|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Miami Design District has announced that designer Lara Bohinc, founder of Bohinc Studio, has been awarded the neighborhood’s highly anticipated 2023 Design Commission.
In collaboration with Design Miami/ Curatorial Lab, Miami Design District has commissioned Bohinc’s proposed installation, Utopia, to be unveiled throughout the pedestrian friendly neighborhood during November in time for Miami Art Week. The installation will extend into the new year and will greet visitors at the fair entrance of Design Miami/.
Utopia spans four installations featuring irregular, bulbous forms reminiscent of growing cellular organisms and lifeforms. Friendly and dynamic, the sculptures are suggestive of living objects, mushrooming across the neighborhood with their kind yet mysterious forms.
Collectively, they imagine a city where nature thrives peacefully and in harmony with our human presence. In dialogue with one another, and with those who interact with them, the sculptures include outdoor seating, tables and oversized light sculptures, placed within proximity to create intimate and comforting resting places.
Nine hundred egg-shaped birdhouses will be dispersed throughout the trees, providing shelter for birdlife. Echoing the function of birdhouses, a giant, centerpiece egg-form will provide a playful refuge for small children.
With a focus on sustainability, and in response to the commission’s brief, Bohinc’s pieces are made from cork – a natural and environmentally friendly material, which is naturally waterproof. At night, solar-powered sculptures will create an atmospheric and inviting glow.
The installations bring elements of playfulness, functionality and comfort to the District’s outdoor areas, enlivening the public spaces as a place to convene, while engaging the native trees and architecture to encourage discussion on sustainability and environmentalism. Clustered together, the thought-provoking sculptures conceptualize a utopian future that questions how we might better engage with the natural world.
“I am honored to be awarded Miami Design District’s Annual Design Commission this year,” Bohinc said. “This is my largest work to date and my first public commission in the USA. It has been a wonderful process creating these organic and colorful forms for this Installation, and truly rewarding to see them come to life in such a sustainable way. I’m proud to be a part of Design Miami/ Curatorial Lab’s esteemed group of commissioned designers, and can’t wait to finally see Utopia come to life in the Miami Design District.”
The installation was commissioned in collaboration with Design Miami/ Curatorial Lab, a strategic consultancy that was established by Design Miami to help businesses harness the power of design to build cultural capital. From permanent architectural structures and seasonal pop-up installations to buzzworthy campaigns, programming, and events, Design Miami/ Curatorial Lab exists to create high-profile, on-the-pulse activations for businesses operating at the intersection of culture and commerce. Design Miami/ launched the Design Miami/ Curatorial Lab with the neighborhood’s commission as their first project.
“It was a true pleasure to join forces with the Miami Design District and, through Design Miami/ Curatorial Lab, invite artists and designers to share their proposals to transform the Design District with an immersive installation during Art Week this December,” said Grela Orihuela, senior vice president, Fairs, Design Miami/. “We received innovative and thought-provoking submissions from around the world and look forward with great anticipation to seeing the wonderfully talented work of this year’s nominated designer, Lara Bohinc, come to life in the Miami Design District and at our flagship fair in Miami Beach.”
Each winter, the Miami Design District extends a special invitation to an imaginative artist to breathe new life into the neighborhood’s landscape. Intertwining with Miami Design District’s pathways, the intriguing public installations become a living thread, engaging with the local trees, architecture, and walkways to create a unique experience for visitors. This vibrant addition injects a surge of energy into the community precisely when it’s most bustling – premiering amid Miami Art Week, and living well into the new year.
The Miami Design District is committed to enriching the community through cultural interventions that in turn support talented artists and creatives. Now in its ninth year, the Miami Design District’s Annual Design Commission is a family-friendly event intended to draw the community together.
For more information, visit miamidesigndistrict.net.
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com.
