The New York Sun, May 20th, 2004

Chic Meets Cheeky in Chelsea

The Chelsea Hotel has long been a dwelling place for artists and writers, a site of tragedy for some and inspiration for others. But the legacies left in this hotel made it a perfect venue for "Downtown," the off-site design event that took place last weekend as an alternative to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at the Javits Center.

More than 60 up-and-coming designers from around the world took over almost four floors of rooms, and either installed their works in sparse hotel rooms, or recreated the spaces entirely. The results — humorous, lyrical, and at times utterly impractical went far beyond the confines of form and function.

A prime example was the work of recent graduates from The Design Academy at Eindhoven in the Netherlands, who had been handpicked to work as an improvisational team. They had seven days in New York City to scavenge materials off of the street and create installations with their finding. The exhibition was titled "Improvvisare."

"We saw New York in a totally different way," a member of the team, Mark Van der Gronden said. "Especially since we were upside down in dumpsters so much of the time."

This adventure resulted in two contrasting rooms. An open, airy, white room had cashier tape hung for wallpaper and mattress coils stuffed with pillow fibers. A contrasting dark, seductive room had a pink chandelier of fabric remnants from a wedding party, lamps made from high-heeled shoes, and a champagne tray cut from a discarded suitcase.

In another suite, designers from Toronto Canada, known as the "Nice Collective" were displaying their work. One member of the collective, Alistair Chang, 28, claimed candy as the inspiration for his pink and yellow translucent chairs and bar stools. Zac Ridgely, 30, another member, displayed a light-diffusing wall of river stones. The group wanted to represent Canadian design, while at the same time striving to establish exactly what defines Canadian design.

"We've been defining ourselves as 'not Americans' for so long," said Toni Kay, a Canadian designer. "We now need to find out who we are beyond that." Another member of the group, Michael Lam, 31, designed the Sasquatch, an easy chair made of mesh stretched over a stainless steel skeleton. He let visitors relax in the pendulum sling-chair set up on a balcony. He likened his piece to a wicker chair and said it was also reminiscent of a tire swing. "We have young cities in Canada, but incredible landscape," Mr. Lam said. "The outdoors is a big influence on Canadian designers."

Many of the designers at the show used classic techniques and applied them to contemporary designs. Sculptor Giangi Razeto from Genova, Italy represented his family's business, Freego, which began by salvaging parts from old boats in the 1920s. "We used maritime hardware, such as handles from boat hatch covers and turned them into door and furniture handles," Mr. Razeto said.

He currently designs interchangeable door handles. A "zoo" series with mock zebra, snakeskin, and tiger handles can be exchanged for scented door handles redolent of sour apples or water-cut stone handles.

Nancy Nicholson from New York City creates stained-glass cityscapes with silhouettes reminiscent of Bernice Abbott photographs. "I take lots of photographs around the city, then I use medieval techniques of cutting and firing," she said. "After that, I paint on the details and sandblast spots for texture." www.nancy-nicholson.com

Several textile designers who displayed their work were influenced from abroad. Lindsay Taylor of Brussel and Taylor based in London works with artisans in the town of Kutch, India, along the Pakistan border. "I trained in textiles," she said. "So on my first visit to India, I was blown away by the colors and hand work." She creates subtle designs and chooses muted shades, and artisans help her execute hand-stitched linens, curtains, and block- printed throws.

A collective from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Firststop, founded by Klaus Rosburg and Ggrippo, created a gritty, contemporary room that spoke of New York street life. The room was furnished with sharp, modular furniture, and conical lamps by Jeff Taylor made from industrial yellow pipes collected from construction sites added soft lighting. One wall was covered with a print of a black-and-white photograph of the exterior of an industrial building printed on transparent Mylar. Mr. Rosburg's lamps were made from items found at 99- cent stores in Brooklyn. A blue lamp made of plastic cloth pins hung in the bathroom, and a chandelier of clear plastic hangers adorned the main room.

"We believed this show to be a perfect venue for us," he said. "It's more avant-garde and experimental and a lot edgier than the ICFF."