With drinks pouring and music playing, this year’s ADDRESS Assembly celebrated North American design with a diverse group of 40 designers and makers. Out of the 40, 27 are female founded, of which 25% are queer-identified designers. Founded and produced by Kate Duncan and curated by Amber Kingsnorth, the show prides itself on being the “anti-tradeshow show” that, instead of boxing exhibitors into booths, showcases them in curated yet natural vignettes with objects and furniture from different exhibitors living alongside one another.
Of the show, Kate says:
Men dominate the design industry, furniture making especially, and I think the trade show scene really perpetuates that. More than a decade ago now, I wrote my masters thesis on gender equitable programming and I actually believe that equality is the only thing that can get us out of this collective mess we’re in. Ensuring the exhibit represents a myriad of voices is, and has always been a big part of my mandate.
The East Van Studios that housed this year’s show had a cool, industrial setting that made for the perfect backdrop for these styled vignettes. It allowed attendees to easily visualize their own spaces and projects.
Birdman The Welder’s table and swings were definitely a conversation starter.
Floral design from Amanda Langerak of forage & BLOOM dotted the scenes, adding an element of natural warmth and greenery to the vignettes.
Kari Kristensen’s black and white murals gave blank walls a graphic look without looking out of place.
Learn more about the 40 designers and makers in this year’s lineup here. ADDRESS Assembly will be returning in January 2020 as part of the Toronto Design Festival.
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