Art Fair Spawns Slew of Parties, Part 2

Continued from the previous page

Across town, Swarovski premiered its Crystal Palace Collection at Paris Studios with the help of NY-based public relations firm Nadine Johnson Inc. The exhibit included 21 visually stunning and interactive chandeliers. Catering firm Shiraz FL Inc. sent staffers throughout the event with trays lined with hors d'oeuvres that looked like works of art such as ahi tuna bites with pineapple salsa on a plantain crisp, mini grilled chicken burgers with soy aioli, and salmon tartare with alfalfa sprouts in a wonton cone. For dessert, guests grabbed skewered balls of fresh apples and dipped them into mini bowls of warm caramel, chopped nuts, and shredded coconut.

The opening night was just a primer. Virtually every art gallery in town hosted an opening or party. Private collections such as the Rubell Family Collection, the Marguilles Collection, and the Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation each hosted breakfasts for the visiting art dealers and their clients. At the Cisneros space, known as CiFo, mini bagels were served with cream cheese, pastries, fruit, and coffee. Nonprofit Miami art collectives held collaborative shows at the World Arts Building and Casa Lin, a private home in the Wynwood district. There, guests were treated to Cuban pastries and rum-spiked coco frío: coconut milk and rum served in a coconut.

Art collector and developer Craig Robins funded his own satellite event, Design.05, a multitiered festival of architecture and design, which opened Thursday, December 1. The event featured 15 contemporary galleries displaying cutting-edge furniture styles in the Moore Building's four-story atrium. In the center of the atrium was architect Zaha Hadid's site-specific elastic-looking installation, "Elastika," made of milled Styrofoam.

Simultaneously, across the street at the Newton Building, art dealer Jeffrey Deitch hosted an exhibit from his groundbreaking collection "Live Through This." The Basel-sponsored event encompassed some of the fresher and funkier artists. Performance artists Julie Atlas Muz and Octavio Campos captured attention with a nude performance that employed latex balloons, body paint, a space capsule, and the conspicuous placement of an American flag.

Perrier Jouët also took a different approach for its PJ Performance event, at the Delano Hotel. Liz Dueland, publicist for the champagne brand, hired Tara Solomon of TARA Ink. to promote the multisensory event with a subdued floral fantasy theme, inspired by the white anemones Émile Gallé designed in 1902 that became the champagne's symbol. A white carpet led guests to the outdoor terrace, decorated with arrangements of tall clear vases filled with white and purple orchids and floating candles. Hollywood designer Doug Boyce built an enormous white anemone that floated on the shallow end of the pool near two water screens projecting logos and images created by London artist Janey Walklin. Custom Perrier slipcovers and pillows covered the lounge chairs. French designer Haï Ngyen Xuan adorned promotional models with colorful anemone tattoos on their arms, legs, and faces. They held portable DVD players and specially made goggles for viewing a virtual-reality-like video presentation by Masomenos. Guests kept warm on the unusually chilly night thanks to strategically placed warmers and free flowing Perrier champagne. The Delano staff passed hors d'oeuvres from visiting chef Kaori Endo, who flew in from France to create a menu that included a salad of edible flowers, and white chocolate mousse with .phpberry and rose compote garnished with crystallized rose petals.

—Vanessa Goyanes and Juan Carlos Rodriguez