It came to Anna Caradeuc over lunch, but perhaps the idea was germinating for a while. The French-Italian consultant and publicist was dining in her native Paris with Isabelle Moisy-Cobti and Simon Descamps, the founders of creative agency Bildung, when they tossed around the possibility of hosting an independent citywide festival that allows galleries and collectible designers to show at hidden sites of architectural splendor. When? The city’s emerging week of art and design, headlined by the second edition of Paris+ par Art Basel (and, they would soon learn, the inaugural Design Miami/ Paris). How? That remained to be seen, but they were committed to pooling their time and resources, as well as tapping into their tight-knit network of design industry professionals and friends, to see what exactly they could pull off.

Contributions was born, and the group immediately got to work. Rooted in the collective spirit, the festival eschews the traditional corporate fair model by allowing obscure collectible design talents to showcase work in unexpected locations around town—think Fuorisalone without the morning-after Bar Basso haze and a drastically more punk NYCxDesign.

“Simon, Isabelle, and I share the same respect for independent talent, and we take pride in helping [artists and designers] present their work to wider audiences,” says Caradeuc, whose career began in the Pacific Northwest music scene but now counts design-forward names like Lambert & Fils, Byredo, and Ace Hotel Group among her clients. “We were humbled by the community of like-minded people and organizations who weren’t deterred by our approach, and on the contrary, were very determined to help us bring our ideas to life.”

The appeal of Contributions lies in its unpredictability. Nine installations, all free and open to the public, aim to capture the design world’s rich diversity and serve as a conveyor of new ways of seeing, feeling, and experiencing in sites that simply can’t be replicated elsewhere. New glassware by Sophie Lou Jacobsen and cast metal furnishings by Conie Vallese are sure to shine in Galerie David Ghezelbash, whose Saint-Germain-des-Prés storefront will be transformed with touches of romantic grandeur thanks to lush, satiny curtains by London fashion label ZN ALI. Thomas Hutton’s totemic alabaster lighting sculptures, which he fabricates in Luxor, will cast a heavenly glow in the rarely seen Chapelle du Peristyle at Saint-Sulpice Church, where Caradeuc had her first communion.

Such personal touches rarely stick the landing at corporate fairs, which makes Contributions a welcome arrival as Paris’s emergence within the collectible design sphere becomes more widely felt with Art Basel and Design Miami/ attracting international collectors and enthusiasts. “The energy has been brewing for a few years, and Paris is now ready to take part in the global design conversation,” Descamps says. It gestures toward collaboration that’s bigger than the sum of its parts—and reflects an illustrious cohort of designers who, much like the city they’re presenting in, are on the vanguard of creative expression yet are working together to find their footing within the global design community.

Ahead of the festival, which will be held October 16–22, we spoke to Caradeuc about what to expect in a conversation that has been edited and condensed.

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This year during Miami Art Week, Surface is partnering with the W South Beach and Tuleste Factory to host a global crowd of discerning art and design enthusiasts. Interested in learning more about partnership opportunities and event integrations? Let’s chat.

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When was it? Oct. 4

Where was it? The Rainbow Room, New York

Who was there? Nora Lawrence, Fred Eversley, Chase Hall, Sheree Hovsepian, Kate Fowle, Cynthia Rowley, Samanthe Rubell, and more.

When: Until Oct. 21

Where: Arsenal Contemporary Art, New York

What: For her debut solo exhibition in the United States, the Montreal artist meditates on material culture through the lens of her Anishinaabe and French heritage. “Worksite” uses drywall, plywood, insulation, and even black mold to critique the construction industry’s detrimental impact on the environment and the lives of Indigenous people who are grappling with dire effects of substandard housing. Monnet pulls from a well of personal experiences, from her childhood years spent learning the materials and practices of home renovation to the cultural context behind her symmetrical patterns made from black mold on drywall.

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New & Notable is a cultural catchall that highlights interesting new products and projects from our brilliantly creative members of The List. With new releases, events, and goings-on, the below moments indicate the power they have to move the needle in realms like architecture, design, fashion, and art.

Buoyant: A limited-edition revival of an archival light fixture designed by founder Josh Neretin, the Heirloom Sling pendant combines such tactile materials as leather, blown glass, and brass to striking effect.

Carl Hansen & Søn: The master of timeless furnishings has expanded the footprint of Danish design excellence by opening a second New York City flagship. Located within Midtown’s historic Hammacher Schlemmer Building, the new outpost brings even more works by the likes of Hans J. Wegner, Kaare Klint, Poul Kjærholm, Arne Jacobsen, and Børge Mogensen to life across three expansive floors.

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Javier Robles Studio is a design practice with an extensive portfolio of built projects in the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Founded in London in 2005 by Peruvian-born designer Javier Robles, the New York and Miami-based firm’s work ranges from cultural building and residential projects to interiors and product design. Lumifer is a New York–based lighting, furniture, and objects studio founded by Robles, whose constant search for products for his interior projects led him to create a collection of handcrafted pieces inspired by his cultural experiences.

Surface Says: With a portfolio spanning four continents, Robles pulls from a rich trove of globally inflected experiences to inform his perspective across interiors and product design.

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