Mrs. Abernethy, he explained, is the director of sales for Material Connexion, a materials resource library.

The display by Material Connexion, a New York-based clearinghouse for experimental products, was thronged with people taking notes and squeezing the gel samples.

Five months ago, Material ConneXion added FieldTurf, a synthetic lawn with "dirt" made of recycled tires and sneakers, to its collection.

But the couple went farther afield than most, scouring the Internet and databases like the one run by Material Connexion (www.materialconnexion.com).

Material Connexion is the place to find these new materials in Manhattan.

"It's catching on fast," said Liat Margolis, the research director of Material Connexion, the materials archive.

Material ConneXion is a materials consultancy that helps companies source advanced materials to enhance the performance, aesthetics and sustainability of their projects.

In May 2011, Material ConneXion announced that it would be opening 10 materials libraries throughout China by 2017.

Designers not located in New York may simply use Material Connexion's electronic database to search for obscure materials.

Petted and fondled in their bins, the samples at Material Connexion have all been removed from their contexts, lending themselves to endless reinterpretation.