Lara Bohinc recently unveiled Utopia, her winning concept for the 2023 Annual Design Commission in collaboration with Design Miami /Curatorial Lab. An immersive public art installation with a fresh approach to sustainable urbanism, Utopia harbors public spaces for people and nature to coexist.
The London-based designer and founder of Bohinc Studio began her career making jewelry designs as a consultant for Cartier, before shifting her focus to furniture and product design. Her experience in different design disciplines provided the foundation for her continued artistic evolution. Utopia is Bohinc’s first public commission in the US, and embodies her vision for a society that integrates the human and natural worlds.
The colorful and engaging installation of functional sculptures is distributed throughout the Miami Design District, and includes furniture, light fixtures, and birdhouses. Configured in four clusters, and featuring shapes and forms that mimic cellular morphology, they are reminiscent of growing cells. The pieces are made entirely from cork, a sustainable and environmentally friendly material that aligns with Bohinc’s vision for ethically designed spaces.
The sculptures’ playfulness invite people to interact and engage with their functional and intriguing forms..The pieces demand to be physically touched, sat on, or engaged with. This interaction in turn encourages a deeper connection with both the designed and the natural world, capturing the imagination of viewers and users alike. Bohinc’s vision for Utopia serves as a reminder that embracing sustainability and existing with and within nature is a plausible future. Utopia stretches across the Miami Design District’s public spaces and served as a special installation at the entrance of Design Miami/.
