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Published on May 10, 2017 by Eleanor Gibson for Dezeen - Link

Sight Unseen pairs Norwegian and American designers for New York exhibition

Sight Unseen

US magazine Sight Unseen has partnered five New York and five Norwegian design studios to create products for its annual Offsite exhibition, with results including brick furniture, a bent-steel bench and colourful glass vases.

Now in its second edition, Norway x New York aims to showcase the similarities between New York and Norwegian designers, who are relying less on brands and more on in-house production.

"Both countries have far more skilled young talents than they do manufacturers, and like American designers — who have shifted, in the past 10 years, away from a reliance on brands and more toward self-initiated production and distribution — Norwegian designers are also beginning to embrace their independence," said Sight Unseen founders Monica Khemserov and Jill Singer.

Over six months, the pairs worked long distance to create a pieces of furniture, lighting and accessories. Each one uses a different type of American workshop and can also be manufactured for future sales.

Sight Unseen Offsite takes place 19-22 May 2017 at 100 Avenue of the Americas, New York, as part of this year's NYCxDesign festival.

Read on for descriptions of the five projects including:


Moving Mountains and Runa Klock

The insides of these glass vases are coloured in blends of blue, red, orange and green. From different angles, the colours appear to blend with the top.

Moving Mountains and Runa Klock collaborated with glassblower Andrew O Hughes from Brooklyn studio and incubator UrbanGlass to learn about the historical glass making process for the project.