The line between design and art blurs evocatively at the newly established Collective.1 Design Fair in New York. An exclusive report from New York by Stephen Ormandy of Dinosaur Designs.

During a Design Miami dinner last year, I was fortunate enough to be sitting next to architect Steven Learner when he mentioned that he was creating a design fair for New York. The obvious question was why it didn’t already exist when there’s a rapidly expanding interest in art as design and design as art.  Five months from launch there was still a lot to do but it was a golden opportunity and Steven took it.

Collective.1, Pier 57, 2013

To much anticipation the Collective.1 Design Fair, which presents a cohesive, curated selection of contemporary design and historical pieces from galleries around the world opened at Pier 57. Formatted into a large square with the stands dividing the space into a grid, the flow of the fair was well thought out.

Pier 57 New York

An electric retrospective treat of Italian master designer Gaetano Pesce (who hasn’t been seduced by the sexy curves of his ‘Up’ series of 1969) shows that his work is still very experimental in both form and material.  Pesce’s pieces play with colourful plastics and silicones in fluid and graphic experiments that challenge both the viewer and the usefulness of the work. Pesce was last seen playing a heated game of ping-pong on the black table created just for that by Snarkitecture.

Gaetano Pesce

Gaetano Pesce

R20th Century showcased a mix of 20th century classics and contemporary works in a huge space that included pieces such as a side table by design partners Kelly Behun and Alex P White, which appears to be just poured and spilling on to the floor. There was also a number of exquisite original furniture pieces by Swedish designer Greta Magnusson Grossman from mid last century.

R20th Century

Deep brown walls created a perfect backdrop for contemporary, complex, yet beautiful works in walnut by Carol Egan at Maison Gerard.  Egan’s CE7 is a mesmerizing twist solution for a table. Mario Del Fabbro’s sculptures rooted in 20th century abstraction stand as powerful reminders of just how good sculpture can be.

21st Twenty First 

Lost City Arts features the wonderful sculptures of Harry Bertoia, most famous for his furniture design for Knoll. Many of the pieces have a musical quality like a harp when you brush them by hand.

Lulu Wolf, Mondo Cane

Volume Gallery from Chicago show the work of hot new contemporary design firms Snarkitecture and ROLU whose geometric take on a coffee table, Cosmos IV, in concrete and Douglas fir is brutal beauty.

Sienna Patti

Kinder Modern had a beautiful selection of last century design for children including works by Wagner.

Kinder Modern 

Tyler Hays of BDDW created a very stylish VIP lounge reflecting all that is cool about New York lounging with a twist; bows and arrows. Into archery in a big way, the BWWD boys host a local competition at their Crosby Street showroom and asked if we would create a Dinosaur Designs team and compete. Hell yes! The best part is they make the bows in-house.

BDDW VIP Lounge

BDDW VIP Lounge

The Collective Design Fair is sure to become a feature on the design scene and is definitely one to put on your agenda when planning a trip to NY for the May Art and Design spectaculars.

Collective Design Fair

collectivedesignfair.com