Collective Design brings together a tightly curated selection of some of the world’s most distinguished contemporary designers in a fair, which showcases modern masterworks and experimental design. The fair celebrated its fifth anniversary this year, highlighting creative process and the exchange of design ideas whilst swelling the design industry’s appetite for collectible design and art. The recipient of a prestigious invitation to exhibit, eminent Melbourne-based lighting designer Christopher Boots showcased some of his extraordinary, (and as yet unseen) work at this year’s fair.

Have you always had a desire to exhibit at Collective Design? You’ve exhibited at ICFF, does this show present an alternative viewpoint?

Collective Design is a small but extremely well curated fair, that requires an invitation to participate.  We had always been interested in Collective Design and were delighted when offered a place within the Collective Concept capsule alongside only seven other designers worldwide.

ICFF was a great experience that gave us considerable exposure within New York. When we exhibited at ICFF in 2016, we opted to present only from the Unlimited items from our collection due to the scale of the show.  With Collective Design, we only exhibited unique pieces that catered to more of a collector based audience. ICFF and Collective are geared towards different sectors within the design world and we are now focussing on more unique items and projects.

What was the primary design concept behind your booth design/layout?

The Collective installation nodded to the radical architectural firm Superstudio and their investigations into the grid and speculative city interventions – most notably for New York City. Throughout modern history, the grid has served as a tool to enable advancements in design, architecture and the visual arts, but also proven to be a symbol of repressive force through its strict conventions. By placing the grid on a gentle undulating fabric and fading until it cannot be seen anymore, we show that these constructs can, and need, to be disrupted.

Similarly to Superstudio’s desire for the grid to mediate and give equality and freedom to space, these new works presented at Collective reveal that through the addition of beauty, the idea of creating ‘environments for love at first sight’ are not that radical.

Which of your fixtures did you showcase and why?

All work displayed at Collective Design are unique artist pieces and are being exhibited for the very first time. We were also excited to present a one of a kind Vanity Screen – a project of love that has taken four years to realise. All pieces incorporate clear and smokey quartz crystal in an effort to examine both the dark and light psyches of our times.

How did the show broaden your reach in the art and design community? 

It was an absolute privilege to present alongside some of the world’s best galleries and designers. Not only were we able to develop new relationships, we connected with many old friends. We still represent ourselves independently in New York so it’s always great to spend some dedicated time in the city working with the local community.

What were your impressions of the show, both in terms of your own work, and the work of your fellow artists/designers?

We approached Collective as a testing ground for new ideas and works. Designers were encouraged to “explore new creative paths and reconnect with the roots of their design thinking”. This is rare within the fair circuit and we really wanted to push new directions, materially and conceptually. It paid off with an excellent response to the work that was presented within the show.