< PreviousNATURE STUDIES To celebrate its new collection in collabora- tion with acclaimed American interior designer Michael S. Smith, handpainted wallpaper specialist de Gournay assembled a diverse group of aesthetes to interpret the nature-inspired designs. Individuals from across the creative arenas brought the new papers to life in their distinct styles. Undoubtedly, the star of the show is the British Ghanaian designer Kusheda Mensah, who echoes de Gournay’s fl owering Chrysanthemum composition with the rounded shapes of her oversized furniture. Mensah’s bold, organic forms are not without purpose; they explore living environments and promote deeper human connection in a manner that is functional yet fun. degournay.com; modularbymensah.com Two eclectic design showcases have have produced creative flights of fancy Culture Club Grecian Splendour Overlooking the Mediterranean in the quaint town of Beaulieu-sur-Mer in South of France, resides a rare architectural gem, the lavish Villa Kerylos. This early 20th century abode was modelled after the noble mansions of the ancient Hellenic era. It is here that a present-day legend, the acclaimed French designer and scenographer Hubert le Gall, reveals his latest exhibition, A Greek Fantasy, featuring a unique furniture collection laden with mythology and magic. Presented in the villa and its grounds, the eff ect is sublime. Until 26 September, 2021. villakerylos.fr – PRATYUSH SARUP - A RTISA NS - P H O TO : M IG U E L FL O R E S VIAN NA; J E AN -F R A N C O IS J A U S SA U D AD_040_24_Radar_Artisans_11757519.indd 2426/08/2021 09:34:20 AM25 - MOODBOA R D - Geography class Geological forms provide a rich seam of design inspiration. 1. Little Liff ner’s bags explore playful shapes and textures 2. Former dancer Virginie Hucher uses her whole body to sketch out her paintings and sculptures in the earth 3. Roommates magazine rack by Barbora Žilinskaite 4. Philippe Malouin’s curvaceous DS707 armchair for De Sede 5. Sonali coff ee table from Anthropologie 6. In Mallorca, the Olive Houses by architects mar plus ask were designed as a silent creative retreat 7. The Selce #5 rug by Studio Solaris combines soothing hues and textures 8. OPA’s Softie residence echoes the undulating forms of northern California’s coastal cliff s 9. Danish ceramicist Turi Heisselberg Pedersen draws inspiration from geology 9 P H O TOS : PI E T- ALB E R T GO E THAL S ; J O E FLE TC H E R 123 4 7 6 7 8 5 AD_040_25_Radar_Moodboard Organic_11754477.indd 2525/08/2021 10:15:40 AM- A RCHITECTUR E - Frank Gehry’s controversial 12-storey tower is taking creative expression to new heights in Arles On the Edge R ising 56 metres, Frank Gehry’s futuristic monolith is the crown- ing moment of Luma Arles, an arts complex in the Provençale city’s sprawling Parc des Atéliers. The brainchild of art impresario Maja Hoff mann, the creative campus shares its site with a series of industrial buildings – former railway workshops – transformed by Selldorf Architects to house exhibition galler- ies and project spaces. Arles was once the seat of the Roman empire in France and, centuries later, Vincent van Gogh stayed at an asylum in nearby Saint- Rémy-de-Provence, where he painted The Starry Night. Those associations help to con- textualise Gehry’s seemingly outlandish mon- ument; the 12-fl oor stepped tower emerges from a circular steel and glass atrium that takes after the city’s famous Roman amphithe- atre. Its shimmering edifi ce (featuring nearly 11,000 steel panels) is a homage to Van Gogh’s painting, while the ridged profi le is inspired by the limestone cliff s around the city. “I love the light in Arles and the wind,” said Gehry at the opening. “I liked the idea of cap- turing and refl ecting the light in this region. It is not a cold building … the metal has a softness about it, even inside.” With Hoff mann’s ambition and connec- tions, Luma Arles’ destiny as a beacon for glob- al arts is all but sealed. Its opening exhibition features work by Diane Arbus, Etel Adnan and Olafur Eliasson, amongst others. There’s also a dedicated area for the extraordinary private collection asmassed by Hoff mann, who com- ments: “This tower represents a notion of hope, an archipelago where everything is pos- sible. It is a place where the past, present and future come to mix.” luma.org – P.S. P H O TOS : AD R IAN D E WE E R DT AD_040_26_Radar_Arles_11751354.indd 2625/08/2021 10:16:40 AM- STYLE - 27 “When people see what we’ve been doing, they they can’t believe it’s [only] the second one I’ve done,” said Kim Jones of his latest couture collection for Fendi, where glamorous evening dresses served as canvases for fi nery like mother-of- pearl embellishment and recycled fur mosaic work. The fabrics and textures were informed by the buildings and pavements of Rome, some employed in statuesque lines. Most compelling were the silhouettes that really took form, like the hypnotising construction of a bolero that resculpted the body through the volume-specifi c grammar of haute couture, or the dress worn by Mica Argañaraz (shown here), which demonstrated a similar idea in fl ou. fendi.com – ANDERS CHRISTIAN MADSEN Ripple Eff ect AD_040_27_Radar_Style Fendi_11748529.indd 2725/08/2021 10:17:39 AM125 28 - DEBUT - Material World Five leading regional design talents explore Cosentino’s cutting-edge Dekton Slim surface to envision a bold new furniture collection FROM LEFT: Paper coff ee table by Fadi Sarieddine; Tektonia tables by The Line Concept; Talyd vases by Aljoud Lootah; Carapace console by Nada Debs; Rocco chair by Mustafa Khamash. AD_040_28-29_Radar_Cosentino_11754333.indd 2825/08/2021 10:20:02 AMA contemporary take on heri- tage, abstract thought and innovation are vital ingredi- ents for design that cele- brates the Middle East’s rich creative scene. Underpinned by bold vision and state-of-the-art materials, Breaking Boundaries, Cosentino’s debut lim- ited-edition product collection, does just that. Developed in collaboration with celebrat- ed regional talents Nada Debs, Mustafa Khamash, Fadi Sarieddine, Aljoud Lootah and the The Line Concept’s Dana Al Matrook and Newsha Dastaviz, the resulting designs utilise Cosentino’s Dekton Slim surface range in functional and decorative pieces, pushing it in ways previously unimagined. Drawing inspiration from the old metal pots used for cooking over open fi res, Lootah’s Talyd vases pay homage to a bygone era . “The design of the vases represents a modern take on how Emiratis have traditionally gone about their daily activities,” she explains. “Certain shapes derived from the original pots were used as the starting point for the collection, and then further enhanced to refl ect the original inspiration through a con- temporary lens.” Debs’ Carapace console is a fi ne example of marrying traditional craft with tech: it fea- tures Cosentino’s Dekton Slim applied in a manner akin to traditional marquetry that the designer has previous expressed in an array of natural and semi-precious materials. Eschewing the hard, cold and sharp per- ception of Cosentino’s super-sleek surface, The Line Concept’s Tektonia tables feature soft and organic lines that are inspired by nature. Meanwhile, Fadi Sarieddine’s Paper coff ee table celebrates its razor sharp profi le. “Was the fi rst chair a stone?” asks Khamash whose abstraction of the classic rocking chair is one of the more playful and unexpected pieces of the collection. He layers rough- hewn Dekton with fi ne leather, combining the natural with the man-made in a stellar outcome that ponders the value of adorn- ment in our lives. “It represents my view on how we treat materials in a quest to dress our- selves or our homes.” cosentino.com – P.S. AD_040_28-29_Radar_Cosentino_11754333.indd 2925/08/2021 10:20:18 AMS hopping for rugs in the souks of Marrakech is a highlight of any Moroccan holiday, but the experience can be a little haphazard. Finding the right colours, sizes and quantities can be challenging, as weavers tend to work in a non-standardised way. It was this issue that New Yorkers Robert Wright and Tiberio Lobo-Navia set out to resolve when they founded Beni Rugs in 2018, aiming to celebrate Moroccan rug craft while allowing customers to buy tailor-made designs. The duo started out as an online store, with rugs commissioned from a virtual library. Made using techniques dating back thousands of years, the high-pile beni ourain and fl atweave designs nevertheless had a thoroughly modern look, with patterns inspired by contemporary art, Moroccan zellig tiles and mountain landscapes, and the Bauhaus and Memphis design movements. Now, Wright and Lobo-Navia are moving back into the physical sphere with two innovative studios that are part boutique, part apartment and part social hub. PH OTO : G R ANT LE GAN Dream Weavers New Yorkers Robert Wright and Tiberio Lobo-Navia are reinventing Moroccan rug craft for the 21st century - CR A F T - AD_040_30-31_Radar_Craft_11756226.indd 3025/08/2021 10:24:30 AMCLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Weavers at work; a rug design by Colin King; hand-knotting; the Tameslouht courtyard also has a scented rose garden; Boxes, Agave and Customise Key rugs. OPPOSITE PAGE FROM TOP: Robert Wright (left) and Tiberio Lobo-Navia; the coff ee bar and lobby area in the Tameslouht showroom. In Tameslouht, an up-and-coming design quarter just south of Marrakech, an 8,000-square-foot former awning factory has been repurposed. As well as a Milan-style café that serves great coff ee (thanks to its 1950s Marzocco espresso machine and the studio’s own custom blend), it boasts a scented rose garden by local designer Valentin Green, where visitors can sit and watch weavers at work on over 50 looms. Rug shopping here is a leisurely aff air, done as you sip your coff ee. Customers can browse carpets displayed on modular racks (custom-made by a local ironworker) and thumb through endless choices of yarns, tassels and colour swatches. Everything in the studio is shoppable, including the local art and crafts on display. It’s also an ethical, eco-conscious operation: weavers are paid above market rates and have access to childcare and transport, while a water recapture system minimises the workshop’s impact on the environment. Meanwhile, in New York’s West Village, Beni Rugs’ studio apartment in an old townhouse feels even more homely, with its ornate fi replaces and laid-back neutral colours. It was designed in collaboration with decorator Colin King, who’s also behind the brand’s Shape of Color collection featuring rugs reminiscent of Donald Judd paintings. King’s bespoke honeyed timber shelving displays ceramics and objects that Wright and Lobo-Navia have found on their travels, while the rugs on the fl oors show just why Moroccan textiles are so prized. As in Marrakech, each piece is made by hand, so no two are exactly alike. Some traditions stay the same. benirugs.com – AMY BRADFORD 31 AD_040_30-31_Radar_Craft_11756226.indd 3125/08/2021 10:24:48 AM32 - TA LENT - Poised for Success Introducing the region’s most intruiging and inspiring young creatives AD_040_32-37_Radar_Talent_11755926.indd 3225/08/2021 04:56:19 PMRUMI DALLE Artist A rtist, collector, designer, activ- ist – Rumi Dalle is diffi cult to box into a singular artistic cat- egory – and rightly so; her identity, both professional and personal, is hard won. The Lebanese creative’s latest work, It Felt Like A Dream, a commission for collectable rugs atelier Iwan Maktabi, speaks of her journey of self-discovery and self-expression. “I travelled to Konya in Turkey in search of meaning,” she says. A pilgrimage destination for Sufi s, Konya is home to the tomb of the founder of the Mevlana order, Jelaleddin Rumi, the great Sufi mystic and poet, the 12th-century Alaeddin Mosque and Sema whirling dervish ceremonies. “Throughout my years, I learnt more about myself through the practice of making, from the dynamics between men and women in crafts and material poetry,” says Dalle. “Konya was my landing destination to learn more about Sufi sm and the role of women in reli- gion.” It would also be the place she would fall in love with felt. In Konya, felt has played an important role in Sufi sm for centuries. Sikke, the hat worn by the twirling dervishes is created with suf (wool in Arabic), the medium used to create felt. “Suf is a metaphor to refl ect on the purity of a Sufi ’s soul and their connection to nature,” she explains. “When triggering spiri- tuality in the context of making, felt came to me as a receptive canvas.” Dalle’s earliest experimentations began at home, creating fantasy worlds staged in her mother’s closest. A regular at antique shops and fl ea markets – she is an avid collector of photographs – the artist travelled to diff erent countries, learning about disappearing crafts from those still practicing them. Learning the craft of felt-making from craftsmen in Ireland, and then transforming wool sourced from Turkey, Argentina, Germany and Australia, the artist crafted her own interpre- tation of felt rugs as a sensory installation that is both monumental and personal. “Each of the pieces embody a secret and are expres- sions of an important part of my journey.” @rumidalle – P.S. AD_040_32-37_Radar_Talent_11755926.indd 3325/08/2021 04:59:00 PMNext >