Reclaim x2 NYC
Quality designs created collaboratively to benefit the Brooklyn Recovery Fund
As a part of New York Design Week 2013, the charitable, grassroots design organization Reclaim NYC will host its second furniture exhibition with a corresponding charity sale from 16-18 May 2013. Proceeds will benefit the Brooklyn Recovery Fund, which provides continued assistance to those most adversely impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Following the success of Reclaim’s reactionary show in December—which also benefited victims of Hurricane Sandy—the second show, Reclaim x2, brings together a collection of 25 different design teams who created exclusive pieces just for the sale.
To find out more about the pieces in the upcoming show we spoke with Jean Lin, one of Reclaim NYC’s founders and co-founder of Lin Morris, the savvy, dual-continent, design publication and webshop. “For our first show, we pulled everything together in a month and a half. This time we had a little more time to reflect and create a thoughtful collection,” explains Lin. “For the initial Hurricane Sandy sale, we asked the artists to incorporate some debris from the storm, so this time we wanted them to create something that was reflective of our new charity, the Brooklyn Recovery Fund. We came up with a new design brief centered around collaboration and this idea of coming together in order to provide relief, so we asked the designers to team up and create something that was reflective of this collaborative notion.”
Created exclusively for the sale, Reclaim’s x2 collection exists because of a moving amount of donated materials, time and creative energy from a special group of artisans and designers. “After the Hurricane Sandy sale, we realized that there really isn’t a platform for the design community to become more socially involved. That’s what we hope Reclaim will provide, a charitable outlet for artists,” Lin says. “This sale is the beginning of an experiment and we hope to have the opportunity to expand outwards from hurricane relief and eventually create sales that address other current needs.”
Reclaim’s x2 collection is an excellent way for artists and collectors to come together and support a great cause and exchange ideas. Looking through the online pre-sale, we found a couple of standout objects that best represent the creative outpouring and collaborative vision that permeates the entire collection.
Hard Copy
A beautiful amalgamation of high and low-fi technologies, the effortlessly stylish Hard Copy coffee table is the perfect synthesis of its creators; graphic designer Adam Pellecchia and furniture designer Kevin Michael. With its four skinny copper legs poking out from under its bleached oak top, Hard Copy is a tactile rethink of a more traditional wooden coffee table. The top is unexpectedly smooth, thanks to Pellecchia’s contribution of a digitally printed photo of the table’s natural grain that serves as its surprising veneer.
Maru Wind Chimes
New York-based designers Dylan Davis and Jean Lee of Ladies & Gentlemen Studio are fascinated by the unexpected harmonies one can create with a range of materials. In their most recent collection, the young duo explored this vision by creating a series of otherworldly wind chimes with artist and ceramist Nicholas Nyland. Known for his speckled and colorful sculptures, Nyland created small painted fragments that Davis and Lee used to create delicate, swirling structures. Contrasted by the shiny metals, Nyland’s pottery adds a softness to the playful chimes.
Buoy Pendant 01
The Buoy Pendant 01 is a one-of-a-kind piece from glass artist Nancy Callan and artist Lindsey Adelman. The lamp is a functional piece of art that employs both the makers’ signature styles. Rippling and fluid, the glass bulb is caneworked, a glass-blowing technique that allows Callan to create patterns in the surface. Adelman complicates and adds to Callan’s structure by creating a knotted web that grows out of the bulb and intertwines with its electric cord.
Poly
Poly, by Egg Collective and Hangar Design Studios, is a meditation on how a singular form can evolve with each casting. The two NY-based studios traded off castings, with Hangar creating the initial bronze masters and Egg then creating a collection of molds and smooth plaster castings. Intended as a bookend or simply as a sculptural addition to your bookshelves, Poly’s simplistic angular form brings out the beautiful qualities of each medium.
L.O.V.E. Potions
Artist Emilie Baltz and designers Chelsea Green and James Minola of Grain explore paradoxical emotions with a surprising but clever apothecary approach to mixology. A subject that is dear to Baltz, who recently completed an art book based around the desires conjured by contemporary chefs and mixologists. Each test-tube-like glass cylinder created for Reclaim x2 houses a custom-designed vodka with a flavor representative of battling sentiments, like “Sad Pleasure” (Basil and Clementine) and “Hateful Wonder” (Matcha and Vanilla). Like conflicting emotions, the vodkas combine disparate flavors in a way that surprises the palette. The minimalist bottles stand out for the way they harmonize so many unlike elements, which aligns brilliantly with Reclaim’s design brief.
Those in NYC can check out the designs in person at the Reclaim x2 charity sale on 16 May 2013 from 7pm, or shop the sale now at Lin-Morris.
Images courtesy of Reclaim NYC
