New York interior design studio Studio S II has collaborated with artists Grace Whiteside and Liz Collins to showcase by a majority of women, trans and non-binary designers in as part of .
Called , the exhibit included , textile artwork, glass work and fine art pieces arranged in a residential-like layout inside the concrete-lined studio of in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighbourhood. The curators prioritised queer presence in contemporary design.
“We are carving out some queer space with an incredible cohort of designers and artists that are all crossing disciplines and blurring boundaries within their practices, a notion of queerness itself,” said co-curator and glass artist .
The show centres on a bed bright orange bed and boldly patterned curtain by textile artist , next to spikey glass orb pendants by Whiteside and a patterned, tiled pedestal by .
Textured, resin side tables by and horse hair wall hangings by sit on either side of the bed, with additional brightly coloured textile work by and throughout the corner.
“This is a fun show, it’s a celebratory show,” Collins told Dezeen. “It’s eccentric. We want it to be like an open-plan apartment and maybe even imagine the person who lives here and the friends who live here.”
“It’s easy to pull together a group of queer people design, but we really wanted to centre trans, non-binary and women designers.” she continued. “We have a few gay, cis men but we wanted to kind of flip the script.”
A metallic and wood chair by Studio S II sits in front of a privacy screen by at the centre of the room, while a poplar wood totem of spliced orbs by sits next to it.
In the “living room”, a glass table by Studio S II rests on a brass base, while two stone blue chairs by Collins are linked by a swatch of fabric. Other pieces in the area include artwork of silicone tiles by and a ceramic, cross-hatched sculpture by .
In a third corner, a “yard” hosts a handblown glass dog, accompanying droppings and toys by , with a glass cat carrier placed opposite.
Prints by and a fringed wall hanging by also surround the space, while a jacket by hangs above the studio’s entrance.
Sterling silver jewellery and dishes by were placed throughout the space.
“While the queer community is intimately intertwined with the environments it constructs and inhabits, there continues to be a need and opportunity to establish new places that prioritize queer voices and comradery,” said the team.
“What is the significance of being an LGBTQIA+ designer in a world that is just beginning to integrate queerness into its common milieu?”
Design Dysphoria is the inaugural exhibition of interior studio Studio S II in Brooklyn, co-founded in 2o20 by designers and .
Other shows and spaces on exhibit during NYCxDesign include and by lighting brand .
The photography is by .
Design Dysphoria will be on show at Studio S II from 20 May to 25 May and New York’s design festival 2024 takes place throughout the city from 16 to 23 May. See the guide on for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.