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      Space Caviar creates “liquid landscape” inside Uzbekistan pavilion at Venice Art Biennale

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      Italian studio Space Caviar has constructed Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge, an indoor garden with reflective steel steps for the Uzbekistan pavilion at this year’s Venice Art Biennale.

      The installation at the Uzbekistan National Pavilion mirrors the interiors of the Quarta Tesa, an old shipbuilding warehouse at the Arsenale – one of the international contemporary art exhibition’s two main sites.
      Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge is the country’s first pavilion at the Venice Art BiennaleThe layout of the 500-square-metre garden is informed by the garden at the House of Wisdom, an academic centre in 9th-century Baghdad where medieval scholars, including the renowned Persian mathematician Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, studied.
      Visitors at the 59th Venice Art Biennale can walk across the shiny floor of the installation and sit on glossy steps around what resemble traditional water basins.
      Space Caviar drew on the forms of historic Islamic gardens”Gardens are very important in the tradition of Islam and the Arabic tradition in many parts of Central Asia,” said Joseph Grima, co-founder of architectural research studio Space Caviar.

      “While today we’re accustomed to thinking of buildings and enclosed spaces such as research labs and universities as the space for the production of knowledge, in the days of al-Khwarizmi, gardens were typically the points of encounters, of discussion,” Grima told Dezeen.
      The pavilion is inside the Venice ArsenaleSpace Caviar constructed the interiors of Uzbekistan’s first pavilion at the Biennale in Venice from pine wood and sheets of stainless steel, which Grima chose to create the illusion of water.
      The material choice also means that when the installation is dismantled at the end of the seven-month-long Biennale, the steel can be melted and turned back into metal sheets once again.
      Stainless steel covers the floor”Stainless steel was chosen to create the effect of walking on water — one of the perceptions that you have when you are inside the pavilion is that you are in a liquid landscape,” Grima explained.
      “This was one of the effects that we wanted to achieve with the pavilion, we wanted to create a landscape that was kind of a miracle, that suggested a dream more than a literal garden,” he added.
      “We see it as a technologically augmented landscape in that sense.”

      Watch our live talk on non-extractive architecture with Joseph Grima

      Throughout the Venice Art Biennale, the Uzbekistan pavilion will host a program of workshops and public events on the history of technological development in art with digital artists such as Andrés Reisinger.
      Visitors will also be able to listen to Uzbek piano compositions against a backdrop of floral sculptures and hanging clouds of sea lavender by Berlin-based Studio Mary Lennox.
      The steel will be melted into sheets and reused when the pavilion is dismantled”We tried to transform our pavilion into an Islamic garden so that visitors could sit by the water, listen to various sounds, smell the air and enjoy the botanic installation,” said Gayane Umerova, executive director of the art and culture development foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
      “The Islamic garden is a place of rest and reflection par excellence, it provides means for contemplation through sensory experience – aromas, plants, water,” she told Dezeen.
      “Undulating waters and ambiguous lines together with plants and smooth surfaces offer a meditative yet contemporary attitude to the interior of the pavilion, bringing together traditions and new technologies,” she continued.
      Bunches of sea lavender hang from the ceilingGenoa-based Space Caviar was founded by Joseph Grima and Tamar Shafrir in 2013. The studio focuses on the intersection between design, technology, critical theory and the public space.
      Previous projects have included an algorithmic journalism machine that produces magazines on the fly and an exhibition at Biennale Interieur that explored how perspectives on the home have changed over time.
      Last year Grima took part in the Dezeen 15 virtual festival, where he proposed a new type of non-extractive architecture that conserves the earth’s resources.
      Photography is by Gerda Studio.
      Project credits:Curation: Space Caviar and Sheida GhomashchiCommissioner: Gayane Umerova
      Venice Art Biennale takes place from April 23 to November 27 in Venice. See Dezeen Events Guide for up-to-date details of architecture and design events around the world.

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      Space Perspective reveals design for “world's first” space lounge

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      Space tourism company Space Perspective has revealed the interior design for its lounge-style travel capsule, which will be hauled into the stratosphere by a giant balloon.

      Created in-house for the company’s Spaceship Neptune, the cabin has room for up to eight passengers.
      Space Perspective has dubbed it “the world’s first space lounge” and said it wanted the interior to be distinct from typical spacecraft, with elements such as reclining and reconfigurable seats, plants and sustainable materials and a small cocktail bar.
      It will form the interior of a pressurised capsule attached to a high-performance balloon and was designed to give the maximum view of its surroundings.
      The space lounge is located within the Spaceship Neptune capsule, which is lifted via a giant balloon”Our mission is to inspire Space Explorers to connect more closely with our planet and each other, and the environment in which they travel with us is central to this,” said Space Perspective co-founder, co-CEO and chief experience officer Jane Poynter.

      “Our Space Lounge is a world away from the white, utilitarian environments you find in other spacecraft.”
      The Neptune space lounge is wrapped in 1.5-metre-high panoramic windows that Space Perspective says are the largest windows ever flown to space, and which it claims will provide a view that appears seamless to the human eye.
      The lounge is designed to optimise the viewing experience of the Spaceship Neptune’s six-hour space flightThe main purpose of the interior design is to support the enjoyment of this view. The seats can be reconfigured to host activities such as an intimate dinner for two or a small party, while the centre of the capsule is kept open to accommodate group photography.
      A separate bar area with multiple windows and a different look and feel gives guests a destination to explore beyond their seats.
      The design team physically trialled hundreds of layouts within a mockup before landing on the final configuration.
      “The biggest challenge of designing the interior was to create a multipurpose space that gives users the flexibility to not only sit and enjoy the view but celebrate and share with others,” Space Perspective co-founder, co-CEO and CTO Taber MacCallum, who oversees the in-house design team, told Dezeen.
      The space lounge’s seating can be reconfigured for different occasions and moods”We worked hard within the footprint to make the space feel as large and generous as possible, and this is accentuated by the domed ceiling that makes the space feel airy and luxurious,” he continued.
      “We’ve also added a multitude of activities for explorers during the flight, including a telescope, podcasts from astronauts, cameras on the inside and outside, small molecular gastronomy meals and inventive space cocktails.”

      “Every self-respecting spaceship should have a bar” says CEO of space tourism company

      To reduce reflections in the windows and visual glare from the intensity of the light at full altitude – 100,000 feet up – there is a dark, muted, blue-based colour palette, enhanced by RGB lighting.
      “Our colour palette is a reflection of the view outside, with astronauts reporting having seen extremely vivid blues and purples at this altitude,” MacCallum said.
      The space lounge is decorated in a muted colour palette on the blue spectrum to avoid reflection and glare”We wanted to create a space that feels both feels warm and homely, but still adventurous and out of this world,” he added.
      While some of the decor is tech-focused, such as an overhead “doughnut” screen displaying information, there are also domestic touches such as floor lamps, plants and herbs including lavender, basil and rosemary, which will be used in the food and drinks.
      The materials chosen are soft and tactile, with a focus on sustainability that mirrors Space Perspective’s mission to limit environmental impact, as its hydrogen balloon technology avoids the high greenhouse gas emissions typically associated with space travel.
      The separate bar area includes a telescopeThe bar top is made from proprietary materials recycled from the company’s SpaceBalloon, while the interior is lined with soft, padded, insulating recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) microcloth, and the lounge seats are upholstered in all-natural wool.
      Copper details are intended to bring warmth and were also chosen for their resistance to bacteria. They echo the copper tone on Neptune’s exterior windows, which helps to reduce light intensity.
      The cabin has 360-degree panoramic windowsSpace Perspective has also announced the appointment of David Grutman, who created The Goodtime Hotel with musician Pharrell Williams, as its”experience curator”.
      He will advise on the overall experience design, as well as customisation possibilities for occasions such as birthdays and corporate getaways.
      Space Perspective’s six-hour space flights will lift off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with tickets prices set at $125,000 per person. The company expects to commence commercial flights in late 2024 and places are already sold out for the first year.
      The exterior of the two-part spacecraft was designed by PriestmanGoode and revealed in 2020.

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      Inventing Anna interiors “richer” versions of their real New York counterparts

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      Production designer Henry Dunn drew on locations across New York to create a set that reflects the different social classes that the protagonist of the Netflix series Inventing Anna traverses.

      The head office of media publication New York Magazine, Rikers Island jail and the 11 Howard hotel in Soho all appear as exaggerated versions on the 11-episode series which was released on February 11 2022.
      “Our thinking all the way through this was the different varieties of wealth and the different types of socio-economic classes that Anna travels through,” Dunn told Dezeen.
      “We’re trying to sort of hit all of these different types of wealth and the disparities as best we could.”
      Henry Dunn created lavish sets for the upper-class charactersThe series is a dramatisation of journalist Jessica Pressler’s quest to write How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People, an article for the New York Magazine that went viral after exposing the antics of the now-convicted fake heiress Anna Delvey, who’s real name is Anna Sorokin.

      Created by American television producer Shonda Rhimes, Inventing Anna follows the lead up to Sorokin’s trial, while simultaneously going back in time to illustrate her actions.
      To recreate the main locations Sorokin visited and lived in while galavanting around New York, Dunn decided to make sets both in-situ and from scratch at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, New York, a feat which Dunn describes as “a balancing act”.
      Expensive furnishings and finishes symbolize wealth”We started at the very beginning of 2019 and we had some big beautiful stages at Steiner Studios but we realised that we didn’t have enough space for all of the things that we needed to build,” Dunn explained.
      “We were very much trying to illustrate that there’s old money and then there’s art money and then there’s real money, which is the tech billionaires.”
      For the wealthiest character, the production team sourced six different wallpapersThe home of one of the wealthiest characters in the series belongs to Nora, a woman who Dunn refers to as “a real art person who’s loaded with dough”. It is one of the most featured sets in the series.
      Using research gathered from people who reside in New York apartments, Dunn built a duplex designed to look like a large townhouse in New York.
      According to the designer, Nora’s status is best symbolised in the furnishings and decor that adorn the set.
      “The way we really nailed her [Nora’s] place on the socio-economic ladder was in the finishes: whether it was the Venetian plaster, the antiques, the wallpaper or even the backsplash in her kitchen which is a tile that isn’t affordable to normal humans,” Dunn explained.
      “Nora’s house had maybe five or six different wallpapers, including the ones up in the up in the guest bedroom, where Anna is living,” he added.
      Some sets were created in buildings in New YorkTo further establish Nora’s status in the upper echelons of society, the designer worked with an art specialist to source paintings by artists such as Michel Basquiat and Yves Klein for the interior decoration.
      “We had a wonderful person working with us for arts clearance and so we were able to get all these artists that would have been untouchable that we had to build,” said Dunn.
      “Obviously, it’s not the real thing but they would send us a high-resolution file and then we would repeat over it so you could see the brushstrokes,” he continued.
      “Having that sense of legitimacy meant that people understood that this well-curated piece of character-dressing is meant to tell you who this woman is.”
      Others were built at Steiner StudiosBy contrast, Dunn wanted the journalist’s home to seem “a little dumpy” to help viewers recognise her lower social status. Her home appears cluttered and ordinary – serving to cement her position in New York society.
      “We built Vivian’s house on stage – it’s not a very big apartment and we were trying to make it as realistic as possible for two people who are expecting a baby,” he said.
      The journalist’s home is designed to contrast the expensive homesCreating sets from scratch gave Dunn the freedom to embellish the sets and to elaborate further than what would have been possible if they filmed everything in its original place.
      For example, he constructed the bedroom and lobby at the 11 Howard on stage, drawing on interior designer Kit Kemp’s chintzy work at the Crosby Street Hotel for inspiration.
      “The 11 Howard, which was the hotel where Anna stayed has a minimalist style that we thought would look pretty threadbare on screen so we went for something that would read as much more rich on stage,” he remembered.
      “We were going for with something that was more tactile and sort of a more layered look to it.

      Dressing scenes for Killing Eve was “like finding treasure” says set decorator

      Another technique Dunn implemented was to mix high-end furnishings and homeware items with cheaper replicas that still gave the illusion of wealth.
      Placing something from a high street brand next to a luxury designer can make the scene feel and look expensive on television while in comparison to reality, said the designer.
      “A magic trick is if you put something in the right setting on television, you can get something like glasses at H&M or Target that will look incredibly deluxe while actually not being practical at all,” he explained.
      “Place them next to plates from Van Cleef & Arpels and they look perfect.”
      The Manhattan Magazine headquarters is based on the New York Magazine officesDue to legal reasons, the series had to create a fictional version of the New York Magazine, but Dunn wanted the made up magazine’s office to look similar to the real magazine’s headquarters.
      Again, he took the opportunity to create an exaggerated “expanded and blown up” version of the real workplace, this time adding a bright red wall to the backdrop.
      “We got to tour our location manager got us in there to walk around and see how the journalists lived,” said Dunn. “And so we researched it closely and then we really tried carefully create those offices as closely as possible.”
      “We’re trying to do something a little more, a little extra – there is a big red wall that says New York Magazine that you see when you come in and we took that and we sort of expanded it and blew it up,” he continued.
      Half of the prison scenes were shot in a real prisonThe main challenge for Dunn came as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Halfway through filming the series, restrictions meant that the team had to change locations and delay some filming, meaning that many scenes had to be shot in two places.
      “We began shooting at the prison here in the city called Rikers Island jail and when the pandemic came, we still had 50 per cent of our scenes to shoot,” he recalled.
      “I don’t think anybody at home has any idea but the waiting room and the room where Anna and Jessica meet were in completely different spots,” he mused.
      Other Netflix series with elaborate sets include the playful arenas by art director Hwang Dong-Hyuk for the popular series Squid Games and production designer Grant Major’s set for the award-winning film The Power of the Dog which featured a prominent house.
      The images are courtesy of Netflix.

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      Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems opens at the Design Museum

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      An exhibition highlighting London-based designer Bethany Williams’ waste-combating, social-driven vision for the fashion industry has opened at the Design Museum.

      Exhibited in the atrium of London’s Design Museum, Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems is a celebration of Williams’ work which explores and responds to social issues through the use of community-led enrichment initiatives.
      Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems is a free display in the atrium of the Design MuseumA number of key works by the designer were exhibited across the four walls of the atrium’s balcony gallery, which is free to entry.
      Mannequins are displayed among textiles samples, photography and raw waste materials in efforts to highlight the studio’s commitment to sustainable fashion.
      The display was chosen to be shown in a free entry space in the museum”I decided to organise the display thematically rather than by collection,” said Design Museum’s head of curatorial and interpretation Priya Khanchandani.

      “It opens with a section about the studio specifically and then there’s a part about creative process, intellectual references and the way in which they propose alternative infrastructures of working, followed by a section about reuse and another about community collaborations,” she told Dezeen.
      “Bethany’s work not only tackles the question of the environmental impact of design, but it also has an amazing social purpose.”
      The exhibition design was completed by EditWilliams is a fashion designer, humanitarian and artist. She graduated from Brighton University with a degree in Critical Fine Art before receiving a master’s from the London College of Fashion in Menswear.
      She launched her namesake brand in 2017 and has strived to spotlight and respond to social and environmental issues, her works see her partnering with local grassroots programs and manufacturing collections using waste materials.
      Garments are exhibited alongside research, drawings and materialsA section of the display exhibits Willliams’ work as part of the Emergency Designer Network. The initiative is a collaboration between herself and designers Phoebe English, Cozette McCreery and Holly Fulton.
      The group of creatives, with their textile manufacturing knowledge and teams of volunteers, produced 12,000 scrubs, 100,000 masks and 4,000 gowns for frontline healthcare workers during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.

      Waste crisis a “design-made mess” says Design Museum show curator

      Waste from packaging tape sourced from Rimini, Italy was handwoven and constructed into functional items and garments as part of Williams’s Autumn Winter 2018 collection, which was on display.
      “I felt it was very important to show not just the finished garments, which you would see in a retail fashion context; being a museum display I wanted to add other layers of information,” explained Khanchandani.
      Williams’ work merges streetwear and craft”There are process materials like drawings and sketches, and also source material,” said Khanchandani. “For instance, a jacket made of waste newspaper is shown alongside some of the waste material, the Liverpool Echo, which is dangling next to the garment.”
      “You’re able to see the journey of the objects from inception, to finished product.”
      Williams has collaborated with San Patrignano, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation programmeEach season, the fashion studio collaborates with different local charities and grassroots programs and donates a percentage of its profits to its causes.
      “With our work, we hope to continue to reach new audiences, encourage inclusivity and positive change for the fashion industry,” said Williams. “The Design Museum continues to be aligned with this via the exhibitions curated, including their Waste Age exhibition, which we featured in last year.”
      “We are so proud to showcase our new exhibition: Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems, a celebration of the new way of working proposed for the fashion industry by the studio’s work.”
      Dresses and corsetry feature boning constructed from waste materialsThe opening of Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems was timed to coincide with Williams’ Autumn Winter 2022 collection, titled The Hands that Heal Us, which was presented at the museum.
      The collection included a cactus leather jacket, and garments made from recycled and organic-based denim with detachable metal hardware that aid the recycling process at the end of its life.
      A skeleton suit was informed by a 19th-century children’s playsuitIn 2016, Williams graduated from London College of Fashion and showed her MA graduate collection in the university’s show as part of London Fashion Week.
      Last year’s Waste Age exhibition at the Design Museum, which featured Williams’ work, explored how design has contributed to the increasing throwaway culture and how people can create an alternative circular economy that doesn’t exploit the planet.
      Photography is by Felix Speller.
      Bethany Williams: Alternative Systems is on display at the Design Museum from 22 February 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Inferences/Inferencias exhibition aims to “arouse curiosity towards contemporary design”

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      Barcelona-based gallery Il-lacions has opened an exhibition at Madrid Design Festival that features over 70 furnishings, sculptures and design pieces in an effort to explore contemporary design.

      The theme of the exhibition is centred around its name, Inferences/Inferencias, which Il-lacions described as “the action and effect of inferring one thing from another, a link between ideas, the consequence of something.”
      Inferences/Inferencias is a group exhibition that was exhibited as part of Madrid Design FestivalThe gallery selected one piece of work by each of the artists it represents, who were then asked to become co-curators of the exhibition and invite a designer, maker or artist whom they admired to also exhibit a piece of work.
      The resulting 74 sculptures and furniture pieces displayed in the exhibition were arranged on and around a large angular display table that was finished to mimic concrete.
      A wooden stool by Sanna Völker is a tribute to architect Louis KahnAll of the works in the show focus on one or more topics specified by the gallery, such as research and development in new materials, object functionality, sustainability and production processes.

      “We would like to arouse curiosity towards contemporary design, visitors can read about the pieces and even touch them with care,” Il-lacions founder Xavier Franquesa told Dezeen. “We would like them to learn about materials, functionality and ingenuity in design.”
      A light installation titled Ignoring Helena by Michael Roschach is placed nearby Burned Ode Chair by Sizar Alexis”We hope people understand the amount of work behind each piece, there’s a lot of research and experimentation,” said Franquesa.
      “These are inspirational objects that contribute to giving interiors something more than just a function, they are emotional and unique,” it added.

      Antoni Arola creates architecture “from light” for Madrid Design Festival

      “We would like to stimulate new views on design and thinking to shape contemporary values, and together with the creators to generate a cultural heritage that reflects this time and this place,” he said.
      Among the pieces on display is Joel Blanco’s Shiba-Inu dog sculpture with a built-in ASIC cryptocurrency miner. This uses the exhibition space’s electricity to mine Dogecoin and is a commentary on financial freedom and an anarcho-capitalist future, according to the designer.
      Also exhibited is a Jesmonite and fibreglass chair by Six N. Five, embedded with an authentication chip built on Blockchain technology that allows the piece to be minted as an NFT.
      Objects, fixtures and furnishings were hung from walls and placed throughout the gallery spaceA number of the works on show also feature reused and recycled materials.
      “Josep Vila Capdevila is reusing pieces from old factories (fluorescents, cables, a pulley) and he mixes it with noble materials such as marble to create the Suspended Lamp exhibited – he classifies this piece as ‘Random Luxury’,” said Franquesa.
      “The ‘Aluminium Block’ side table by Toni Pallejà is reinterpreting industrial materials, transforming them into elements that convey luxury and fashion.”
      The exhibition features 74 objects, furnishings and sculptures that discuss contemporary designIl-lacions was founded in 2011 by Xavier Franquesa. Inferences/Inferencias forms part of the fifth edition of Madrid Design Festival, a month-long event that transforms the city into a design hub.
      Also exhibited at this year’s edition is a light installation by Antoni Arola that forms architecture from light. Previous editions saw Jorge Penadés invite 14 designers to showcase “bold ideas in small boxes”.
      The photography is by Asier Rua.
      Inferences/Inferencias is on display at the Cultural Centre of Villa Fernán-Gómez as part of Madrid Design Festival, which takes place from 15 February to 13 March 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Dezeen Awards 2022 is open for entries

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      Dezeen Awards 2022 is now accepting entries! Enter before 30 March to take advantage of discounted early entry fees.

      Now in its fifth year, Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design and has become the benchmark for international design excellence as well as being the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe.
      Enter before 30 March to save 20 per cent
      Standard entry prices remain unchanged for the fifth year in a row, costing just £100 for small companies and £200 for large companies to enter. This makes Dezeen Awards the most affordable and accessible awards programme in architecture and design.
      From now until 30 March, it is even cheaper to enter with our special early-entry discount. Entries submitted by the early-entry deadline will cost just £80 for small companies and £160 for large ones.

      Create an account or log in to start your entry ›
      A wide range of categories
      There are 47 categories in total, with 33 project categories across architecture, interiors and design, as well as two studio awards in each sector awarding the best emerging and established practices.
      Common Sands Forite tiles by Studio Plastique, Snøhetta and Fornace Brioni won sustainable design of the year at Dezeen Awards 2021Following the success in 2021 we are keeping our sustainability and media categories, which reward architects and designers who are reducing their impact on the environment and celebrating digital work across architecture, interiors and design.
      Find out about the categories ›
      A star-studded panel
      Entries will be judged by a diverse panel of influential industry professionals, made up of 75 architects, designers, and academics from all over the world.
      We will have two separate panels of specially selected experts to judge the sustainability and media categories.
      Past judges have included structural engineer Hanif Kara, who described Dezeen Awards as ‘scandalously exciting’.
      Other past jury members include David Adjaye, Frida Escobedo, Virgil Abloh, Norman Foster and Alison Brooks.
      Keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming announcements about our 2022 judges.
      Why enter Dezeen Awards?
      Dezeen Awards is organised by Dezeen, the world’s most popular and influential architecture and design magazine, and judged by a panel consisting of leading figures from the architecture and design world. This means that Dezeen Awards has unprecedented credibility and reach.
      Every longlisted entry will be published on the Dezeen Awards website and will receive Dezeen Awards 2022 badges to share on social media and their own websites.
      Shortlisted entries will also be entered into the Dezeen Awards 2022 public vote, through which the public can choose their favourite projects and studios.
      All shortlisted entries will be featured in full in an article on Dezeen and get further badges.
      Winners will receive a hand-made trophy and a certificate.
      Watch our 2021 winners ceremonies ›
      Last year, winners were announced in a series of video shows hosted by Lionheart and Nelly Ben Hayoun. All winners received a wooden trophy designed by Atelier NLPast winners have described how winning a Dezeen Award has kickstarted or elevated their careers.
      “I have won other awards in the past, but none have been as impactful in terms of being put in front of the right people.” said designer Hans Ramzan, who won product design of the year and design project of the year in 2020 with Catch: HIV Detector.
      Last year’s Dezeen Awards attracted over 4,700 entries from 86 different countries, making it one of the largest and most international awards programmes in the industry.
      Prices and dates
      While other awards programmes have increased their prices year by year, our standard entry prices have remained the same since day one. We hope to make Dezeen Awards accessible to smaller studios and avoid categories being dominated by large companies that can afford to enter multiple categories.
      Once you have paid for your Dezeen Awards entry, you do not need to make any further payments. If we are able to hold a physical awards ceremony there may be a charge, but attendance is not obligatory.
      Find out about dates and prices ›
      Join our mailing list
      Subscribe to our mailing list to receive reminders about deadlines and regular information about Dezeen Awards including news of judges.
      Sign up now ›
      Questions?
      If you have any questions, please email [email protected] and someone from the team will get back to you.
      Good luck with your entries! More

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      Transatlántico exhibition “forms a bridge” between Latin American and European design

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      Brutalist furniture by Rick Owens, a shaggy pink sofa and ethereal lighting feature in Transatlántico, an exhibition of Latin American and European sculptural design presented by Galerie Philia in Mexico City.

      Transatlántico brings together furniture and ornaments by emerging Latin American designers from Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
      Top: a wall hanging by Mexican studio Caralarga. Above: Pietro Franceschini presents his Waldo sofa, among other seatingTheir pieces are presented alongside work by leading European designers such as Pietro Franceschini and Pierre De Valck, some of whom are showing in Mexico for the first time.
      “The aim was to create an authentic, specialised event around the Latin American design scene and its very distinct identity, but also include new collections by European designers,” Transatlántico co-curator Alban Roger told Dezeen.
      “We wanted to establish a dialogue between the two continents, with both their own distinctive styles but also strong inter-influences.”

      Carob wood furniture by Cristián Mohaded features in the exhibitionIn line with this theme, a shaggy pink “yeti” sofa by St Petersburg-based artist Vladimir Naumov for Missana Lab is included alongside delicate carob wood furniture by Argentinian designer Cristián Mohaded, who explores carpentry using native materials from his birth country.
      An ethereal light named Ghost Pendant was crafted by Mexican designers Héctor Esrawe and Emiliano Godoy and Los-Angeles born designer Brian Thoreen, using handblown glass, silicon tubing and LED lights.
      Vladimir Naumov offers a shaggy pink sofaOther pieces include dark-coloured brutalist furniture by Paris-based American fashion designer Rick Owens that is made from a mixture of bronze and camel skin, as well as Mexico City-based Platalea Studio’s playful Happiness Bench formed from three curvy slabs of pink and brown terrazzo.
      “We reached out to talents we believe in and who fell within our criteria of sculptural design,” explained co-curator Jorge Brown, with regard to how Galeria Philia selected the participating designers.
      “Our main criteria was the originality of their design exploration but also their creative research on various materials and sculptural techniques.”

      Mario García Torres curates design exhibition in Mexico City house

      According to Galerie Philia, sustainability was also a factor in Transátlantico’s curatorial ethos.
      This is reflected in pieces such as a series of delicately woven wall hangings by Mexican artisanal studio Caralarga, which are crafted using raw cotton yarn and discarded fabric waste.
      Ghost Pendant is a light by Héctor Esrawe and Emiliano Godoy and Brian ThoreenColombian designer Alejandra Aristizábal also presents textile wall hangings that resemble jumbo rolls of sewing thread, although hers are made from fique – a natural fibre from the Andean region that has historically been used to create ropes and hammocks.
      “Transatlántico is founded on the idea of forming a transatlantic bridge between the contrasting cultural and artistic worlds of Europe and Latin America, identifying how we establish a creative discourse across the social boundaries associated with the geography that divides us,” said Galerie Philia co-founder Ygaël Attali.
      Rick Owens presents a selection of brutalist bronze furnitureWith galleries in Geneva, New York City and Singapore, Galerie Philia is an international contemporary design and art gallery that also presents group exhibitions at temporary spaces around the world.
      Previous Galerie Philia exhibitions include a furniture show in Manhattan’s Walker Tower and an exhibition presenting emerging Italian designers’ responses to Rick Owens’ work in Milan.
      Happiness Bench is playful terrazzo seating by Platalea StudioThe photography is courtesy of Galerie Philia.
      Transátlantico is on show at House of Kirschner’s gallery space, Avenida Ejército Nacional 676, in Mexico City from 8 to 12 February 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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