Image: Sunrise carpet, by Nanda Vigo, 1987- Courtesy of Erastudio Apartment-Gallery
Every December, Magic City comes alive as Art Basel draws tens of thousands of collectors to the city to party, shop, and hobnob in high style. For one magical week, the city is transformed into the epicenter of the art work, with more than 1,200 galleries represented at Art Basel and some two dozen satellite fairs that have emerged in response to the insatiable demand for the best in art and design.
Also: Art Basel in Miami Beach | Everything You Need to Know
Now in its twelfth edition, Design Miami (November 30-December 4) returns to its premier spot, located just across the street from Art Basel. Design Miami is the meeting point for the design world’s elite, bringing together the most influential collectors, galleries, designers, curators, critics, and celebrities from around the globe. It all begins with the grand unveiling of a specially commissioned entrance by New York-based SHoP Architects, recipients of the 2016 Panerai Design Miami/Visionary Award.
Rendering of Flotsam & Jetsam/ Courtesy of SHoP Architects
Design Visionary
Every year, the fair presents the Panerai Design Miami/Visionary Award to honor individuals who have significantly contributed to and maintained a lasting impact in the field of design. This year, SHoP Architects are being recognized for their work, which combines evocative architecture, philanthropic initiatives, sustainable development, and innovative practices and entrepreneurship.
The Commission
For the 2016 edition, SHoP Architects have designed a public entrance to Design Miami titled Flotsam & Jetsam, a marvel of 3D printing and structural engineering produced in conjunction with Branch Technology, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Dassault Systèmes, and Thornton Tomasetti. After the fair is over, Flotsam & Jetsam will be reinstalled in the Miami Design District’s iconic Jungle Plaza for long-term public enjoyment.
Design Miami, 2015
The Galleries
This year’s edition of Design Miami features 31 design galleries from around the world showcasing museum-quality exhibitions of twentieth and twenty-first century furniture, lighting, and objets d’art including Chamber, Salon 94, and Hostler Burrows, New York; Volume Gallery, Chicago; Moderne Gallery, Philadelphia; Elisabetta Cipriani, London; Jousse Entreprise, Paris; Pierre Marie Giraud, Brussels; and Galerie VIVID, Rotterdam, among others.
The Curio
Design Curio is a new platform for designers, curators, innovators, and gallerists to present cabinets of curiosity. What is a cabinet of curiosity? you might ask. Well, it’s a complete environment that spotlights objects, textures, artifacts, and ideas that both challenge and contextualize design ideas.
This year’s edition presents six new viewpoints, including Cora Sheibani: Colour & Contradiction, exploring handmade jewelry made from custom-cut gemstones; Plusdesign Gallery: Streetscapes, which dresses up everyday objects jugs and watering can in marble, rendering them as sculptural motifs; and Atelier Biagetti: NO SEX in Miami presented by Patricia Findlay, which explores out obsession with the idea of sex through design objects.
The Haas Brothers, Mini Beasts 2016. Photo courtesy of Joe Kramm R & Company
The Collaborations
Every year, Design Miami collaborates with partners to present newly commissioned works, including installations, curated exhibitions, and unique objects that celebrate spirit of design. This year, Design Miami has partnered with luxury brands This year, Design Miami has partnered with luxury brands Louis Vutton, Audi, Dean & DeLuca, and Perrier-Jouët/Strand Garden to create original works debuting at the fair.
The Talks
This year, Design Miami presents the Eliman Talks, a conversation centered on the global convergence of art, design, culinary arts, and real estate in the new millennium. Previous editions have featured artist Dustin Yellin, hockey star Sean Avery, Condé Nast Traveler Editor-in-Chief Pilar Guzmán, hotelier Rogério Fasano and Chef Laurent Tourondel, among others.
XXX, Niek, 2016, Acoustical foam, car seat, 70 X 45 X 120cm, Courtesy of Nick Bookelaar for Chamber
The Design District
Miami’s Design District, located in Little Haiti, was made up primarily of low-rise warehouses that had fallen into decay until a wave of urban development resurrected the neighborhood. The empty buildings were converted into retail spaces, art galleries, showrooms, creative services, architecture firms, antique dealers, restaurants, cafes. The neighborhood has been rapidly expanding as it has become a luxury shopping destination for the rich and famous. The streets are lined with the best of the best, from Hermès, Christian Louboutin, and Maison Martin Margiela to Dior Homme, Louis Vuitton, and Tom Ford. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a little retail therapy of your very own.
Design Miami, 2015
HOURS
VIP Preview, By Invitation Only:
November 30,10am – 12pm
Public Show Days
November 30: 12pm – 8pm
December 1: 10am – 8pm
December 2: 11am – 8pm
December 3: 12pm – 8pm
December 4: 12pm – 6pm
2016 EVENTS
Preview Day, By Invitation Only: November 29, 2016
Collectors Preview: 12pm – 6pm
Building Legacy Opening Night Preview: 6pm – 8pm
Miss Rosen is a New York-based writer, curator, and brand strategist. There is nothing she adores so much as photography and books. A small part of her wishes she had a proper library, like in the game of Clue. Then she could blaze and write soliloquies to her in and out of print loves.
