Australian hardware brand Bankston has partnered with the design platform For Scale to launch two exhibitions arguing that touch is a necessity, not a nicety. The collaboration, titled A Manifesto on Touch, opened in May at NYCxDesign on Manhattan’s Lower East Side before moving to Copenhagen for 3daysofdesign. The installations, situated in wine bars and design weeks, presented hardware not merely as functional fixtures but as intimate touchpoints in the built environment.
At the NYC location, the team transformed Colbo wine bar into a space for physical sensation. The exhibition featured custom stools and tables by artist Caleb Engstrom, fitted with hardware from the Super Collection by Sans-Arc Studio and The Streaks by YSG Studio. Mirrors edged with Civilian Projects’ Hemispheres collection displayed hand-painted excerpts from the manifesto. Guests were invited to tear strips from the posters, turning the act of pulling down a banner into a physical interaction with the concept of touch.
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Just one month later, the partnership landed in Copenhagen for How to Handle, an immersive installation developed with spatial set designer Currie Ritchie and Engstrom. Borrowing the visual language of protest graphics, the space layered typography and tactile materials to present the hardware as an environment to be used. The The Streaks collection of banded timber levers and pulls anchored the installations with a distinctive character, remaining one of the most spirited developments in hardware design in recent years.
The physical nature of the hardware presents a stark contrast to the digital world. In an era where interactions are increasingly mediated by screens, the exhibition sought to restore the feeling of opening a door, holding an object, or pressing a button. The two-city tour functioned as a reminder that the physical world offers a layer of information that digital interfaces cannot replicate. By emphasizing the weight of a handle or the texture of a grip, the installations highlighted how these small interactions contribute to a person’s sense of presence and control in a space.
Steve Bradley, co-CEO of Bankston, described the exhibition as an effort to reconnect people with the physical experience of design. He noted that For Scale immediately grasped the ambition behind the project. The brand operates differently from a traditional manufacturer, acting more like a design incubator where each collection is authored by a different studio in its own language. This approach allowed the hardware to function as a medium for expression rather than just a tool for utility.
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While the exhibitions focused on tactile sensation, the objects on display were also technically sophisticated. The Super Collection and Hemispheres collections featured complex geometries and materiality that required precision manufacturing. This combination of high-end design and functional hardware suggests a market where aesthetics and utility are merging. The installations demonstrated that hardware can carry narrative weight, turning a simple door handle into a statement about how people inhabit and experience their surroundings.
The events concluded with a focus on the user’s direct experience. The removal of commercial barriers allowed visitors to engage with the objects directly. The act of using the hardware became the primary narrative, reinforcing the idea that the most important aspect of design is often the interaction between the human hand and the designed object.
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