Inside~Out's fourth iteration is 'Grounded in Nature' with 22 art and design showcases

Grounded in Nature, a design exhibition in Brooklyn, peer-curated by multidisciplinary design practice Kin & Company, brings together new works by 22 artists and design studios. Comprising both functional and decorative objects and furniture reflecting upon and heaving a deep consideration for the living world around us, the exhibition is on view within the garden and gallery of Bergen, a new residential building in Boerum Hill, designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo and developed by Avdoo & Partners.

"Design innovation is a guiding principle for our development projects. At Bergen, the collaborating design teams for the building—Frida Escobedo, Workstead and DXA—sought to create a living environment deeply connected to and inspired by nature, from the design and materiality of the building itself to the abundance of greenery and natural light incorporated throughout," shares Shlomi Avdoo, principal at Avdoo & Partners.

On view from September 20 - October 4, 2024 (and now extended till October 14), this exhibition in New York, USA, is the fourth edition of the overarching show Inside~Out, which was conceived by Kin & Company in 2019, with the principal intention of fostering social connections through playful outdoor designs. While the inaugural edition of Inside~Out focused on bringing together novel work from the American design scene, the subsequent iteration was reinterpreted by digital artist Duyi Han to integrate furniture design within imaginary landscapes that were then hosted on virtual platforms. The third edition, hosted in 2021, helped explore the post-pandemic contours of social interaction with works that were originally designed for a virtual presentation and later reinterpreted for the physical show.

In 2024, the collective returned to host the event's fourth edition. "As our collective perception of social engagement has continued to fundamentally shift over the last five years, we have reconnected with a deeper sense of our capacity and what we need to thrive. For many of us, the pandemic caused us to reexamine our priorities, our structures and our rhythms and to seek paths that are more generative and nourishing. In this shifting time, it is our belief that artists are our societal sensors, feeling more broadly beyond their individual experiences and reaching into the future to create alternate visions for healing and flourishing. Inside~Out seeks to be a forum for artists to strengthen those translational bridges that serve our collective vitality," shares Kira de Paola, co-founder of Kin & Company and curator of the exhibition.

Inside~Out 2024 explores the role of design as a facilitator for deeper grounding in the natural world. The curators called upon participants to reflect on and consider their relationship with the living world, not only for research and inspiration but to grant nature the power to mentor and guide them while conceiving new product designs. The intention of the show is simple. It aims to shake visitors out of the fabricated reverie that has been birthed by digital reality. Showcased objects include whimsical pieces, conceived in forms that emulate patterns found in nature. Some functional and decorative pieces are also conceived in materials that would have otherwise gone to waste.

While certain pieces are displayed in the outdoor garden, some furniture finds space within the gallery indoors. One comes across Office of Tangible Space's bird feeder Hospitality for Birds hanging from a tree in the garden while Malcolm Majer's steel and bronze Chair E2 rests in the shade of the verdant scape.

Some other furniture pieces in the garden include Kanak Studio's atypically construed teakwood seating Ollin / Ollincito, Concrete Cat's organically shaped Demeter seat, H Bigeleisen Designs's Chubby Chair, Beca Studio's Bench Hang, Kin & Company's Reliquary Console and Ford Bostwick's J Table. Bostwick shares, "Inspired by my experiences birding in Prospect Park, this table's form is intriguing and elusive. A colour rarely found in nature, bluebird sightings are particularly special against a backdrop of greens, browns and yellows."

J McDonald's Earthcast Planter 1, with its rough texture, blends in with the soil it is placed upon while Lynn Lin's Yoga on the Lawn offers a space the size of a yoga mat, filled with soil and planted grass. Yuko Nishikawa's Hookey & Table for Two Icecream Cones is a two-piece collection that bears semblance to animated otherworldly characters. Some other pieces on display in the garden include Bjarke Ballisager's MEMORY OF A LOG and Laundry Ladder Lamp by Evan Z. Crane.

"The Laundry Ladder Lamp is inspired by the iconic NYC laundry ladders which are both prevalent and rapidly disappearing in countless Brooklyn neighbourhoods. Nature's untamed reclamation of these ladders and their silent transformation of function into a purely natural and landscape feature inspires me. As a child, I knew the laundry ladders, beyond their intended function, provided a whimsical collage of neighbourhood private life. The Laundry Ladder Lamp is my transformation of these grounding objects from my childhood. My intent is for the user to paint an intimate portrait of their life with plant life and personal objects," shares Crane.

Some pieces on display within the gallery include Sebastián Arroyo Hoebens's wooden table Metlati & Metlapili, Two Tree Studios' steeply configured The Ascendant Chair, Narciso Marengo Studio's Peruvian teakwood Aya Side Table and Aya Stool, Suna Bonometti's Wave Vase configured in brass, Teruko Kushi's bronze and steel mirror Hana, Joseph Algieri's resin sculpture Zen Ambrosia and Josh Draper's Post-Plastic Monobloc chair design made out of eggshells.

Fernanda Uribe-Horta's Bosque Series, encapsulating a potpourri of vibrant colours, includes vessels made out of porcelain and ceramic. This vibrant artistic collection is placed on Sol, a stainless steel table design by Design VA. Armando Mora Medina of Design VA, shares, "The Sol table merges the profound symbolism of self-reflection and beauty with the layered social commentary embedded in design. In this design, the mirrored table surface reinterprets the humble metal tables found in local restaurants and taquerias, elevating them into a sculptural, elite form. The polished surface invites those seated around it to reflect on their physical appearance, but also on the deeper contradictions within society. It mirrors both the world and the people seated at it, turning an everyday object into a metaphor for access and privilege." Sol metaphorically encapsulates the intent of the exhibition—to offer a space, a surface, for reflection.

'Inside~Out: Grounded in Nature' is on display from September 20 - October 4, 2024, at Bergen Sales Gallery, 84 Saint Marks Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217.