Field Trip

Field Trip! All of the second-years in the department headed to New York City this weekend for a jam-packed schedule of events. One of the main objectives of the trip was to visit shows and exhibitions and to talk with curators in the hopes that we would be able to bring some of that knowledge into the shows we each have to mount in the coming months. We started at the large design museums in the city and worked our way down in size to independent galleries. One of everyone's favorite shows was at a well-established gallery in Chelsea where the Japanese design collective, Nendo, was showing a large grouping of their Cabbage Chair. My favorite thing about this particular show was the number of different ways you could experience the work and the space (see video).



Day two was spent in Brooklyn where there are a ton of young designer/makers living and working. This area is probably the hub of furniture design in the US and there are quite a few RISD connections interspersed among the crowd. We visited with UM Project, a team of two guys who design and build furniture to sell in small batches. They also do interior design projects for stores and restaurants where they design the look and feel and then build the whole thing as well. Apparently, this is really where they make their money. Another interesting Brooklyn stop was at the recently opened VOOS Furniture. They take furniture on consignment from designers in the New York area and sell their work in the showroom at a cut of 65% to 35%. Usually the designer/gallery cut is 50%/50% but they are hoping to keep the prices of the finished goods down by giving the designers a higher cut. It is a great idea and I hope it works! The owner was very nice and eager to work with RISD graduates.