Interactive design in a geographic jukebox and an acoustic ping-pong table featured alongside an exhibition made with local found waste materials at Unique Design X during Mexico City art week 2026.

Located in a moodily lit ground-floor room of the Expo Reforma venue in the city centre, nomadic showcase Unique Design X returned to Mexico City for its third edition, bringing 26 galleries and designers together for an open-format showcase.

Spread under the high-ceilinged space, the showcase had two concentric horseshoe-shaped rings of exhibitors, with sheer white drapery dividing the space and adorning the walls.

At the apex of the central ring was a stand-out showing from French music archive Radiooooo. Over the past decade, the group has been running a website that allows users to choose a country, year and tempo, which then generates a playlist of songs within those constraints.

For the fair, Radiooooo translated this platform to a physical object, Le Jukebox. It featured a wooden body evocative of retro jukeboxes and colourful buttons, below a touch screen display with a world map that changes depending on the geopolitical map of a given year.

The limited edition item had built-in speakers that filled the space with sonic selections from across space and time.

Unique Design X founder Morgan Morris Sans said the interactive nature of the exhibition allowed for viewers to experience the fair in a more "concise, experiential way" that celebrated innovation.

"Rather than overwhelming visitors with static displays, interactive works distilled complex ideas into moments of direct engagement, making innovation and well-being immediately felt, rather than just observed," Morris Sans told Dezeen.

"This approach also strengthened connectivity – between cultures, disciplines and generations. By inviting participating artists, designer and architects were able to connect with the audiences, creating a richer, more connected experience that emphasised exchange, curiosity and shared creativity."

Also playing into the theme of interactivity was a ping-pong table by designer James De Wulf, clad with panels that, when struck by a regular or a weighted ping-pong ball, created notes so that the gameplay became a musical act.

On the more subdued range of interactivity, designer Sofia Hagen created a meditation booth with textiles by Studio Marmi and music by The Sound Nutritionist.

This space of repose featured a cocoon-like space made of fabric, with an organic 3D-printed meditation bench made by Hagen. Here, visitors could sit cross-legged, headphones on, and disconnect for a moment from the frenetic pace of Mexico City art week.

Near the concessions, Belgian designer and artist Lionel Jadot created an installation comprising chairs, sculptures, and a chandelier made locally by Jadot from found materials throughout the city.

A few years ago, Jadot's Mexico City exhibition got held up in customs, leading his group Zaventem Atelier to reconstruct all the expected pieces out of cardboard.

This year, Jadot negated this altogether by crafting almost-gothic assemblages from local rebar, car parts and other materials.

Two local outfits stuck out in the collectible design sections.

The first, Esteban Ramos Tamayo, was perhaps one of the most exciting designers who showcased during the week, with pieces at Unique Design X and at the elegant exhibition put on by New York's Viso Projects in Condesa.

For Unique Design X, Tamayo showcased a collection of furniture that evokes the experimental work of the late 1990s put out by studios like Amsterdam's Droog.

Tamayo's work here included a metal chair with a woven back and seat and a space-age bench that featured dozens of pneumatic tubes as a cushion. According to the designer, his work is meant to blend  "cutting-edge techniques with timeless aesthetics".

Local gallery Toro Manifesto, which broke out in last year's fair circuit during Collectible fair in New York, showcased the work of multiple designers under the title After the West.

Metals, woods and cowhide were combined in this section for a playful yet sleek scene.

Other installations include a selection of hanging chairs by Duo Muse Studio, an installation by artist José Davila, a chandelier made up of a "thousand soldier figurines made out of
porcelain" by Karolina Ciecholewska and a globby couch by Iranian designer Roham Shamekh.

Other highlights in design during Mexico City art week 2026 included a collection of lights created with seafood waste from Contramar by Studio Davidpompa and a collection of furniture at a renowned ballet curated by Studio 84.

The photography is by Alejandro Ramirez Orozco.

Unique Design X Mexico City ran from 3 to 8 February. For more global fairs, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design, visit Dezeen Events Guide.