Today, we’re excited to speak with Cat Snodgrass, scenographer for the CURATED section of COLLECTIBLE New York 2025. Working alongside curator Hannah Martin, Cat is shaping the spatial identity of this year's theme: “In Praise of Folly” — a playful yet thought-provoking exploration of excess, absurdity, and artistic freedom.

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COLLECTIBLE: How does your background in scenography shape your vision for the New York CURATED section?
Cat Snodgrass: My spatial work is heavily influenced by theater set design, and it’s site-specific work, so it’s always a response to the unique environments I’m handed. This project was no different, and the scenography was heavily informed by the site. For Curated, the backdrop is a raw, industrial office space with no finishes –– raw concrete, exposed beams and ceiling. This presented a stark contrast to the environment I wanted to create for Folly. A “set within a set,” where the atmosphere pushes hard against its surroundings. The Folly theme naturally inspired a more whimsical, fantastical direction, which led me to the architectural turrets and battlements on the surrounding walls. Found-objects were then scattered across the stage, allowing for an element of discovery as the viewer walks through the environment. In a way, the scenography is a work in its own right.

C: The theme plays with the tension between function and extravagance. How do you plan to express that through the spatial design?
CS: I enjoy working with contrast, almost to the extent that it’s reduced to this exploitative degree. The title of the scenography is “Objects of Poetic Reaction” –– so we collaborated with Wallpaper Projects on a custom print with scattered found-objects across the environment. This presented an opportunity to play on both the utilitarian nature of the site, while simultaneously pushing against it by telling a story of fantasy and folly through these decorative objects. The works themselves then become a part of this story, and the two coexist in a sort of transcendent environment.

C: Your work often explores light, minimalism, and atmosphere. What feeling or experience do you want visitors to take away?
CS: My goal is for the viewer to experience a stark sense of moving through two contrasting worlds—from the 39th floor of an office building in the Financial District, to the immersive storybook experience of Curated’s Folly.

COLLECTIBLE: How does your background in scenography shape your vision for the New York CURATED section?
Cat Snodgrass: My spatial work is heavily influenced by theater set design, and it’s site-specific work, so it’s always a response to the unique environments I’m handed. This project was no different, and the scenography was heavily informed by the site. For Curated, the backdrop is a raw, industrial office space with no finishes –– raw concrete, exposed beams and ceiling. This presented a stark contrast to the environment I wanted to create for Folly. A “set within a set,” where the atmosphere pushes hard against its surroundings. The Folly theme naturally inspired a more whimsical, fantastical direction, which led me to the architectural turrets and battlements on the surrounding walls. Found-objects were then scattered across the stage, allowing for an element of discovery as the viewer walks through the environment. In a way, the scenography is a work in its own right.

C: The theme plays with the tension between function and extravagance. How do you plan to express that through the spatial design?
CS: I enjoy working with contrast, almost to the extent that it’s reduced to this exploitative degree. The title of the scenography is “Objects of Poetic Reaction” –– so we collaborated with Wallpaper Projects on a custom print with scattered found-objects across the environment. This presented an opportunity to play on both the utilitarian nature of the site, while simultaneously pushing against it by telling a story of fantasy and folly through these decorative objects. The works themselves then become a part of this story, and the two coexist in a sort of transcendent environment.

C: Your work often explores light, minimalism, and atmosphere. What feeling or experience do you want visitors to take away?
CS: My goal is for the viewer to experience a stark sense of moving through two contrasting worlds—from the 39th floor of an office building in the Financial District, to the immersive storybook experience of Curated’s Folly.