for those who have seen the 1999 cult film by jim jarmusch ‘ghost dog: the day of the samurai’, the title of this exhibition might sound familiar and may ring a bell on what type of work new york’s salon 94 wants to present in their inaugural salon 94 design exhibition. ghost dog — the protagonist of the movie — is a hitman who follows the ancient samurai code, bringing antique traditions into our contemporary world. like the samurai, the designers were slected by curators jeanne greenberg rohatyn and paul johnson because they work under the radar with their own self-prescribed set of rules.

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom

 

 

the designers chosen for the launch of salon 94 design represent a wide geographic and generational sampling of design practices with one thing in common: they all privilege the handmade, DIY mode of self-manufacturing. the show features work by italian designer gaetano pesce, thomas barger, jack craig, kwangho lee, and jay sae jung oh, which together create a dialogue between materials and form.

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom

 

 

with a career spanning over five decades with projects ranging from architecture to urban planning and from interior to product design, gaetano pesce is without a doubt the most renowned designer of the exhibition. for the occasion, he will be presenting a new series of hanging lamps and wall sconces made from resins, polyurethanes, and silicones — materials he has been working with since the 1980’s. the lighting objects are accompanied by pesce’s signature joyful voice, materialized as a cabinet that takes the shape of a clown.

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom

 

 

brooklyn-based thomas barger showcases a seating object made of pigmented paper pulp constructed around a wooden frame. the result is a chair that takes on an unusual shape reminiscent of childhood cartoons or papier-mâchéd fantasy balloon animals. trained first as an engineer, detroit’s jack craig exhibits his lamps composed of hand-dripped bronze and concrete. this technique results in micro-universes that reminds us of corals, symbiotic relationships in nature and sometimes parasites.

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom

 

 

to continue highlighting the self-manufacturing processes that go hand-in-hand with materials, the exhibition presents the work of seoul-based kwangho lee who uses humble mediums and traditional techniques in innovative ways. his path has led him to develop a way of knitting industrial materials to create lamps from tangles of extension cords, as well as a series of couches and stools called ‘obsession’ made from woven garden hoses, PVC, leather, and silk.

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom

 

 

last but not least, seattle-based and gaetano pesce’s apprentice jay saw jung oh presents her ‘savage series’. composed of chairs and sofas, the set starts with the designer collecting discarded plastic objects and toys than she then wraps with cowhide leather cords with the hopes that upon viewing, people will ‘reconsider the ordinary and find value in these products reborn. Innovation, invention, and beauty evident in even the most mundane, everyday objects that we take or granted and put to waste.’

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom

salon 94 design ghost dog exhibition new york designboom