Left: Working with materials woven from atomized water and 15 times stronger than steel, artist Janet Echelman crafted the sublime sculpture 1.8 London, UK in response to the 2011 tsunami that devastated Japan. During Lumiere London 2016, the illuminated, billowing net was installed above bustling Oxford Circus. Right: Designer Wes Gordon used hundreds of yards of pleated crimson tulle to create the ethereal silhouette of the Heartburst gown for Carolina Herrera.

Left: Hermès footwear designer Pierre Hardy puts his own spin on the classic mule with a super mod, space-age heel that appears light-years away from the maison’s equestrian roots. Right: When Buckminster Fuller originally designed the Fly’s Eye Dome in 1965, he envisioned the 24-foot Monohex variation as a futuristic dwelling. Today, a prototype of it has become an icon of the Miami Design District.

Left: Inspired by retro 1950s motifs, the Sunset bookcase for Marioni by architect and designer Piero Angelo Orecchioni of La Récréation features a structured brass grid enhanced with playful, warm-hued enameled ceramics. Right: Rooted in the Tropicália movement, the large-scale architectural installation Grande Núcleo (1960–66) by Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica is composed of a labyrinth of gradient colors that invite viewers to be enveloped by the artwork.

Left: From Boucheron’s Holographique high-jewelry collection, which magnifies the effects of the refraction of light, this bracelet showcases a brilliant, 14.93-carat, cushion-cut pink tourmaline in a hypnotic fan of rock crystal and white gold with pavé diamonds. Right: A master at capturing the watery luminosity of glass with oil paints, Janet Fish transforms a collection of everyday objects into a dreamy spectacle of otherworldly beauty in her still life August and the Red Glass (1976).