Paved States brings "spirit of experimental design" to NeoCon

Local magazine Sixtysix has collaborated with trade fair NeoCon to curate an exhibition of experimental design during Chicago Design Week, addressing what the curators perceive as a lack of experimental showcases in the city.

Called Paved States, the exhibition was located on the ground floor of the Mart, the massive 1930s building that holds hundreds of showrooms that activate for the annual NeoCon trade show.

The showcase was put on to show the creative talent of local designers alongside designs from other parts of the country, against a backdrop design by local studio Points of Sail that nodded to iconic Chicago architecture.

According to SixtySix's director of brand marketing director Abigail Grohmann, Paved States was put on to give a platform to independent design during a fair otherwise dominated by larger manufacturers.

"[W]e felt it was time to give emerging designers, especially those from our own city, a seat at the table," said Grohmann, who curated the exhibition together with Sixtysix's founder and creative director Chris Force.

"Paved States makes a statement about the future of design and who gets to shape it."

The curators compared the initiative to the well-known experimental design showcase Alcova, which takes over unusual or abandoned structures during Milan Design Week for showcases – with recent forays into Miami art week.

To showcase the furniture and product, the curators tapped Points of Sail to reference brutalism and specific Chicago buildings.

The space was lined with metallic fabric, and some of the plinths that the products were set on referenced local icons such as the SOM-designed Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower).

The exhibition space also featured massive light boxes made of black-painted foam and fabric.

"Blending brutalist influence with experimental materiality, Paved States celebrates the tactile and structural legacy of Chicago's architectural history," said the curators.

"While exhibitions like Alcova have become a regular fixture during Milan Design Week, Paved States brings the same spirit of experimental design to Chicago – something the city has long deserved but rarely seen," they added.

Furniture designs on show included Boston-based designer Christian Borger's polycarbonate furniture, wooden furniture by California-based designer Hanneke Lourens alongside pieces by Chicagoan designers Noam Ateloer, Cody Norman, and Ian Cochran, as well as historic designs by Lelle and Massimo Vignelli, supplied by Heller Furniture.

Other designers on show included Anna Stechschulte, Siete Studio, Room File and Ia Kutateladze.

A series of merchandise created for the exhibition by local fashion design studio Todo Pasa was displayed on metallic shelving.

The exhibition appeared to strike a chord with visitors, with one showgoer asking if "NeoCon was cool now?" after seeing it.

Other forays into experimental design at NeoCon include a yearly showcase put on by Haworth furniture and curated by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola.

Recently, the City of Chicago declared that the second week of June will be Chicago Design Week, creating an umbrella designation over NeoCon and the other major design event, Fulton Market Design Days, which occur during the week.

The photography is by Chris Force.

Paved States was on from 9 to 12 June at the Mart during Chicago Design Week. For more exhibitions, talks and fairs in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide. 

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