The object boutique

Ghost in a shell, Boris Yu @onlyoneyes Material: Oyster bio-composite, steel, acrylic ‘Joy is precarious. These moments end as soon as they appear with only residues of its ephemerality left in its wake. Fearful it will never happen again, I find myself building walls to preserve these moments. “Ghost in a shell” speaks to a form of fragility rooted in these desires of preservation. Solid blue walls held up by hinges are punctured with hollow gaps. The vessel, created for the purpose of containing the fleeting, holds nothing but emptiness. In this fixation to preserve, the movements of crafting outlives joy itself and the object becomes a ghost of its intentions.’ This vessel was featured at the Object Boutique, during the Collectible fair NYC edition @collectiblefair @wsanyc , through 9.4-9.7. Photo @matthewgordonstudio

Cicatrix vessel 001 (in the weeds) , Jesse Groom @_jessegroom_ Material: Aluminum ‘Fragility, n. A tool, mostly psychological and emotional, that is used to digest the multitude of difficult experiences that any individual’s life brings about. In its inherent form, it may assist in the dismantling of pre-determined beliefs about the world and us. Fragility is often mistaken as weakness, or feebleness, but on the contrary, when applied appropriately, it is the mechanism with which human can recycle all that they have learned and thus grow continuously stronger and with more wisdom. Fragility admits mistakes and even embraces them. Fragility in action is letting the surface rip in order to let something stronger form over the laceration. ‘ This piece was presented at the object boutique, during the Collectibel Fair @collectiblefair at Wsa @wsanyc , through 9.4-9.7. Image @matthewgordonstudio

Laced Vases, Mimi He @mimi_objects Material: Porcelain, stoneware ‘Fragility to me is inherent in both the materiality of clay and the nature of my process. In this project, I explore fragility by creating a porcelain vessel using the traditional lace draping technique. Lace is dipped in porcelain slip and fired; during firing, the textile burns away, leaving a thin, skeletal porcelain structure. The resulting piece is visually delicate and structurally vulnerable, embodying both the physical and symbolic qualities of fragility. Lace references western domestic ornamentation, while porcelain—a material rooted in Chinese heritage—connects to my cultural background. Through this dialogue, I examine hybridity and the fragility of identity, memory, and tradition within diasporic experience.’ This laced vase series was on view at the Object Boutique, during the @collectiblefair 9.4-9.7, at @wsanyc Image @matthewgordonstudio

Sewing on Saturday morning, Monica Curiel @monicacuriel.art Material: Spackling paste, plaster, Roman Clay, and acrylic paint. Sewing on Saturday Morning Vessel explores fragility as an act of care and remembrance. Inspired by learning to sew alongside her mother and grandmother, the vessel’s pleated, dart-like folds translate the gestures of muslin fabric shaping into sculptural form. These movements—once used to create and mend—become abstractions that honor touch, skill, and family inheritance. Constructed from spackling paste and plaster, it transforms materials of labor and repair into a tender record of resilience. Fragility becomes strength through holding, preserving, and honoring, connecting the intimacy of domestic craft to contemporary objects. This vessel was on view during @collectiblefair nyc edition, at the Object Boutique through 9.4-9.7 Image @matthewgordonstudio

One Step Back, Two Forward, Sam Aguirre @sam_indaman Material: Hemp, cotton, cornstarch, cardboard, natural pigments ‘One Step Back, Two Forward is a vessel and a gesture of optimism. All in service to the space and its guests.’ this vessel was on view at the object boutique, during @collectiblefair , 9.4-9-7 at @wsanyc Photo by @matthewgordonstudio

Desert Vase, Lauren Goodman @laurengoodgal Material: shop-sawn, leopardwood veneer ‘Fragility is not weakness, rather the presence of vulnerability. It is awareness that things are temporary, precious and easily lost. The Desert vase, is a meditation on fragility, not only as a physical condition, but as an emotional and existential state. Made from reclaimed, shop-sawn leopardwood veneer, the piece exists in a space between strength and vulnerability. Leopardwood is a striking, exotic hardwood known for its dense interlocking grain and shimmering flecked pattern. In its solid form, heavy and resistant, but when reduced to veneer it becomes brittle, unpredictable and prone to fracture. It resists manipulation and must be handled with absolute precision making every bend, every joint a high stakes decision. Working with this material demands patience and a willingness to accept failure as part of the process. The leopardwood acts as collaborator and constraint; shaping not only the form but the process itself. It is intricate and intentional, yet never truly secure. Its fragility mirrors the way we navigate the world, layered with histories, shaped by pressure, held together by invisible forces. We protect what is fragile not because it might break, but because in its potential to break, it reveals something essential about what it means to exist, delicate, impermanent, and real.’ This piece was on view at the object boutique during @collectiblefair , 9.4-9.7, @wsanyc Image by @matthewgordonstudio

Tied vase, Elizabeth Lenny @thelizlenny Material: Alabaster stone ‘Fragility requires a sensitive and a soft approach. Braided Vase is made from a series of alabaster offcuts turned into individual vessels. These vessels are delicately woven together with thread, to become more than their sum. Thread evokes ideas of repair, temporality, impermanence, and domestic labour. The thread holds the vessel together, but in time it could be removed, and each part can become another. Eventually the stone, without glues, epoxies or binders, can return to the earth, becoming sand on a beach, or a pebble in your shoe. Embracing fragility means acknowledging that the objects we make are impermanent, designing for deconstruction, and understanding that these materials have existed long before me and will continue to exist long after I am gone. ‘ Tied vase was presented at the object boutique, during @collectiblefair 9.4-9.7. Image @matthewgordonstudio

Shatterproof by Lisa Sacco @lisasaccodesign Material: Blown glass, glass shards ‘What does it mean for something to be fragile—and still hold? Shatterproof explores this question through minimalist and simple gesture. A blown glass vessel rests atop a bed of broken shards—delicate yet unyielding, supported not by stability but by rupture. These once discarded fragments are reused to lift and frame the vessel, creating a tension between vulnerability and strength, beauty and risk. Awe, fear, reverence—reactions drawn out by mere matter—emerge from the work’s physical and emotional presence. Fragility here is both tangible and felt, etched into the material with quiet intensity. I’m drawn to moments when substance becomes visceral, when it seems to breathe and emote. Across my practice, I explore emotive materiality: how form and substance converge to reveal subtle tensions beyond obvious meaning.
Fragility, in the end, becomes a force.’ This piece was on view at the object boutique during the collectible fair @collectiblefair , nyc edition, 9.4-9.7 Image by @matthewgordonstudio

Lived Monument, by Haoying Zhang @haoying_zzz Material: Gourd tesserae, bio composite ‘This vessel engages fragility as both a material and cultural condition. The vessel is composed of hand-cut pieces of a dried gourd, formed into a mosaic surface and shaped into a squared silhouette. Gourds were among the earliest natural containers, later replaced by ceramic for its strength. The historic replacement mirrors broader hierarchies in design history — where softness, perishability, and natural forms are undervalued. Here, fragility is neither hidden nor corrected. It is restructured, revealed, and honored. By reworking this fragile, overlooked material through a technique of monument and permanence, Those Perished reflects on what design history chooses to preserve — and what it leaves behind.’ This vessel was presented at the object boutique, during @collectiblefair 9.4-9.7 @wsanyc

Take a walk through @theobjectboutique at @collectiblefair with curators @mimi_objects and @yuxuan_huang__ and some of the talented artists featured in their “fragility” themed exhibition. From @laurengoodgal ’s leopardwood veneer work to @_jessegroom_ ’s aluminum vessels and @onlyoneyes ’ oyster bio-composite pieces, this artist-organized show brings together fifteen emerging designers exploring what it means to be fragile.

Ravel vase, Rebecca Collins @rebeccasuncollins Material: Paper pulp ‘Fragility often lies in what we expect, not in what’s real. I wanted to explore that tension through material and process. To make the Ravel Vase, I packed paper pulp into a coiled rope mold. Once dry, the rope was carefully unwound, revealing a ridged, spiraling surface. The resulting form appears delicate; its crisp grooves and papery texture suggest something easily broken, but the form holds its shape with surprising strength. I’m drawn to moments when materials defy our assumptions. In this case, fragility is more about perception than performance.’ The exhibition of the object boutique took place at @collectiblefair 9.4-9.7, at @wsanyc . Featured 12 vessels by different artists and designers responding to one universal theme in craft and design ——‘what does fragility means to you’. Image by @matthewgordonstudio

Vessel 1, Yuxuan Huang @yuxuan_huang__ ‘Fragility lives in the tension between softness and strength, emptiness and weight. Vessel 1 pairs a carved wood base with a slip-on paper-and-bamboo vessel, balancing delicacy and permanence. Its hollow skeletal form holds light and air, while the solid base grounds it, creating harmony between void and mass. The choice of color was inspired by goldfish in water — deep red and soft ink hues, blurred and ever-shifting in fluid motion, carrying both the tenderness of life’s impermanence and the quiet resilience of a living form. Coated with shellac, a natural resin secreted by insects, the surface is subtly protected and water-resistant, making it suitable for use with dry flowers.’ Vessel 1 was presented at the object boutique, during @collectiblefair 9.4-9.7. This exhibition featured 12 vessels by different artists and designers, responding to a universal theme in craft and design —— “what does fragility mean to you”. Image by @matthewgordonstudio