'conscious design' drives wanteddesign's bi-borough festival during NYCxDESIGN 2019

over the past decade, wanteddesign has established itself as a staple in the international landscape of major design events. this year, during NYCxDESIGN — new york’s annual celebration of creativity — the program is marking its ninth edition by exploring a pertinent theme: conscious design. wanteddesign founders, odile hainaut and claire pijoulat, have overseen its development over the past nine years, and in 2019, once again invite the design community to discover the best of design across its two venues — in manhattan at the terminal stores building, and in brooklyn at industry city.

for ‘design transforms’, an open factory of making and collaboration led by humberto campana and specialists from central saint martins, university of the arts london, will co-produce objects and a permanent installation at industry city, brooklyn

wanteddesign 2019 propels the notion of ‘conscious design’ throughout its programing, highlighting projects and ideas that aim to protect the environment, achieve reasonable consumption, and reduce waste — issues that hainaut and pijoulat feel designers must actively engage with. the manhattan and brooklyn destinations include ample activities for visitors and participants to connect, share, and imagine the future of design — in turn serving as a hub for collaboration and development. by showcasing both emerging and established talents from around the world, wanteddesign seeks to highlight the best and most original american and international design.

sculptural wooden benches by matthias pliessnig will be featured as part of the exhibition ‘IC locals: TIMBER!’

in 2019, wanteddesign brooklyn takes over industry city with two floors of exhibitions. programming for the IC design festival by wanteddesign comprises a series of exhibitions, events, workshops and happenings that bring together the international design community. while the first floor is dedicated to university projects, the second story will host a roster of cultural exhibitions and installations.

the work of stephen talasnik will also presented as part of ‘IC locals: TIMBER!’

highlights include ‘design transforms’, an opportunity to co-create a space that could transform participants’ experience of design, production and connections to place. the project features an open factory of making and collaboration led by humberto campana — honoree guest of the IC design festival by wanteddesign — and specialists from central saint martins, university of the arts london. the team plans to co-produce objects and a permanent installation at industry city. 

also in brooklyn, the exhibition ‘shelter fallout’ features a project by swiss designer iskander guetta, which responds to the need for privacy in the often challenging living conditions in shelters

together with the cultural services of the french embassy, wanteddesign presents the 4th edition of ‘OUI design’. one of the highlights of this cultural staple is the ‘transatlantic creative exchange’, a program that pairs french and american designers and manufacturers to explore new techniques as a unified design team. look out for collaborations between  CIAV and elyse grahram, and neal feay with guillaume delvigne this year.

as part of ‘oui design, transatlantic creative exchange’, a program that pairs french and american designers and manufacturers to explore new techniques, CIAV (france) collaborates with elyse graham (US)

meanwhile, industry city’s eclectic community of woodworkers, carpenters, cabinetmakers, and woodturners are highlighted at the exhibition, ‘IC LOCALS TIMBER!’. bringing this stronghold into the spotlight, a range of wood and wood-like pieces of collectible art and design are exhibited, all made in industry city. the exhibition includes the work of matthias pliessnig, ishka designs, flavor paper, lindsey adelman, and sebastian errazuriz.

visitors can discover young design talents at wanteddesign brookyn with a largely expanded school presence, featuring a design school workshop and exhibition | pictured here is work by alby morgan, student at ENSCI in france

building a platform to benefit the young generation of designers has always been one of the prominent goals of hainaut and pijoulat. in 2019, the duo has expanded wanteddesign’s school presence to include a design school workshop, gathering 45 students from 10 schools. the design schools workshop is conceived as a collaborative activity rather than a competition, where teams are composed of students from different schools and backgrounds. the workshop space, set up at industry city, allows students to work in a creative environment and to collaborate with some of the professional makers and design studios based there.

a design school exhibition showcases projects relating to the theme of ‘conscious design’. wanteddesign has quickly distinguished itself as the largest design schools and graduate students exhibit in the U.S. during NYCxDESIGN.

don’t miss the memphis-inspired mega-mural by camille walala in brooklyn’s industry city, which debuted last year during wanteddesign brooklyn 2018

meanwhile in manhattan, visitors can expect to experience the diversity of the design landscape worldwide. for participating brands within the range of international pavilions, wanteddesign is a unique opportunity to be immersed in a mix of commerce and culture. for 2019 — in addition to independent manufacturers from across the globe — wanteddesign welcomes group exhibits from argentina, mexico, poland, brazil, el salvador, quebec and, for the first time in the U.S., egypt — a showcase of 13 designers selected to represent contemporary egyptian design.

designer yuko nishikawa is presented as part of ‘look book’ at wanteddesign manhattan, which connects studios that have the capacity to offer original, custom products, with interior designers and architects

this year also marks the 5th american design honors, which recognizes up-and-coming U.S. designers with creative designs and entrepreneurial ability. the 2019 recipient has been named as arielle assouline-lichten, founder of slash objects, for her exploration of the intersection between materials and form. objects are made using sustainable, long-lasting materials, creating homeware from raw parts that have been re-worked to achieve a new effect. the studio’s ‘coexist daybed’ — a contemporary take on the chaise longue — is presented as part of the installation at wanteddesign manhattan.

for the egyptian exhibit, ‘(RE)NEW (RE)WORK – EGYPT DESIGN’, 13 designers were selected to represent contemporary egyptian design with an aim of reviving traditional crafts — including rugs by design studio KILIM

another initiative is ‘launch pad’, which sees 35 international design studios and independent designers present prototypes in the furniture or lighting sectors. the program is an opportunity to collaborate, share and create a thriving ecosystem where designers, manufacturers and visionaries can connect with each other during NYCxDESIGN.

finally, north american design studios gather as part of ‘look book’, which presents a selection of high-end canadian and american designers and makers. ‘look book’ intends to go beyond the show, and offer studios that have the capacity to offer original, custom products, a dedicated space to connect with interior designers and architects.

wanteddesign has named arielle assouline-lichten, founder of slash objects, as the 2019 recipient of the ‘american design honors’ — in manhattan assouline-lichten introduces the coexist daybed, a contemporary take on the chaise lounge.

facing climate change and evaluating the impact we have on our planet falls under the scope of responsibilities of all designers at large. these are issues that wanteddesign co-founders want to address specifically. with the theme of ‘conscious design’ woven throughout both design destinations, wanteddesign 2019 promises a platform for ideas, and a survey of the innovative and sustainable solutions design can bring to the world.

work by ryspot design is featured as part of ‘launch pad’ at wanteddesign manhattan, which showcases up-and-coming designers and small design brands

wanteddesign manhattan
at the terminal stores building, may 18-21, 2019
friday may 17, press preview at 5pm
saturday/sunday may 18/19, 10am-7pm, trade and public
monday may 20, 10am-7pm, trade only
tuesday may 21, 10am-5pm, trade only

wanteddesign brooklyn
at industry city, may 16-20, 2019
wednesday may 15, press&vip preview at 5pm / opening party from 7pm-10pm
thursday may 16 – monday may 20, 11am-6pm, public