Artist nendo’s Manga Chair, stainless steel; and artist Aaron Young’s Tire Swing, gold-plated chain and used tire. (Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara)

Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara in Paseo Nuevo will present Free Play, an exhibit of contemporary furniture, architecture, artworks, and objects from an international selection of designers, architects and artists, May 21-Aug. 20 with opening reception 6-8 p.m. May 20.

MCASB commissioned design expert Alexandra Cunningham Cameron to curate the exhibition.

Free Play focuses on the idea of play as an influential actor in the design process, producing work which intimately reveals our drive toward novelty, upending traditional notions about the role of design in our lives.

Each creator shares an alternate view of the world through objects which appropriate childhood motifs, employ satire, and generate form through chance. This sense of freedom results in works that are wonderfully illogical, whimsical and poignant.

“Free Play is a collection of objects and architecture which stand apart from the contemporary world’s increasing movement toward efficiency and automation. These works share daydreams, jokes and stories. They pursue pleasure,” said Cunningham Cameron.

“We study material culture to better understand the trajectory of civilizations. Free Play suggests how looking at the products of play rather than necessity reveals more about how we got here and where we’re going,” she said.

Cunningham Cameron has been immersed in the design world for more than a decade as a curator, advisor and writer.

In her role as creative director for Design Miami/, she worked alongside some of the most groundbreaking designers and architects from around the world, many of whom are included in Free Play.

The exhibit design, by Berlin-based Sam Chermayeff Office, is a labyrinth of personal moments and stories. The lineup of creators includes:

Maarten Baas, Design Miami’s 2009 Designer of the Year; nendo, named Designer of the Year by Wallpaper Magazine, Elle Decor and Maison & Objet in 2015; and Snarkitecture, whose installation piece The Beach has been touring globally since 2015.

Katie Stout, the 2015 winner of HGTV’s show Ellen’s Design Challenge and who was recently named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, will have a work in the exhibition specifically for Free Play.

For more about MCASB, visit https://mcasantabarbara.org/.

— Sarah Klooster for Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara.