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As part of the 10th edition of Design Week Mexico, happening now through October 28, Mexico City’s Museo Tamayo is hosting the INÉDITO exhibition, which highlights the work of emerging design practices across Mexico. In its fourth iteration, the show includes 80 design pieces ranging from jewelry and fashion to flatware and furniture.
Across the wide range of products in the show, there are a few common threads that run through much work. In many of the pieces, fine hand-crafted detailing and rich natural materials are used to great effect. The jewelry of fourth-generation craftsman Iker Ortiz uses marbled Corian and gold, and Mexico City–based jewelry studio María Mariscal collaborated with Taller de Obsidiana using fine gold plating to expand its work into a full set of dining flatware. The level of detail continues through to larger pieces in the show as well.
Furniture pieces by both LANZA Atelier and Claudia Suarez Ahedo both deploy smooth filleted forms in wood and aluminum. LANZA Atelier, which primarily practices as an architecture firm, produced a two-person nesting set of chairs and a table for the exhibition. Entitled Tête à tête, the piece is made of neatly joined banak wood and MDF, and when closed, forms a single smooth compact unit. The chair produced by Milan, Italy–based Mexican architect, Claudia Suarez Ahedo, is inspired by the strength and sensibility of Mexican women. Aluminum was chosen for its strength and flexibility, while the light desaturated salmon color was chosen to complement the smooth form.
Along with the showcase of work, awards were announced in a number of categories. Taking the top award was Alejandro Martínez Jaime, with his project Recybloq, which transforms construction waste into new building blocks. For the exhibition, the up-cycled parallelogram blocks are arranged into a small vaulted pavilion.
Each year Design Week Mexico has grown as more institutions and the public have joined in on the events. The opening ceremonies for this year’s events, also held at Museo Tamayo, attracted thousands. Other venues include the neighboring Museo Nacional de Antropología, where contemporary works directly influenced by traditional Mexican craft were on display. Throughout the city, design galleries and showrooms also took part with special events and displays. On top of that, Mexico City has been named the 2018 World Design Capital by UNESCO. The level of engagement points to a healthy design community in Mexico City with a bright future.