Difficult to have enough perspective to assess the state of design in 2018. Overall, I observe a smoothing of the proposals despite an increasingly prolific offer from the publishers and a growing number of designers on the market. I guess there will be no drastic change between 2018 and 2019. On the other hand, I feel that there is a real challenge to the global system through approaches around the circular economy, of self-publishing designers, the development of the work of craftsmen...
I guess there will be no drastic change between 2018 and 2019. On the other hand, I feel that there is a real challenge to the global system through approaches around the circular economy, of self-publishing designers, the development of the work of craftsmen…
For my part, I work on different collaborations. One in this concern of social and circular economy with “L’Atelier Emmaüs”. Another articulated between service design and urban furniture: I am currently working with “AREP DesignLab” (SNCF’s architectural agency) to develop urban furniture deployed in many French trains stations to indicate and talk to their users about alternative mobility.
I am working on a porcelain tureen from Limoges for ‘Maison Fragile’, a young and promising French publishing house. I work on a textile collection for “Träffa Träffa” a Japanese brand specializing in textile printing.
I also regularly develop personal projects often in the margins of industrial design. It allows me to get out of my comfort zone and explore new areas. So at the moment, I am working with the photographer Michel Giesbrecht on a serial photography exhibition on the theme of the circle. We hope to be able to show the results of our work this year or next year.
Difficult to have enough perspective to assess the state of design in 2018. Overall, I observe a smoothing of the proposals despite an increasingly prolific offer from the publishers and a growing number of designers on the market. I also see this formal smoothing through my everyday experience. Indeed, publishers need security by developing in priority a category of projects that I would call “supernormal”. The fear of taking risks is totally understandable in this hyper-competitive market. But it creates a design panorama that sometimes lacks creativity and personality so that each brand and designer can’t really differentiate itself. Being part of this complex landscape, I sometimes try to move towards projects whose history and destination will allow me to offer a point of view slightly beyond the borders.
In 2018, I presented the TGV Lamp co-published by Moustache and SNCF (the French railway transport company). I initially designed this project as an SNCF identity object for the new French highspeed trains. It was then edited so that everyone could welcome a small piece of the train at home. Developed by ALSTOM in a very constrained and industrial environment, this injected aluminum light is at the same time technical, domestic and sculptural. Unfortunately, this type of project is rare in a designer career, I hope there will be others in my path.
