The 6 Best Galleries and Installations from Collective Design

From an inflatable desert oasis to furniture designed for touch (not sight), this year’s Collective Design didn’t disappoint.

Collective Design 2018 Highlights
For the last decade, artists Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley have been experimenting in what they call “performance architecture,” which—exactly as the name implies—is a fantastic melange of structure, theater, and acrobatics. Working solo, Schweder designed this special piece for the fair: an inflatable sculpture where passersby become the performers. Courtesy Zachary Edelson

Not one, but two inflatable architecture installations grace the showroom floor of Collective Design. One is a desert oasis (with real plants and sand) hidden behind enormous polyethylene cylinders. The other uses inflating compartments to flip two couches onto each other, creating a single bed (and rather awkward arrangement) for its two users. In this sense Collective Design, which runs through March 11 at Skylight Clarkson North in New York City, is no standard design fair.

But, in addition to its installations, it has its share of regular galleries. Metropolis stopped by the fair—here are some of our top picks:

You may also enjoy “‘Queer Eye’ Host Bobby Berk on the Transformative Power of Design.”

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