the second act (Kyoko’s House) and the last one (Runaway Horses). In the space of the fair, the curtains will create a very simple and colorful maze inspired by the production and complexity of the film, made possible by a collaboration with Swiss textile company, 4Spaces.
VIP Lounge – – Leonidas Trampoukis and Eleni Petaloti of OBJECTS OF COMMON INTEREST and LOT office for architecture will design the VIP Lounge at Collective Design. Custom glass blocks transform the lounge into a textural and abstract still life installation. Formations of glass brick furniture are scattered in space to form seating arrangements atop islands of warm, earth tones and textures. A white wide-meshed net surrounding the lounge, creates a permeable boundary, revealing glimpses of the movement within.
“Oasis” – Landscape designer Brook Klausing and spatial practitioner Jesse Seegers will collaborate on an oasis desert landscape for Collective Design, populated by an ethereal environment of inhabitable inflatable spaces. The installation aims to create an air of mystery via passage through a dream-like space of tranquility. Attendees are invited to question assumptions about comfort and their familiarity with the built environment versus nature. Furnishings by Natural Workshop provide moments of respite and an opportunity to reflect on our relationship to natural materials and landscapes.
Partners
Galerie is Collective Design’s Lead Media Partner for 2018 and co-host for its VIP Preview. Galerie is a quarterly magazine that engages readers who share a passion for art and design. Its distinctive coverage informs and inspires—delivering the finest in art, interiors, architecture, and lifestyle, plus compelling creative talents and fascinating destinations.
1stdibs has joined Collective Design as the Official Online Partner. 1stdibs is the online platform that connects the world’s best dealers, finest shops, and most important galleries with individuals like you: the world’s most sophisticated collectors, designers and curators. It is the global destination for those who must have ‘first dibs’ on treasures — from around the world — that would otherwise be inaccessible.
EDITION Hotels will return as the Official Hotel Partner of Collective Design. EDITION, conceived by Ian Schrager, emphasizes great design and true innovation with friendly, modern service. The hotel continues to host special off-site events and programs for Collective Design, bringing together their creative audiences.
Bang & Olufsen is the fair’s Innovation Partner. The brand’s legacy is marked by the marriage of art and technology, with over 90 years of iconic aesthetic production and unrivaled acoustic experience. Their products blend seamlessly into this context with their commitment to design and use of luxury fabrics and materials.
Cultural partners include: AIA New York, Be Original Americas, Children’s Museum of the Arts, Cooper Hewitt, Museum of Arts and Design, Urban Glass, and Open House New York.
Continuing its commitment to Educational Partners, Collective Design welcomes Bard Graduate Center, New York School of Interior Design, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, School of Visual Arts, and American Society of Interior Designers.
ABOUT COLLECTIVE DESIGN
Based in New York City and active in the creative community throughout the year, Collective Design culminates in its annual fair each spring. Building upon a growing audience for collectible design and art, Collective Design showcases masterworks of the 20th and 21st centuries alongside experimental works from the next generation of global talent. The fair illuminates both the design process and the diversity of our material culture, promoting a spirit of discovery that resonates with new and seasoned collectors alike.
Collective Design is preparing a new vision for the 2018 edition of the fair, exploring the boundaries between art and design. Continuing to encourage thoughtful, tightly curated presentations, the fair will present several immersive installations and a series of large-scale, site-specific installations that have been commissioned from some of the most exciting voices in the field.
