THE ZONE | Design Miami 2023
by Brandi Howe · Facture · Kouros Maghsoudi · Sten Studio · Timbur · Yonathan Moore
“The Zone” investigates the possibility of creating a fusion between the present and future, of luminosity and vastness, of technology and physical materials. It explores the possibility that there may be many parallel worlds out of sight that are not accessible to the human eye…as the space between them expands more rapidly than the light of that other universe moves.Inspired by cinematic gems that have a teleportive effect such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Skin I Live In, “The Zone” is a metaphorical space that proclaims innovation and appeals to concentration and motivation through the prism of luxurious comfort.
Floor-to-ceiling illuminated resin tiles and stairs profess the precision and delicacy of design working in symbiosis with function. Materials such as stone, acrylic, resin, wood, aluminum and leather enhance the sense of experimentation and bring a state of creativity and satisfaction upon entering “The Zone”.
About The Artists
Brandi Howe
As an artist and creative director, Brandi Howe has manifested her distinct, hyper-charged aesthetic across multiple mediums such as set design, furniture design, interior design, fashion, and textile design. Her star-studded resumé includes set design for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty, Wonderland, Rolling Stones, and The Webster, as well as collaborations with Chrome Hearts, among others. In her recent years, Brandi launched Shag Chateau and the Lalita loft, both a high-concept production space she developed and designed that epitomizes her colorful, bold, yet elegant point of view. She is currently designing commercial retail spaces for well known brands like Cult Gaia, rolling out her branded concept to major cities across the U.S.
see moreFacture
Facture is a contemporary design studio located in Brooklyn, NY. Founded by designer Quincy Ellis, the studio creates dynamic pieces from molded resin by manipulating the elements of light, color and transparency. This exploration is central to all of Facture's work, with each design featuring unique colors, shades and opacities. The final product is a body of work that achieves new dimensions in the medium of resin, consisting of objects whose compositions and meaning change in response to the environments in which they are placed.
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Kouros Maghsoudi
Design has always surrounded Kouros Maghsoudi, who was born in the Frank Lloyd Wright suburbs of Chicago to Iranian-immigrant parents who owned a boutique women’s clothing store and Persian rug galleries. After earning his degree in sustainable architecture and urban design and joining an environmental nonprofit, he debuted his own furniture collection, called Mehmooni, which draws directly from his Persian culture but is tinged with playful postmodern motifs that encourage people to indulge.A self-taught multidisciplinary artist and designer, Kouros's approach is steeped in an investigation of future cultures, gathering cues from fashion and metropolitanism. Kouros' fantasy is unapologetically tinged with sex, liberation, New York opulence, and self-indulgence.
see moreSten Studio
Based in Mexico City, Sten Studio is tackling the beauty and mystery of natural phenomena through the use of crystals in contemporary furniture and bespoke decorative objects. It was instinctual for owner and creative director José Miguel Schnaider to be inspired by the vast complexity of our natural world. After all, he regularly held that vastness in the palm of his hands.
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Timbur
Timbur is an experienced digital fabrication studio that explores the intersection of design, materiality, and robotics as a source for re-imagining the natural world. Founded in 2009 by architect Ezra Ardolino, Timbur has developed distinctive projects for some of the world’s leading architects, designers, artists and brands. Stack and Bark are the result of Timbur’s foray into product design, pulling from their deep roots in digital fabrication and robotics engineering to create unique objects that blur the line between hi-tech and handcrafted.
see moreYonathan Moore
Yonathan Moore is an Israeli architect and designer based in Brooklyn, New York. His first collection of light sculptures “Optical Monuments” is the culmination of a four year exploration into the optical qualities and sculptural possibilities of acrylic – a study on how different light phenomenons can be harnessed to communicate softness as well as provoke curiosity within us, and how universal forms can invite us to imagine our collective, untold histories. After winning the Collab & Dickies ‘Future Of Work’ Fellowship, Yonathan began production of the light sculptures in a local Brooklyn workshop using a range of digital and traditional fabrication methods. Each sculpture is bespoke and made by Yonathan.
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