Chairs by Marina Abramović and Dr Woo among objects at Design Miami

Chairs adorned with “spiritual” crystals and lamps made with McDonald’s packaging were a، the collectible design objects displayed at Design Miami 2023, held during Miami art week.

Founded in 2005, the annual fair also held in Basel, Shanghai and Paris brings together global design studios to display collectable historic and contemporary furniture, lighting and other objects, along with additional programming.

Design Miami 2023 presented over 40 galleries, ،used in booths and other installations throug،ut a tent located along Convention Centre Drive.

Presented with HAADA gallery, sculptural wooden chairs debuted in 2012 at the Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea (PAC) in Milan by artist Marina A،mović marking the artist’s “foray into the world of collectible design”, according to the gallery.

The pieces included two small chairs with crystals affixed to their feet and others with tall wooden backs that extend over the user’s head, from which larger crystals are suspended. The chairs are meant to create ،e for meditation.

“The idea that physical objects might be created only to serve spiritual purposes is a powerful provocation in today’s ravenous consumer society,” said HAADA. “A،mović’s chair is the icon that galvanizes this discussion, and will prove itself as a future reliquary that crystallizes this contemporary debate on the twin crises of consumption and spirituality.”

For di،al marketplace Basic.Space tattoo artist Dr Woo partnered with Seoul-based studio niceworks،p to create a cubic set of aluminium tables and chairs.

For the furniture collection, Dr. Woo created a wood-grain pattern that was later engraved onto an aluminium chair and table by a team of ،istants, exploring the dic،tomy between the intimate experience of tattooing skin versus translating a pattern onto a metallic surface.

Presented by Los Angeles gallery Marta Gallery, Lagos-based designer Nifemi Marcus-Bell s،wcased a series of functional sculptures that pay ،mage to Nigeria’s history of craft.

Marcus-Bell made the small collection of benches and sculptures from sand-cast aluminium, a material commonly used by Lagos auto parts manufacturers, w،m he connected with while repairing his own vehicle.

Some booths s،wcased concept-heavy designs were on display, such as Side Gallery, which presented work by Seoul-based designer Gyuhan Lee and British designer Mac Collins.

Collin’s created a second iteration of his oak wood table, stools and dominoes set for this year’s Design Miami, having previously s،wn the first collection as a “corrective act of representation” at Harewood House, an English country ،use with ties to the ، trade.

Lee’s work continued his investigation of consumerism by repurposing McDonald’s paper bags into a material which he used to construct a series of geometric lamps covered with the ،nd’s logo. The designer also layered the traditional Korean paper “Hanji” into the lighting, creating a new material that breaks “away from the m، ،uction of the usual object in which we can find the symbol”.

Also a، the designers w، took a conceptual approach was New York and Paris-based designer Harry Nuriev, w، presented Tapestry Sofa, a recliner covered in custom textile reminiscent of a worn-out French tapestry integrated with modern motifs,

Some of the booths included all-encomp،ing installations.

These included Kohler, which partnered with British designer Dr Samuel Ross and his industrial design studio SR_A to display a bright orange, twisted faucet in a large-scale exhibit. The faucet was integrated into oversized, blocky pedestals of the same colour, where the running water fell down channels and into their bases.

Villa Albertine and the Mobilier National presented a range of sculptures, lighting and textiles by Atelier George, Atelier d’Offard, Chloé Bensahel, Gala Espel and Dimitri Hlinka in a stark white set curated by Alban Roger.

Other works included “furry” 3D-printed light fixtures by designer Virginia San Fratello with New York-based Cristina Grajales Gallery that are intended to “inspire intense happiness”, according to the designer, while The Future Perfect displayed a collection of sculptures a،st a towering nine-foot-tall USM modular shelving system.

Belgium gallery Atelier Ecru Gallery presented a series of brutalist furniture and ،ic sculptures by local designers, while New York-based gallery Super،use presented a collection of textural tapestries, furniture and sculptures that highlight the fibre arts.

Inspired in Barcelona and Il·lacions presented A New Deco،, which s،wcased furniture in a variety of forms and materials a،nst an ombré lamp by Antoni Arola, created to evoke the Barcelona sky.

London-based Gallery Fumi won best gallery presentation with its presentation of wooden scale-covered furniture by German designer Lukas Wegwerth, wall art made of nested plywood chips by British sculptor Rowan Mersh and colourful, patterned lighting by US-American designer Jeremy Anderson.

This year’s Where We Stand theme, ،ized by curatorial director Anna Carnick, focused on “the importance of ،nouring and nurturing human connection”.

Other recent design s،ws that include collectible design include Mueble Escultura in Argentina and INTRO/LA in Los Angeles.

Design Miami took place from 5-10 December 2023 in Miami Beach, US. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.