
07.13.23
Sight Unseen Collection
Only a Year Out From Graduating RISD, Alexis & Ginger Already Have Two Collections Under Their Belt
Was it fate that brought Alexis Tingey and Ginger Gordon together? The designers’ studio benches happened to be positioned next to each other during their furniture design Master’s program at RISD, and after two years of sharing ideas and inspirations, the pair decided to officially join forces and set up a business together after graduating in 2022. A year later, Alexis & Ginger have moved to Brooklyn, launched two collections — one as part of our Sight Unseen Collection — and already have plans for so much more.
Embarking on a graduate program in a new city, in the midst of the pandemic, the designers instantly bonded over inspiration images and the collaged snippets of paper that covered their school desks. They learned from one another’s processes, discussed research and ideas, and offered feedback, and an instant friendship soon blossomed into a creative partnership. “We were both building our own little worlds and our inspirations were often shared,” the duo says. “Although our work in school was independent, we were always looking to one another for feedback and ways to push our work. It was as if we were beginning to develop our shared practice even then.”
Tingey and Gordon debuted their first collection in April 2023 at New York City’s Colony gallery. Titled The Ode, the series of objects blends references from the pair’s ever-growing archive of imagery, which includes architectural drawings, scans of embroidery and tatting, black and white Surrealist photography, and images of Ancient Greek urns, often plucked from their visual research at the New York public library. Carved wood forms with wavy outlines and cut-outs take shape as side tables, sconces, and a mirror, while a towering floor lamp is wrapped in layers of hand-pleated fabric, fastened to a steel frame by a neat row of steel pearls.
For the Sight Unseen Collection, Tingey and Gordon created a trio of sculptural wooden designs with stained-glass inlays. The Vignette Chair, Tapestry Chair, and Reflection Coffee Table continue the duo’s method of collaging shapes and materials through carving, cutting, and assembling by hand. In the Reflection Table, glass inlays allow for a maximum amount of freedom and experimentation, with color combos ranging from Bauhausian primaries to clear, muted textured panes. “Our design process is characterized by iteration and evolution,” they says. “We allow the materials and the act of making to guide us, embracing unexpected discoveries and letting the objects reveal themselves through the process.”
Next up, the designers intend to solidify their practice by digging deeper into these processes, working at different scales, playing with light and translucency as media, and exploring both indoors and out. Say the designers: “We see our work growing to include not only objects but space, working in collaboration with architects and artisans to create immersive environments and to fully tell the stories we create in our objects.”
PHOTOS BY ISOBEL RAE