Here & There at NYC Design Week
The designers behind Various Projects and Field host an exhibit of travel-inspired objects
by LinYee Yuan
With a tepid spring and uncertain weather, summer travel seems like a distant dream for many of us in NYC. But during Design Week, the exhibition “Here & There“—from the designers behind Various Projects and Field—was a vibrant reminder of the delights of travel and the exhilaration of adventure. The exhibition was held at the studio space of Various Projects, tucked behind the carefully curated menswear shop C’H’C’M’ on Bond Street in Noho. Jonah Takagi and Daniel Thomas of Field were invited by Various Projects to transform the studio space into a showcase of objects from friends and collaborators covering the topic of travel.
From literal vehicles of travel, like North Philadelphia’s Bilenky bicycle and a dacron and kevlar canoe from furniture designers Colgate Searle and Matthias Pliessnig, to more abstract interpretations of the theme like Tim Colmant’s travel inspiration posters and Hannah Waldron‘s map tapestries, these designers considered where they will go, how they will get there and what they will do. “We knew from the beginning that the focus should not be about our products,” Takagi shares about their curatorial vision. “Instead, we wanted to create a show rich in narrative that would showcase objects from designers we admired, brands we coveted and items we wish we had made.”
On top of the other designers’ treasured objects, in one corner of the showroom Field showcased their own collection of table objects and desk accessories—which can also be found at Various Project’s NYC retail space Project No.8. Understated, honest and functional design objects that honor their materials make up most of Field’s first collection, which includes Oscar Diaz‘s bottle opener, Daniel Emma‘s Desk Set—consisting of a pen pot made of reclaimed old growth pine, a hand-brushed-and-waxed solid brass paperweight and a simple leather mousepad—a solid American maple chopping board from Jonah Takagi and Jonathan Hale Nesci‘s powder-coated aluminum Golden Mean Table.
Rounding out the exhibit was their newest project, a travel cocktail set collaboration with the Philadelphia-based retailer and spirits distiller Art in the Age. The elegant set contains all the ingredients—including a bottle of your favorite Art in the Age spirit—and barware one would need for an on-the-go cocktail. And, after wrapping up the week’s design festivities in New York, the idea of traveling to far-flung locations—and enjoying a cocktail for the road—sounds like a grand idea.
See more images from “Here & There” in the slideshow. All images courtesy of Field
