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May 14, 2018

NYCxDesign 2018: The Best of Lower Manhattan

From the new SHoP Architects–designed Pier 17 to designer Anna Karlin’s new gallery, there’s plenty to see and do in Lower Manhattan.

By: Avinash Rajagopal

NYCxDesign 2018 Lower Manhattan
Coincidentally, two British designers will showcase lighting in Lower Manhattan. Anna Karlin’s lights (seen here) explore tensions between natural and man-made forms. Courtesy Anna Karlin

After the upheavals of 9/11 and Superstorm Sandy, a renewed urban consciousness is taking shape on the southern tip of Manhattan. The neighborhoods there offer a number of events and experiences for NYCxDESIGN attendees.

On the eastern waterfront, the Seaport district has transformed from a desolate former marketplace into one of the city’s emerging hot spots. The latest gem in this urban conglomeration developed by the Howard Hughes Corporation is Pier 17, a new retail and hospitality venue designed by SHoP Architects, which will host the NYCxDESIGN Awards and ICFF opening party on May 21.

NYCxDesign 2018 Lower Manhattan
Lee Broom will present the U.S. launch of Observatory, a collection inspired by constellations, like Orion, composed of tubes and spheres. Courtesy Lee Broom

To the west, across the tip of the island, Brookfield Place, formerly the World Financial Center, celebrates biking culture with an exhibition featuring artist Carlos Rolón. Predicated on the idea that bikes are the ultimate sustainable form of personal urban transit, When We Were Young presents four vehicles that embody both the cutting-edge technologies and the cultural expressions that come together in bicycles today.

To the north in Chinatown, London-born designer Anna Karlin will open her new street-facing gallery and studio. Featuring original designs as well as antiques collected on her travels, the gallery celebrates the act of making. Karlin will also exhibit her collaborations with artist Fernando Mastrangelo through the end of the month.

Finally in Soho at 158 Mercer St., Design Within Reach will present works by more than 25 designers in the exhibition Furnishing Utopia 3.0: Hands to Work. Curated by Studio Gorm (a Metropolis New Talent alum), Christopher Specce, and Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, the show will be on display beginning May 19 through May 22.

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