ICFF Special 05.2011

Dear Readers,

'New York, New York! It's a wonderful town!', goes the old Hollywood number. And who are we to disagree?

If you're looking for an excuse to visit New York (at Architonic, we don't believe you ever really need one), here it is. From 14 to 17 May, ICFF - North America's leading annual showcase for contemporary design - opens its doors, offering visitors a chance to see some of the latest US and international design trends, supplemented by a series of inspiring talks, exhibitions and other features. But it's just one of a number of events that make New York a design hot-spot this month. Read on for more information.

Here, in brief, is what you'll find in our special Architonic ICFF newsletter:

- Can We Talk?: ICFF's inspiring talks and events programme
- ddc Design Post during ICFF
- Material ConneXion: Showcase and talk by Architonic's strategic alliance partner at ICFF
- Design and the City: events about town
- AMERICAN DESIGN NOW!: special selection of some of the best American-manufactured design

Be inspired!

Your Architonic Team
Zurich | Milan | Barcelona | Berlin | Cologne | Copenhagen | Stockholm | London | Miami

It's no secret that New Yorkers like to talk. It's fitting then that ICFF should be offering an inspiring series of talks and other opportunities for design discussion at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center this year.

Go Dutch with Marcel Wanders, as the high-profile designer - who's worked for some of the world's leading design brands, among them B&B Italia, Bisazza, Poliform, Magis, Moroso, Flos, Boffi, Cappellini and Droog Design, and who went on to found his own label Moooi in 2001 - tells all to an ICFF audience.

The annual Metropolis Conference is keeping it real. This year, the gathering of international architects, designers and manufacturers focuses on the growing need to produce design and create experiences that are authentic and sustainable. Among the international participants will be design grandee and creator of a number of classic designs for Artifort Geoffrey Harcourt, who's going to be speaking at 14.15 on Monday 16 May about, among other things, his work with Pierre Paulin. (Architonic tip: Leading New York design retailer M2L will be showing a retrospective of Paulin and Harcourt's work at their fair stand - #2204.)

Germany and Spain take to the stage, too. Design Deutschland 2011 surveys the German scene, examining its distinctive characteristics of considered function-led form and quality manufacturing, while Living La Vida Loca (as the title of the talk might suggest) looks at the latest wave of new Spanish design with Luis Eslava and Lorena Sauras of Luis Eslava Studio, Santa & Cole and Nina Maso, Cutu Mazuelos and Eva Prego of Stone Designs, and José Manuel Ferrero of Estudi{h}ac.

Saturday 14 May:
14.00 to 15.00 / Marcel Wanders

Sunday 15 May:
11.00 to 12.00 / Design Deutschland 2011
14.00 to 15.00 / Living La Vida Loca

Monday 16 May:
10.00 to 17.00 / Metropolis Conference/Design Entrepreneurs: Local Talent, Global Markets

ICFF International Contemporary Furniture Fair
Jacob K Javits Convention Center, New York City
14 to 16 May, 10.00 to 17.00 (trade only)
17 May, 10.00 to 16.00 (trade and public)

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As part of New York-based global materials consultancy and Architonic strategic alliance partner Material ConneXion's presence at this year's edition of ICFF, vice president Andrew Dent will be giving a presentation on day one of the fair entitled 'Materials Matter', where he will discuss how innovation, rather than the hope for a reduction in commodities prices, is the key for producers and consumers looking to escape the supply/demand equation. With a strong design focus, he will cover emerging technologies, processes and, of course, materials.

Dent's talk forms part of Material ConneXion's Materials Matter showcase at ICFF, which presents the next generation of materials, including polymers, glass, ceramics, carbon-based substances, cement-based compounds, metals, natural materials and their derivatives. An in-depth exploration of processes will also form part of the show, covering, among others, injection molding and rapid prototyping.

'Materials Matter'
Talk by Material ConneXion vice president Andrew Dent
ICFF
Saturday 14 May
11.00 to 12.00

Starting on 16 May 2011, ddc's 181 Madison Avenue location will be transformed into ddc Design Post, a collection of studios featuring such international brands as Cor, interlübke, Matteograssi, Missoni, Santambrogio, Tacchini and Zanotta. To celebrate this metamorphosis, ddc is hosting a cocktail party on Monday 16 May from 18.00 to 21.00, sponsored by Architonic.

ddc Design Post Launch
181 Madison Avenue @ 34th Street, 10016
Monday to Friday, 9.30 to 18.00; Saturday 11.00 to 18.00
Phone: 00 1 212 685 0800
RSVP@ddcnyc.com

A trip to ICFF without spending some time outside the fair in the city is like pastrami without rye bread. So here are a couple of events to tickle your design tastebuds when you're in town.

Maharam, the leading supplier of textiles to commercial architects and interior designers, is exhibiting 'Borders', a project by Hella Jongerius. Showing at Moss, the Soho design gallery and shop, 'Borders' stems from the Dutch designer's interest in the traditional backstrap weaving of Guatemala and Mexico, in which the loom is tethered between the weaver's body and a tree or post. Because backstrap weaving produces a narrow cloth, two or more pieces are often hand-embroidered together using a heavy decorative stitch. The project is, therefore, a fascinating industrial translation of a localised craft technique.

'Borders' by Hella Jongerius for Maharam
Moss
150 Greene Street
New York, NY 10012
www.mossonline.com

Design brand Vitra is celebrating the US launch of 'Suita', the new sofa by Antonio Citterio, at an event (RSVP required) at their New York showroom on Sunday May 15 from 18.00 to 21.00. Alongside a display of the product will be an installation of British design duo Barber Osgerby's new 'Tip Ton' chair.

Vitra 'Suita' launch event
Vitra Showroom
29 Ninth Avenue btw 13 & 14th Street
New York City

RSVP by 12 May
www.vitra.com/RSVP_Suita

Head up to Harlem while you're in town to check out industrial designer Stephen Burks' first solo New York show, 'Man Made', which furthers the creative's ongoing exploration of artisanal craft. Traditional basket-weaving is the point of departure for the exhibition, which is inspired by Burks' collaboration with Senegalese basket weavers based in New York and Dakar, as well as other craft-based projects in South Africa, Peru and India. This colourful show serves to expand definitions of design and question the relation between local and global production and consumption, and authenticity.

The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street, NYC 20027
www.studiomuseum.org

Looking for a quick overview of some of the best American-manufactured furniture, lighting and more? We've put together a small design smorgasbord for your delectation.

Leading designers, among them Erwan Bouroullec, Barber Osgerby, Patricia Urquiola, Monica Förster, Noé Duchaufour Lawrance, Claesson Koivisto Rune and Werner Aisslinger, share their thoughts on this year's Milan Furniture Fair on film with Architonic.

WEISS/MANFREDI

Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP

Studio Tractor Architecture