By BRABBU
In September 2015, MAISON & OBJET PARIS unveils its new Inspirations Forum, a new structure between Halls 6, 7 and 8 in which visitors will discover the Trends area, enhanced with a pop-up bookstore and conference space.
Now the three trends agencies members of the MAISON & OBJET PARIS Observatory will take turns at each session to develop the theme, reflecting the collective work carried out throughout the year, in an expanded space.
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François Bernand explainging his view on the new inspiration theme for Maison et Objet Paris September 2015:
“For me, Precious conjures the affectedness of the 17th century, ‘affected’ or ‘borrowed’ sentiments that have nothing ‘natural’ about them. That kind of ‘preciousness’ is a form of surplus, abundance, overflow of everything from feelings, gestures and manners to designs, shapes and colours. I don’t mean a surplus in the negative sense. It’s as if that which is common became unbearably banal and so forms needed to be hypertrophied to distinguish the common from the rare, the millions from the unique, the sacred from the profane. To do what had to be done so that something finally emerged from the ambient chaos”
Elizabeth Leriche on whywas the theme Precious selected:
“The theme is chosen collectively and is the result of very open discussions between the Observatory members. I personally want to deepen the work begun last season on unique hand-crafted pieces. I find the concept of ‘Arty Luxury’ to be very cutting-edge. We have also noticed a comeback of gold and decorative arts. This led us to reflect on what constitutes preciousness today, even beyond luxury. That which will become rare and capture our interest and challenge us tomorrow”
Vincent Grégoire explaing the concept of the new pop-up bookstore:
“We wanted to add another element to the Inspirations Itinerary in the form of a research and reading area, where people can find select books on the theme developed in the Inspirations Book. It will take the form of a literary gallery, where visitors can explore the concept of precious through emotions, entertainment and experiences. We plan to work on an experience circuit or path that will appeal to the five senses and nourish visitors both intellectually and emotionally”
Marie Jo Malait naming some of the specialist featuring in the Inspirations Book:
“As always, it’s a fairly balanced mix of artists, designers, craftspersons, marketers, sociologists andentrepreneurs. For example, we have a testimonial from Ramdane Touhamy for Buly cosmetics, David Akpamagbo, who turns butter into a luxury product, and sociologist Stéphane Hugon, who helped lay the groundwork for the Observatory, following his latest publication on baroque. The contributors are all very different. We’ll be able to talk about the cosmetics of gold. We’ll also talk about immortality, because, in the end, that which is most precious in life is life itself. And that’s how the exploration of the theme will end.”
Precious and preciousness are expressed in many ways. The word immediately evokes cut stones and their mysterious settings, raw materials rendered more beautiful still by the genius of man. In art, precious entails a character of great delicacy, brilliance, even wealth. It is often linked to gold, mirrors and ornaments. But, while all that is valuable is precious, preciousness does not hold the same value for everyone. From somewhat trivial affectation to the very essence of life, preciousness inspires dialogue between excessive materiality and the most extreme fragility.
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