Continuing our tour from Part 1 of Design Miami/ 2023, we’ll have a look at 21 more galleries, curios and partner installations. This side of the tent seemed to have a greater concentration of special projects including a couple of performance installations. There’s a diverse mix of styles represented ranging from vintage to experimental. Here’s a few standouts:

Mindy Solomon Gallery exhibited furniture and lighting by Stackabl created from waste materials. The multi-colored seating and pendant light fixtures are made from Upcycled merino felt and recycled PET acoustic board. Infinite customization is achieved by varying the colors and order the felt pads are stacked. Seemingly when a top layer gets a bit worn, it can simply be moved below revealing a fresh top layer. I really like the balance of pragmatic problem solving and aesthetic consideration behind these pieces.

I’m a big fan of Aman resorts and when I saw a new furniture line by Aman Interiors with architect Kengo Kuma was going to debut at Design Miami/, it was a must see. The chair and table of The Migumi Collection wasn’t quite what I expected. Each is made from an abstract composition of delicate white oak wood slats that appear more work of sculpture than functional furniture pieces. The Migumi Collection makes up a limited edition set and all are hand crafted in Higashikawa, Japan.

Maison Perrier-Jouët has been a longtime partner of Design Miami/ and staged some impressive installations in past years. Consistently focusing on our relationship to nature, there’s been installations ranging from protecting glaciers to the metamorphosis of grapes to champagne in a wine cave covered in 11,000 ceramic bottles. For Design Miami/ 2023, Mexican artist and designer Fernando Laposse created The Pollination Dance to show the vital link between pollinator insects and the health and vitality of plants on Earth. Staged on a circular platform, Laposse placed vines catered from a central Mexico jungle. Applied to these were 3d printed flowers, birds and insects made from a blend of eco resin and sage starch. A couple of performers poured pollen-like dyed sand into hand blown hourglass vessels which simulated a natural pollination cycle. Against the backdrop hustle of the rest of the fair, it was a satisfyingly meditative place to stop by.

Photos and Text: Dave Pinter