Last week The Field Museum opened Design for a Living World, the inaugural show of the museum’s new Gary C. Comer Family Gallery, a space dedicated to exhibitions about environmental sustainability, conservation of biodiversity, and climate change. There’s some fashion (such as a dress and shoes by Isaac Mizrahi made from salmon skin), but also quite a few interesting interior design pieces, including FSC-certified plywood furniture by Abbott Miller (shown above); a red maple bench by Maya Lin that highlights the undulating surface of an individual tree; a cocoa grater by Yves Béhar; oversize rug tiles made from the wool of individual sheep by Christien Meindertsma (shown above, knitting); chicle latex vases by Hella Jongerius; and bamboo furniture by Ezri Tarazi. The exhibit was developed by The Nature Conservancy, who challenged designers to use sustainable materials from locations around the world where the Conservancy works. Featured in the exhibition are fully built prototypes and design sketches, as well as photographs by Ami Vitale’s of each location visited by the designers. The exhibit runs through November 13.

Photograph (Christien meindertsma): Roel Van Tour