There’s five stops on this tour of Brooklyn. The visit includes a couple of group shows, some innovative lighting both technical and experimental and a final stop to see a mini-design show and a couple of performance car beauties.

Photos and Text: Dave Pinter

Additional Text: Espasso

Paraphernalia – Alien

Alien was the third exhibition staged by Paraphernalia showcasing fresh design talent. The theme presents art and functional objects responding to forms of terrestrial alienation and yes, visitors from beyond. I thought I’d see AI far more represented over the week but this show had the only example I came across in (Untitled Prompt) by David Thonis. Constructed based off an AI conversation, the piece shows both the opportunities for unpredictable forms and the pitfalls of AI not at all understanding functionality in the real world.

Tokio

Slovenia-based Tokio brough their lighting and furniture collection to an apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Known for their ultra-lightweight carbon fiber suspended pendant, the company has expanded into decorative modular lighting with the linear glass and metal Uebu light capable of infinite arrangements.

Debuted in 2008, the LJUBLJANA Chair by Janez Mesaric is another modular design for seating made of EPP-expanded polypropylene. The segments with or without a backrest can be sandwiched together to make a bench or seat any length. A non-modular version is new but I prefer the original design more.

Solmistudio x Twelve Chairs Gallery – Objects Trouvé

Within the cavernous building on N 3rd in Williamsburg is Twelve Chairs Gallery, an exhibition space and working studio for figurative artist Zura. For NYCxDesign the gallery invited Brooklyn-based Solmistudio to exhibit a lighting collection based on found objects. Designed by founder Mauro Solmi, the pieces include salvaged bricks from the first American Hudson Valley foundry, scrap commercial juicers with glowing fruit and cloud lamps made from fiber rescued from a 2025 booth at ICFF before it hit the trash. This show was as much about looking at materials in a different way as it was the realized pieces. It’s a good challenge for any designer to undertake rather than default to creating more future waste.

Espasso Apartment

Brazilian mid-century modern and contemporary gallery Espasso exhibited work by 18 designers and firms in a penthouse apartment in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The exhibition was curated and designed by Office of Tangible Space and represented the current state of decorator/collectible design trends. My favorite piece in the show was the clean-lined living room sofa.

Additional Details

THE ESPASSO APARTMENT
Curated + Designed by Office of Tangible Space
Featuring works by:
Etel Carmona
Arthur Casas
Color Atelier
ETEL
Kat Howard
Kawabi
Fernando Mendes
Claudia Moreira Salles
Carlos Motta
Oscar Niemeyer
Office of Tangible Space
Sergio Rodrigues
Ronald Sasson
Giuseppe Scapinelli
Peter St. Lawrence
Joaquim Tenreiro
Waves and Frequencies
Jorge Zalszupin

ZAROLAT + Car Part Time

Last stop on this Brooklyn tour is the Bed-Stuy location of Car Part Time with a mini exhibition by architecture firm/design collective/gallery Zarolat. Running on fumes, I only stayed a sort time but took in the work by stone carver Matt Byrd and mixed-media paintings by Michele Simonetti.