Design by Event

ELSEWARE
While somewhat on the fringes of the ulra-institutionalized operations cited above, Brooklyn took advantage of the good vibes generated by the Celebrate NY Design events to host exhibits such as "Watershed," a display of bathroom accessories and fixtures. A group of five independent product designers known as "Elseware" offered a number of refreshing, humorous alternatives to this end. At the Vision Gallery, Daniel Harper premiered his amazing "Douchaise," a prototype of a chair that changes into a pump-based shower with inflatable curtains. Joel Hoag showed his elegant adjustable copper "Balance" bathroom sink, which plays on the balance of masses of water. Perry Dixon delved into toilets. The former Hayworth designer showed "Rocking Horse," a throwback to the saddles on carousel horses, while Oliver Beckert replaced the toilet tank with an aquarium full of goldfish. In Droog-Design vein, Janet Villano showed prototypes of "jack of all trades" tiles with adjustable functions: mirror tiles, hook tiles, scale tiles...even massage tiles.