Paraphernalia: Alien

ALIEN is the third edition of Paraphernalia, a design exhibition co-curated by Eliza Axelson-Chidsey and Jess Fügler. Each edition takes a single word as its frame — an invitation for designers and makers to respond to a shared idea during New York Design Week. As interest in collectible design and craft continues to grow, Eliza and Jess see an opportune moment to exhibit conceptually rigorous, boundary-pushing work from diverse perspectives. ALIEN is opening at a moment when the word “alien” has rarely felt more charged. In the current political climate, “alien” functions as both legal designation and rhetorical weapon. In design discourse, questions of the non-human, the posthuman, and the speculative are reshaping how practitioners think about authorship and form. The show presents work across materials and disciplines — furniture, product design, sculpture, and decorative objects — from established and emerging designers including Gregory Buntain of Fort Standard, Adeye Jean-Baptiste, Colin Knight, and Kazuki Guzmán.