A popular narrative about Art Basel Miami Beach and all of the events that are part of Miami Art Week is that wild parties and brand activations have taken over and taken away from the point of the week. But the best events reflect an appreciation of contemporary art and incorporate it through live art installations, performance art, and commissioned works that appeal to the art-loving crowd that flocks to South Florida each year. Here’s a look at some of the most creative events from 2015.
The billowing wall of a poolside cabana also served as a projection surface. In addition to Dawn of Man images, guests also saw a preview of the Spring 2016 collection from Canadian fashion designer Marie Saint Pierre.
Swarovski commissioned Mexico City architecture and design firm Fernando Romero Enterprise to create an installation that explored humans’ relationship with the sun. Composed of 2,880 custom-made Swarovski crystals, the work, called “El Sol,” was a geodesic structure scaled to one billion times smaller than the sun. Swarovski celebrated the work at a dinner December 3 at Soho Beach House penthouse produced by Shiraz Events. This year marked Swarovski’s 10th year partnering with Design Miami.
Design Miami makes an opening statement each year with a new, thought-provoking entrance pavilion. This year it held a design competition among students from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. The winning entry, dubbed “Unbuilt,” featured 3-D foam models of unrealized design projects that were arrayed in a sort-of canopy.
Art Basel official sponsor BMW announced the short list for the BMW Art Journey at an Argentinian barbecue December 3 at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The company shared information about the project, which selects an emerging artist to undertake a work-related journey, in the BMW Lounge set up in the garden.
Temporary tattoo brand Tattly offered six custom designs created for Art Basel at its “Parlor Station” in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The Brooklyn-based company is a partner of Art Basel’s crowdfunding initiative, which Art Basel and Kickstarter founded to promote select nonprofit visual arts organizations.
At Scope art fair, VH1 sponsored a lounge to promote its upcoming hip-hop movie The Breaks. Viacom's special events team produced the event. The film is set in New York City in the 1990s, so the look of the lounge included several references to the era and culture, including at the food stands.
The lounge featured hip-hop apparel, and guests could listen to playlists curated by Q-Tip at headphone stations. Decor elements such as a bowl full of pagers, sneakers hanging by their laces from overhead power lines, and catering trays plastered with albums from artists such as Lil’ Kim continued the theme.
The DJ booth had a throwback look, with space for speakers and albums on shelves built into its façade.
The art collective Dawn of Man created digital projections at Mondrian South Beach, presenting them on unusual surfaces such as the hotel's pool after it had been covered in ping-pong balls. A number of different images were on display during the Objekt Magazine & Ruinart Party December 3.
Vanity Fair brought its Social Club concept to Art Basel after successful campaigns during the Oscars and the Emmys. The lounge, open December 3 to 5 at the Wolfsonian-Florida International University, featured programming that included film screenings, panel discussions and interviews led by Vanity Fair editors, and brand activations. The co-working space NeueHouse helped curate the programming.
Lincoln Motor Company sponsored an immersive activation called “Sound of Luxury” that invited guests to sit in a 2016 Lincoln MKX and experience its Revel audio system with a light show.
The lounge offered bloggers and journalists space to work as well as treats from sponsor activations. Sisley-Paris offered beauty appointments in a lounge-within-a-lounge. Other sponsors with activations included Nespresso and Movado.
Design Miami presented its Visionary Award to Yves BĂ©har at a 400-person dinner December 2 sponsored by watch brand Officine Panerai. Ainsworth Associates produced the event, which took place in a tent in the design district. The menu from caterer Creative Edge Parties started with snapper crudo followed by pan-seared striped bass, Meyer lemon sorbet, and an array of sweets including tiramisu bites, lavender shortbread, chewy chocolate caramel tarts, and hazelnut biscotti.
Pastry chef Dominique Ansel debuted his first pop-up in South Florida with a soft-serve window at the Setai hotel in Miami Beach. Ansel created two flavors: caramel stout with chocolate “caviar” and sea salt brownie (pictured) and burrata with balsamic caramel, confit strawberry, and micro basil. The pop-up was intended to be a two-day event but ended after its first day on December 2 after the ice cream sold out.
Five designers contributed to the fourth Elle Decor Modern Life Concept House, a 6,000-square-foot loft at the 250 Wynwood condominium building. They were: Matthew MacDonald, Daniele Busca, Sam Robin, Elizabeth Martin, and Fernando Wong. Private events at the house included a breakfast and an evening V.I.P. kickoff catered by the Genuine Hospitality Group. The public was invite to purchase tickets to view the space throughout Miami Art Week.
Corona’s Electric Beach event series came to Miami Beach, with Chilean street artist Dasic Fernandez creating a live art installation at the Clevelander on December 5. The artist spray-painted a 10- by 10-foot mural on a wall covered in vinyl records.
New York-based Bounce Sporting Club popped up at Hyde Beach Miami for a December 4 event. Decor mixed classic New York images like subway stops with the Hyde logo.
Artist Jay West created a live art installation by applying paint to two bikini-clad models and guiding their movement on a canvas.
Museum of Modern Art Design Store opened its first pop-up during Miami Art Week. Located at Delano and working with the Skateroom, the store featured a limited-edition series of skate decks featuring artwork by Andy Warhol, made in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Spotify curated a special playlist at a brunch the music streaming service hosted with the art and fashion publication Visionaire at the Soho Beach House penthouse on December 3. Guests could take home prints featured in the Visionaire 65 Free issue and were also invited to try the Spotify Concierge program.
The cycling studio SoulCycle previewed its offerings at an outdoor pop-up at 1 Hotel South Beach, where it plans to open a studio in January. While riders sweated through a workout, artist Gregory Siff created a custom installation on site using acrylic paint and paint pens on wood panels. The pop-up, which ran December 1 to 4, also featured live DJ sets.
Guests tried out an interactive oceanic virtual reality experience called “Cry Out: the Lonely Whale Experience” at a December 4 event sponsored by Dell at Maps Backlot. The actor Adrian Grenier, Dell’s “Social Good Advocate,” curated an oceanic art gallery and announced the launch of his Lonely Whale Foundation.
Guests were invited to a construction site for a lecture on art and sustainability and an art unveiling on December 1 called “Illuminate the Night.” Swire Properties, which is readying Brickell City Centre to open next year, hosted the inaugural lighting of the “Climate Ribbon,” a 150,000-square-foot elevated glass trellis. The evening also saw the debut of the six-ton “Dancers” sculpture by Allen Jones. Actor Elijah Wood and Zach Cowie performed a DJ set for the 400 guests.
Co-working space WeWork brought its series of warehouse parties to Miami for an event at Thompson Miami Beach on December 3. Hosted with artists FriendsWithYou, the gathering had a “house party” theme. DJ DZA played a set of late 1990s, hip-hop, and old-school music at a pop-art Barbra Streisand DJ booth. The Workshop produced the event.
With the goal of translating the colors of the sunset into soft-serve ice cream, artist Spencer Finch devised a solar-powered ice cream truck and offered free treats. The “Sunset (Central Park)” concept previously appeared at the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis and in Central Park. In Miami, the truck was parked next to the sales center for Hyde Midtown Suites & Residences from December 1 to 5.
Low-fi design like glittery balloons and beach balls were part of the decor at Nylon magazine’s F*** Winter Night Brunch at Dream South Beach. The Fat Jew hosted the event, making an entrance by throwing condoms at guests. White Girl Rosé was the other presenting sponsor of the event.
