Hasta La Ideas

Gabriel Bascou est un artiste photographe âgé de 28 ans originaire de Montpellier. Il allie la création de contenu pour des enseignes basées à Paris et la photo de voyages et d’aventures autour de la culture outdoor. 

Après des études en médecine et en institut de formation aux soins infirmiers, Gabriel a finalement travaillé en tant que responsable communication et marketing pour le restaurant Shaka Pok à Paris, établissement dirigé par l’un de ses amis qui aimait ses photographies. « Je n’avais jamais shooté de culinaire et j’ignorais tout de la communication et du marketing. Je ne savais pas dans quoi je m’embarquais. (…) Je ne regrette rien. Mon travail pour le restaurant m’a servi de vitrine. J’ai eu l’occasion de travailler avec de nombreuses enseignes food par la suite ! » dit-il.

En parallèle, Gabriel a découvert la photographie outdoor à la suite d’un instameet organisé par The French Outdoors. « J’y ai rencontré Nathan Saillet (@nathan.saillet), Mattéo Belotti (@mattbelotti) et plus tard Nathanaël Sapey-Triomphe (@n.sapey). Ensemble nous avons fondé il y a un an « The French Way » (@thefrenchway.co) et enchaîné les road trips. » nous explique-t-il.

Cet intérêt pour la photographie, Gabriel le porte depuis son adolescence. « Adolescent, je n’étais pas à l’aise avec mon image. Pour éviter d’apparaître sur les photos, j’étais toujours celui qui se proposait pour immortaliser le reste du groupe. J’aimais également l’appareil photo en tant qu’objet. Mais je ne réalisais pas encore que ma sensibilité et mon sens de l’observation prendrait autant de place dans ma vie… » nous explique-t-il.

C’est à la suite d’un grave accident en faisant du surf que Gabriel, privé de toute pratique sportive, apprit les bases de la photographie. « Pendant 6 ans, je vivais l’apprentissage de la photo au travers du matériel et de la technique. Cela avait pour conséquence de souvent me faire baisser les bras, car les résultats que j’obtenais ne me plaisaient pas. J’essayais alors de combler cette déception en achetant de nouveaux objectifs, ou en changeant de boîtiers.  Ce n’est qu’en 2017 que, sur un coup de tête, j’ai décidé de tout revendre et de garder le minimum : un boîtier et un objectif. C’est alors que j’ai compris que plus on a de contraintes, plus on devient créatif. C’est ce minimalisme combiné à un voyage à la Réunion, là où j’ai vécu jusqu’à mes 19 ans, qui m’a permis de m’épanouir dans ma pratique. Notamment grâce à l’élaboration d’une chromie que je reportais sur chacune de mes photos et qui rendait mon travail homogène. » poursuit-il.

Depuis, Gabriel ne cesse de poster ses instants de vie sur son compte Instagram intitulé « eperdumence ». « Mes photographies sont un journal de bord. J’aime à penser qu’elles mettent en lumière l’importance des rencontres, la beauté du naturel et de moments simples, le caractère éphémère et fragile de la vie, de l’importance d’en profiter et de l’urgence de ne pas y passer à côté. » précise-t-il. Pari réussi !

Embrace the colder months with these products for relaxation and escape

When the weather dissuades you from leaving the house, it’s important not to stare at a screen or spiral into a seasonal slump. Staying home needn’t be defeatist, and could be replenishing. The following products encourage nesting and all the comforts and pleasure that can come from it. Rather than feel glum or dejected, embrace the colder months and take some well-deserved time for relaxation and perhaps a little escapism.

Mythos Two Wool Blanket

With a design by Bristol-based artist George Greaves, this Mythos blanket ($206) by ZigZag Zurich comes in two colorways—this rich teal being our pick. Woven in Europe from 100% New Zealand wool, it measures 55 by 79 inches and is certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX, which means no harmful chemicals or synthetics have been used during the manufacturing process.

JGV: A Life in 12 Recipes

Composed around 12 recipes that define his career thus far, celebrated chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s memoir-cookbook hybrid, JGV: A Life in 12 Recipes ($27), traces his steps from trainee to world-renowned restaurateur. Insightful, humorous and delightfully warm, the book—which includes personal photography and hand-drawn sketches—caters to fans of Vongerichten’s cuisine, and anyone curious about his imagination and Michelin-starred ascent.

Herbal Cold and Flu Soak

Made to relieve congestion and illness-related aches and pains, C.O. Bigelow’s herbal soak ($20) is packed with willow bark, ginger, eucalyptus and peppermint—a combination that boosts the immune system and clears sinuses. Simply add four to six capfuls to bathwater and settle in. Made with all-natural ingredients, this soak is especially soothing in the colder months.

Packable Slippers

In Japanese households it’s customary to remove your shoes upon entering the home. These comfortable and durable house slippers ($79) by SUBU—a Tokyo brand making such slippers—are also packable. With a cushioned sole and a poly fill, they’ll keep your feet comfortable and warm. Available in sizes 5.5 to 12, they’re also available in three colors: gloss black, foil silver and neon yellow.

WXAXRXP SESSIONS Box Set

Warp Records celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and the “post-genre” label unveiled the epic WXAXRXP SESSIONS box set ($150) in celebration. This hinged box comes filled with 10 sessions recorded for radio (each on 12-inch vinyl) spanning the brand’s vast history—from the Peel Sessions of the ’90s right up to this year’s broadcast on NTS. There are also eight prints by Synchrodogs, and a sticker set. Settle in for hours of music by Flying Lotus, Bibio, Aphex Twin and others.

Breu Resin Incense

Made from raw and wild plant ingredients, these breu resin incense sticks last for 50 minutes each, but are effective enough to burn a little at a time. Available with different botanical options blended in, our favorite is Palo Santo. The combination offers healing, cleansing and protective qualities with a scent that invokes Southwest US vibes. They come in a set of nine ($18).

Neo Tarot

This book and deck of cards by Jerico Mandybur offers a unique, contemporary and thoughtful guide to tarot. With Neo Tarot: A Fresh Approach to Self-Care, Healing and Empowerment ($23) users can put the ancient practice to use via insights, wisdom and exercises—all of which are crafted to heal and also explore. The book and 78-card deck are also gorgeously designed. 

Muse S Meditation Headband

The latest iteration of Muse’s meditation-assisting technology, the Muse S multi-sensor headband ($350) offers real-time feedback on brain activity, body movement, heart rate and breathing as one meditates. Gone are the rubbery cushions of previous versions, replaced by comfortable plush fabric. This redesign takes into account users who’d like to meditate before sleep (or simply listen to soothing sounds), but all of the original value is here in the form of guided meditation and diagnostics on how you were feeling and when.

Bat-Shaped Sleep Mask

A little darker than most sleep masks, this bat-shaped version ($98) by Morgan Lane is playful but not twee. Made from 100% silk, it’s incredibly soft and comfortable on the eyes, and sets into place with an elastic band. The embroidered mask comes with a carry pouch—to keep it clean and safe—and will surely help your next snooze.

Images courtesy of respective brands

A sprawling, beautifully designed staircase can add manifolds of character to any space. Whether it is simple or elaborate, whether placed at home or in a public setting, a well thought out staircase is bound to catch everybody’s eyes! So, we’ve curated a collection of staircases that immediately grab attention, either through their intricate detailing, impressive size or simply through the attention to detail put into designing them!

VG Studio’s Band Rail looks like a typical wooden handrail accompanying an ordinary staircase at first glance, providing you with support as you amass your expansive home. However look a little deeper, and you realize it functions as a bookcase as well! Wooden ‘gills’ mimicking the gills of a fish adorn the entire length of the handrail. The gills provide little nooks and crannies to subtly store your books. It’s a staircase with a storage unit for books!

The Minimal Staircase by Terajima Architects is one of my favorites! Composed of wooden blocks, with a sleek metal handrail piercing through one lone block, the Minimal Staircase is simple and sophisticated.

Part of a house project, this illuminating staircase by Dipiugi Luxury Interior Design & Architecture is sure to brighten up any living space! With tubular lighting fixtures attached at the bottom of each stair, the orangish-yellow lighting against the matte black structure creates an ethereal halo-ish glow! One side of the staircase extends into several levels of shelves, where one could store their everyday items.

This floating spiral staircase by Sam Pellissier takes us back to a time where architecture was designed to be art. The intricate woodwork and the engineering may have taken time, but we must say the end result is no less than a piece of art.

Walking through the Tube Stairs by EeStairs must feel like, well, walking through a tube. Cocoon-like in appearance, the staircase gives the illusion of moving through a tunnel, an elevated one though!

Designed by the Mint Tiny House Company, this super cool staircase also doubles up as a storage unit! Each individual step functions as some form of storage area. The staircase smoothly integrates with the kitchen, forming kitchen cabinets and a spot for a mini-fridge!

This staircase at Villa MQ, designed by Office O Architects, features white metal treads encompassed by cables. The entire affair has a very sleek and futuristic appeal to it.

Architecture for London integrated a floating staircase and a kitchen bench to create one intriguing structure. Concrete and wood were used to create a beautiful contrast.

Designed by Sebastian Gilardoni, this staircase is one spiral wonder! Accentuated by blues and whites, the structure has a hypnotic effect to it. I don’t know about you, but this is one staircase I wouldn’t want to peek down from.

This fire escape on the side of a house in Marseille, France is worthy of being called a sculptural piece! Designed by Fernand Boukobza, the staircase looks like a never-ending column.

For more such impressive and intriguing staircase designs, check out Part 1 and 2 of this series!

To mark the start of the 2020s, we’ve asked a selection of our regular columnists to offer up some predictions of what lies ahead for the creative industries. Here, creative technologist Perry Nightingale outlines some wildcard moments in tech that may happen this decade

The post Predictions for the new decade: Perry Nightingale appeared first on Creative Review.

Chinese furniture design is looking back to its cultural roots and reinvigorating past techniques, materials and forms, say authors Charlotte and Peter Fiell. Here they pick six items from their latest book that show how.

Since the mid-1990s a definable movement in contemporary Chinese furniture design has been growing with a “snowballing momentum”, argue Charlotte and Peter Fiell.

In their recently published book, Contemporary Chinese Furniture Design, the authors introduce the work and ideas of the leading protagonists of what has become known as “New Chinese Design”.

They believe that the quality and innovation of the furniture will force a reappraisal of contemporary Chinese design, tipping the balance of international influence from west to east.

“Over the last couple years, we have been on the most remarkable design adventure while researching this book,” said Peter and Charlotte Fiell.

“Our various research trips took us to nine different Chinese mega-cities as well as countless towns and villages, where we visited not only various designers’ studios, but aligned craft workshops, factories, showrooms, dedicated museums and even a number of private homes.”

The Fiells met and interviewed the key pioneers of New Chinese Design, to better understand what was going on in China’s contemporary design scene.

“What we discovered was an extraordinary pool of design talent, which completely redefines the west’s concept of what Made in China really means,” they said.

New Chinese Design is a design reform movement born out of a craft revival, which they describe as “21st-century Sinocentric national romanticism”.

“That is super important because today, in our increasingly interconnected world, what happens in China in terms of design and manufacturing has an impact not only within its borders, but elsewhere, too,” they explained.

The movement looks to the remarkable legacy of the Song and Ming dynasties, reimagining them to make the most of modern techniques and materials.

Here the Fiells introduce six designers and studios that demonstrate New Chinese Design:

Jerry Chen: “Chaise, Work No. 32” from the “Zan Zhi – In Praise of Rectitude” series by Jerry Chen for Chunzai, 2012

Jerry Chen’s design journey is an extremely unusual one, in that he has been able to transform his well-honed connoisseurial appreciation of Chinese art and antiques into a rare creative force that has resulted in his producing some of the most accomplished examples of New Chinese Design to date.

Born in Taipei, Chen inherited his love of collecting from his mother, and as a child collected antique textiles, before moving into archaeological finds as a teenager. He initially studied ballet dancing and stage design, but abandoned these to follow his real passion: collecting antiques.

As he notes: “Collecting fuels the desire to learn, enriching life. Over and above that, collecting inspires cultivation and rumination.” But what it also does is help the collector to acquire an exacting “eye”, which can then be applied to the design of contemporary objects.

And that is exactly what Chen has done through a remarkable series of furniture designs, which have been painstakingly handmade by skilled craftsmen using complex Ming-era joinery techniques.

Inspired by the elegant sweeping lines of calligraphy, Chen’s seating designs are intended to convey the fluidity and transparency of space and time, while rekindling the ancient Chinese scholarly spirit and formal aesthetics of Ming-style furniture.

Shang Xia: “Da tian di” chair and table by Gan Erke for Shang Xia, 2017

In 2009, the designer Jiang Qiong Er established, with backing from the Hermès Group, the exclusive lifestyle brand Shang Xia, with the aim of preserving and revitalising traditional Chinese craftsmanship by expressing it through an exciting new language of contemporary design.

One of Shang Xia’s most impressive feats to date has been the execution of a series of furniture pieces created for it by the renowned lacquer master, Gan Erke.

These are made from a high-tech, lightweight yet strong carbon-fibre composite material that has been painstakingly coated with multiple layers of lacquer and carefully polished to reveal a distinctive nodular pattern.

This ancient lacquering technique, known as bo luo (rhinoceros skin) because of its distinctive patterning, was rediscovered by Gan from old treatises and took him many years to perfect.

The spectacular Da Tian Di table and matching chair, with their shimmering brown and gold lacquered surfaces, are quite simply masterpieces of Chinese contemporary design-craft. They also represent an innovative and graceful evolution of Ming furniture forms achieved by combining traditional handicraft skills with state-of-the-art modern materials.

Studio MVW: “BlooMing ceiling light #1” by Studio MVW (self-production), 2017

In the vanguard of contemporary Chinese design, Xu Ming and Virgine Moriette of Studio MVW playfully mix ancient Chinese forms and motifs with a more modern, western sensibility in order to create furniture pieces that have an undeniably Sino-French élan.

Their sculptural design-art pieces are stylistically diverse, ranging from their solid Xiangsheng patinated bronze side tables, which channel the core Chinese philosophy that the balancing of opposites achieves harmony, to stunning neo-deco boudoir pieces that feature pink Burmese jade in gravity defying constructions.

It is, however, their BlooMing series that perhaps expresses the studio’s ability to transform age-old Chinese forms into something refreshingly original.

As playful Neo-Postmodern re-imaginings of the classical Ming vase, each of the designs in the series features this well-known, archetypal Chinese form, which opens up or “blooms” to reveal its intended function as a cabinet, console or suspended ceiling light.

Strikingly contrasting straight lines with soft curves, these pieces provide a rare element of surprise and performance. This series also reveals Xu Ming and Virgine Moriette’s skilful cross-cultural interpretation of forms, which playfully subvert their historic cultural associations.

Song Tao: “Osseus” bench from “Modern Fossils” series by Song Tao for Self-Made Company, 2014

Song Tao is a legendary figure in Chinese design circles, having been the first director of Beijing Design Week, as well as an important pioneer of the New Chinese Design. His design-art furniture pieces often combine age-ravaged wood with gleaming metal to create a dynamic tension between old and new, ancient and modern.

Song’s Modern Fossils series, which includes his Osseus bench, is likewise inspired by China’s dynamic and changeable environment, and seeks to question the concept of time and the significance of history.

The acrylic-encased “denaturalised” wood, which looks like slabs of amber, is a metaphor for modern urban society, while the bronze bamboo elements represent youthful vitality growing out of the past, which is symbolised by the use of ancient “fossilised” wood.

Throughout his career as a designer, Song’s work has blended ancient Chinese philosophy with a western contemporary mindset, and his furniture cleverly juxtaposes Oriental craft culture against Occidental minimalism. His goal has always been to revive the “Chinese spirit” but in a very contemporary way.

Zhang Zhoujie: “Object # sqn1-f2 a” chair by Zhang Zhoujie (self-production), 2011

One of the young rising stars of contemporary Chinese design, Zhang Zhoujie is at the very forefront of professional practice, using revolutionary and disruptive computer algorithms to create furniture unlike anything ever seen before.

Indeed, his furniture is not actually designed by him per se, but by the generative computer algorithms that he and his team create.

For over a decade Zhang has been working on his evolving Digital Object/ Triangulation Series, which is inspired as much by the Taoist philosophy of spontaneity as it is by the parametricism movement, which he first encountered in 2009 as a visiting researcher at London’s Architectural Association.

The irony is that the designs of one of his origami-like chairs and tables are created in just a couple of seconds of digital processing, but are then painstakingly constructed using traditional hand-welding and polishing technique over a couple of months.

Through this on-going series, Zhang’s aim is to perfectly combine design function with a naturalistic growth process using computer algorithms, as he puts it, expose “the natural beauty of digital logic.”

Yuan Yuan: “Light Fan” screen with “Stone Vision” chaise longue, “Stone Vision” armchair and “Water Lily” coffee table by Yuan Yuan for Ruyi, 2015

Yuan Yuan thinks the obsession with historic Song and Ming furniture forms is a mistake because they tend to reflect a combination of Confucianism and Manchu imperial power, and therefore represent only a very small element of Chinese culture.

In terms of her own highly sculptural designs, Yuan prefers to draw inspiration from a wider cultural landscape in order to create work that references ancient and traditional Chinese themes, while also being perfectly suited to today’s lifestyles.

Her goal is to build a more internationally appealing language of contemporary Chinese design that will enrich people’s lives.

Her Light Fan screen cleverly incorporates traditional rigid, scallop-shaped fans into its construction, while her Stone Vision chaise-longue references literati culture, in that interestingly shaped rocks, known as gonshi, were traditionally used for contemplative purposes by scholars and were considered essential items in their study rooms.

Many of her designs are inspired by the strong connection between Chinese culture and the natural world. As Yuan explains, “I believe nature is an enduring theme that serves as a bridge between the past and the future, the East and the West.”

The post Six contemporary Chinese furniture designers leading the industry appeared first on Dezeen.