NEW YORK, NY.- The Armory Show announces Armory Design Projects, highlighting a diverse group of leaders in contemporary art and design with a curated project and four site-specific presentations, inspired by each space’s location and function and integrated across Piers 92 and 94.

The highlight of the design projects will be NOIR, a solo exhibition by New York-based designer Stephen Burks curated by Maria Cristina Didero and presented by Mariane Ibrahim Gallery.

Stephen Burks, NOIR / Pier 92 Central Lounge
Curated by Maria Cristina Didero
Presented by Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Seattle
On the occasion of The Armory Show, Stephen Burks, recipient of the 2015 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Product Design, will present NOIR, a limited edition series of locally produced hand-made lamps. NOIR is a reference the absence of light - a creative space where anything is possible. At the core of Burks' design vision is the unique process of building a bridge between authentic craft traditions, industrial manufacturing and contemporary design. This curated presentation was inspired by the 2016 Armory Focus which this year highlights the artistic practices of contemporary artists of Africa and the diaspora.

Burks has also designed the Pier 92 Central Lounge with furniture and lighting generously provided by Dedon.

Central Lounge, Pier 92
Designed by Stephen Burks
Generously sponsored by Dedon
Stephen Burks has collaborated with Dedon for over 5 years. Dedon is a leading furniture producer that utilizes traditional craftsmanship paired with modern techniques. Dedon furniture is created in collaboration with international designers, based on German standards of quality, and is manufactured by hand by trained artisans on the island of Cebu in the Philippines.

Since 2005, Burks has consulted with not-for-profits, including Aid to Artisans, the Clinton Global Initiative and the Nature Conservancy, uniting the artisan, the designer, and global brands in a triangle of immersive development. Through his New York-based studio, Stephen Burks Man Made, Burks has produced innovative products, furniture, lighting, and exhibitions for a range of international clients.

Further design projects:

Also on Pier 92, the Dutch-duo, Studio Job will stage a retrospective look at their work over the last ten years as a prelude to their forthcoming exhibition at The Museum of Arts and Design in New York; Carlo and Mary-Lynn Massoud will present Autopsy, the first collaboration between the sibling-designers; and industrial designer and artist Sung Jang will envelop the staircase connecting Piers 92 and 94 with one of his celebrated façade structures.

Sung Jang, Mobi / Pier 92 & 94 Staircase
Presented by Chamber, New York
In the connecting stairwell between Piers 92 and 94 the celebrated Korean artist Sung Jang will create a bespoke edition from his unique series of Mobi edifices, inspiring a thoughtful dialogue between the two spaces. Exhibited internationally, and most recently at the 2015 Venice Biennale, Jang’s Mobi structures explore the basic construct of human perception. They aim to highlight strong architectural forms, along with the high flexibility and modularity of the individual parts: independently, the module is similar to a lightweight buttress, streamlined to divide and distribute weight.

Sung is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Domus Academy in Milano with a Masters in Design. Since 2013, Sung has served at the University of Illinois at Chicago's School of Design as an Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies to the Industrial Design program. He also has his own practice, Sung Jang Laboratory and serves as a partner at Article, LLC, a design consultancy based in Chicago.

Studio Job, A Decade of Studio Job, 2006-2016 / Booth #400
Presented by Chamber, New York
Chamber, a unique exhibition space in New York, will present a booth dedicated to special projects by Dutch-Belgian design duo, Studio Job. Founded in 2000 by Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel, Studio Job’s practice combines a high level of craftsmanship with extreme ornamentation. This presentation reflects their practice through a selection of the studio’s creative work over the past decade, from the iconic Homework series created in 2006 to Piece for Peace completed this year. The exhibit also includes pieces from their curatorial program at Chamber, Collection #1, and two never-before-seen process drawings of their latest projects.

Carlo and Mary-Lynn Massoud, Autopsy /Pier 92 Public Lounge
Presented by Carwan Gallery, Beirut
Mary-Lynn Massoud, a ceramist, and Carlo Massoud, a product designer, explore the fragility of life, inspired by the history and use of traditional South African fertility dolls. Working in close collaboration with Lebanese designers and South African artisans, Autopsy, is composed of a series of five unique stool/table editions, realized in cast bronze with colored patinas. Each piece symbolizes the siblings’ investigation into the concept of fertility, emphasized by the wounds and scars on the surface of the organic objects.

Founded in 2010 as the first contemporary design gallery in the Middle East, by the architects Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte and Pascale Wakim, Carwan Gallery’s mission is to globalize design in the Middle East. The gallery exhibits bespoke projects and limited edition objects, focusing on commissions of internationally renowned architects and designers.