Draga & Aurel unveil their new Lucite art design collection at Design Miami 2024
At Design Miami 2024, Draga & Aurel will introduce a new art design collection for Todd Merrill Studio, showcasing their continued exploration of light, reflections, color, and transparency. The creative duo, Draga Obradovic and Aurel K. Basedow, have established themselves as trailblazers in material experimentation, particularly with Lucite, an acrylic resin that serves as their signature medium. This marks their third consecutive year at the prestigious event, presenting cutting-edge creations in collaboration with Todd Merrill Studio, a contemporary art and design gallery based in New York City.
The latest collection includes a family of lamps, a dining table, and a sideboard, which expand upon their Flare collection, first unveiled at Design Miami the previous year. Their designs reflect a meticulous handcrafting process that involves molding, assembling, polishing, and sculpting Lucite with the support of Italian artisans from the Lake Como region. By blurring the boundaries between art and design, Draga & Aurel create functional objects that not only enhance spaces aesthetically but also provoke thought about the interplay of light, color, and form. Their pieces encourage observers to engage with them as they would with works of art, offering new perspectives from every angle.
Among the collection’s highlights is the Ribbon pendant lamp, a striking design characterized by its flowing ribbon-like form. This lamp features a curved acrylic resin strip elegantly draped over an LED-lit capsule. Its semicircular geometry is softened by the craftsmanship of the material, creating a dynamic interplay of light and reflections. Transparency and opaline inserts emphasize the ethereal nature of the design, while vibrant neon colors seem to hover within the structure, dictating its visual rhythm. The overlapping parallel surfaces further amplify the immersive experience, shifting perceptions as the viewer’s perspective changes.
The Flare dining table expands upon the aesthetic language established by the Flare coffee table series, elevating it to a larger scale and enhanced visual impact. Entirely crafted from Lucite, this sculptural and totemic piece features bold geometry, subtle shading, and vivid colors that appear to float within the transparent material. The tabletop interacts with light in a way that produces a mesmerizing play of colors, inspired by the work of artists Jiyong Lee and Vasa Mihich. Through the layering and refraction of colored Lucite sheets of varying thicknesses, the table highlights the material’s unique properties and its capacity to manipulate and refract light with precision.
The Flare sideboard, another standout piece, exemplifies Draga & Aurel’s mastery of artisanal techniques and composition. Its rounded reflective metal frame contrasts with its transparent doors, constructed from sheets of acrylic resin in varying shapes and thicknesses. These elements come together to form a spectrum of hypnotic colors that change dynamically as light interacts with the surface. Neon accents and gradient transparencies enhance the sense of rhythm and movement, while the Lucite legs, transparent and seemingly weightless, give the piece an almost suspended appearance. The sideboard transforms its surroundings with its bold interplay of geometry and hues, creating a vibrant focal point in any space.
This collection reaffirms Draga & Aurel’s ability to push the boundaries of their medium, crafting objects that are as functional as they are artistic. Exclusively produced for Todd Merrill Studio, their works continue to captivate a global audience, offering a fresh perspective on the potential of materials and the dynamic relationship between light and design.
All images by Federica Lissoni, courtesy of Keywords Design, shared with permission
