Designer Ryan Twardzik welcomes me to Unform Studio’s exhibiting space at Alcova Miami with an invitation to have a seat, which I gladly take. The motel-room-turned-design-showroom at the Selena Gold Dust hotel overwhelms with bright, vibrant colours such as electric green, Ferrari red, Santorini blue, and tangerine, which demand attention but also imprint a sense of excitement on anyone who walks in. Undoubtedly, color is the host of the place (together with Ryan). And when you speak with Twardzik about his debut collection, you hear joy. Oh, by the way, I choose my seat in Barbie pink.
The artist’s new work, the Drip Collection, is a series of boxy accent chairs, side tables, and stools bursting with respect and adoration for color. Each chair and table base replicates the funky spill of paint splashed against its design form and puddled dry at the legs. This ode to color is an expression of how Twardzik believes design should be experienced: with joy. His work not only presents interesting chromatism but bright, fluorescent color exhibited in its uncontained, free-flowing, and natural form – pure and drippy. Indeed, there is joy found in letting things pour out, express freely, and also settle (as drying paint requires).
Then, of course, there is the joy of your favorite color. Something personal –a choice, a commitment, and a statement–. Similarly, there is the value for the drip, as in one’s expression and personal style. At Alcova, Twardzik appeals to this value through color sense. Walking into the space, instantly locate your favorite color and “touch, sit and interact with the pieces…. The joy sitting in a hot pink chair gives someone is wonderful to see,” he says. “Having had a hand in creating that experience for that person through my work is very fulfilling.” Somewhat of a brand declaration, the furniture designer shares the pillars that establish the virtues of Unform Studio: bold color, interactive design, and local production.
Bringing his designs to Miami is indisputable. Hotel Selena Gold Dust was the absolute location for a venue committed to the future of design. Its funky, art decó, vibrant energy was a promoter for all things artistic, decorative, and Miami. Unform Studio is a playful perspective understood to an audience captivated by the bold and comical. Think op art and pop art. These movements are similarly interactive, lively, and popular in Miami. At Alcova, an international fair focused on showcasing and exploring the innovation of contemporary furniture design, the laser-sharp details and daring color palate of Unform Studio echoed a sentiment for artistic design that makes you want to question, rationalize, and ultimately enjoy.
Ryan Twardzik, purveyor of intention, shares materials and production committed to the communities local to his Pennsylvania home, Mahantago Valley, a region with historical expertise in furniture production and an appreciation for colorful design. Materials are a necessary interest as the Drip Collection pieces are made of aluminum accessible for both indoor and outdoor functions. Puddles that form the leg foundations of his furniture, ‘the drip,’ is the traid of style, expression and the mastery of color. And there are lots of statements, since Twardzik is starting a conversation from the get-go: take a seat. The choice is yours (interactive) and, therefore, fun. The excitement in Miami is palpable, and so is Unform Studio by Ryan Twardzik.
