If you are looking for emerging designers, Maison&Objet trade fair in Paris is a good place to spot some of the industry's rising stars. Its Rising Talent Awards focuses on young designers and researchers at the forefront of integrating digital technologies like artificial intelligence and 3D printing with a creative use of traditional craftsmanship.
Diverse Jury Reflects Interdisciplinary Approach
The 2024 Rising Talent Awards Jury exemplifies the blend of cultures and disciplines in modern design. Among the notable members are Jean de Loisy, curator and President of the Jury for the Liliane Bettencourt Prize that recognizes know-how, creativity, and innovation in the field of craftsmanship, and Li Edelkoort, a prominent trend forecaster in fashion and design. The jury also includes Lionel Jadot, interior architect and founder of Zaventem Ateliers, Joseph Grima, Director of the Design Academy Eindhoven, and previous Rising Talent, Athime de Crécy. Each member brings a unique perspective, fostering a diverse and rich dialog in the design community. Ramy Fischler, Designer of the Year 2020, and Stéphane Galerneau highlight the enduring importance of incorporating the human touch in the arts and crafts.
Maison&Objet’s 30th-anniversary edition, with its focus on the intersection of technology and craftsmanship, is a testament to the fair’s commitment to fostering innovation while honoring the human spirit behind every creation. With that in mind, here we feature nine designers who are pushing the boundaries of design.
Aurélie Hoegy
Selected by Li Edelkoort, Trend Forecaster
Aurélie Hoegy (b. 1989) is a graduate of the École Supérieure d'Art et de Design in Reims, France, and the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, where she completed her master's in Contextual Design in 2013. Following her studies, she established her studio in Paris, which originally centered around working with cotton and latex, and has evolved to incorporate rattan, transforming this material into functional art pieces. Her designs are characterized by a fluidity that creates a harmony between the object, the body, and its environment. Li Edelkoort, who nominated Hoegy as a Rising Talent, commends her for promoting a future that is both responsible and circular, highlighting her commitment to ethical practices and organic aesthetics. Hoegy's work has been recognized and acquired by prestigious institutions such as the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris, the Musée National d'Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, USA.
In an interview with Maison&Objet, Hoegy shared insights into her journey with rattan. She spent a month in Indonesia, immersing herself in a traditional craft workshop where she learned the intricacies of working with rattan. She was particularly struck by the holistic approach of the local craftsmen, who engaged their entire body in the process, creating a dance-like interaction with the material. This experience was pivotal in shaping her approach to rattan, one that emphasized the importance of preserving these traditional techniques.
Reflecting on her foundational works, Hoegy highlighted her “MacGuffin lamp, Borders between Normality and Abnormality” from 2013, a hanging lamp featuring 765 yards of electric wire and a latex shade, as a key piece that encapsulated her focus on movement. Her 2016 “Dancers chairs” collection, showcased in a performance at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, further solidified her reputation in the design community. The “Wild Fibres” series represents a continuation of this exploration, with a focus on the natural movement of the rattan guiding her creative process.
Hoegy's approach to design bridges traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. While she crafts her pieces by hand in her Paris workshop, she collaborates with engineers, choreographers, and even hairdressers to bring her visions to life. She employs traditional modeling techniques alongside 3D printing to design tools tailored to the unique characteristics of rattan. Her work is a testament to the synergy between handcraft and the unpredictable nature of materials, creating designs that are vibrant and alive.
Audrey Large
Selected by Joseph Grima, Creative Director of the Design Academy Eindhoven
French designer Audrey Large (b. 1994) has been recognized for her innovative approach to blending art and design. Large, a graduate of the Design Academy Eindhoven, completed her masters in Social Design in 2017 after studying at the École Supérieure d'Art et de Design de Reims (ESAD). Her unique style, which challenges the boundaries between the digital and the physical, has gained prominence in the design community, particularly since she started exhibiting at Milan's Nilufar Gallery in 2019.
With the intersection of art and design, Large's work embodies a fusion of the moving image and static objects. This synthesis is evident in her creations, crafted in her Rotterdam workshop, which hover between the tangible and the intangible, and originating in the digitized universe.
Large's learning approach is distinct. She relies on interactions with online communities and open-source software, which offer her a sense of freedom, diverging from traditional craft making. As she explains in an interview with Maison&Objet, "My research tends to show that the world of images and material are linked." Her final year dissertation explored special effects in cinema, highlighting how reality itself is crafted.
She challenges the conventional separation of object design and image design, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the material and immaterial in contemporary life. "We are very afraid of digital dematerialization, whereas it would be more interesting to use it as a lens without being caught between two realities," Large remarked.
Large's design philosophy is reflected in her aesthetic choices, where she strives to materialize the perceptual qualities of images through objects with blurred, iridescent contours and dynamic surfaces. While her creations may take the form of functional items like tables or chandeliers, their utility is not immediate, nor are their shapes entirely abstract, imbuing them with a sense of unreality and contradiction.
Felix Rasehorn and Robin Hoske , WINT Design Lab
Selected by Athie de Crécy, Designer and Rising Talent of France September 2023
Felix Rasehorn and Robin Hoske, both born in 1992, are pioneering a new wave of design research through their collaborative venture, WINT Design Lab, founded in 2019. The duo, who met while pursuing their design studies at the Weißensee Art Academy in Berlin, graduated with master's degrees in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Their studio-laboratory is a hub for interdisciplinary research, focusing on cutting-edge developments such as biomaterials, paperless interfaces, and the physical applications of algorithmic tools.
Athime de Crécy, a celebrated designer and Rising Talent of France in September 2023, commended the duo for their unique approach. "Their independent research methodology truly distinguishes WINT, enabling them to invent and create novel categories of objects," de Crécy noted while acknowledging the designers' innovative contributions.
Among their notable projects is a groundbreaking investigation into the textile industry, which is heavily dependent on synthetic materials, particularly plastics. In a collaborative effort with Mimotype Technologies, Rasehorn and Hoske developed a bio-based running jacket. This jacket utilizes natural collagen sourced from cows' intestinal tissue, a material already employed in the food and pharmaceutical industries, but underutilized in fashion and furniture design.
Rasehorn and Hoske's project focuses on the biotechnological replication of this tissue, exploiting its potential in new applications. The material's thin, waterproof, lightweight, and recyclable properties make it an ideal candidate for sustainable fashion. The duo's design of the running jacket is not only a testament to these material qualities but also a significant step towards sustainable innovation in the textile industry.
Nelson Fossey of Index Office
Selected by Ramy Fischler, Interior Architect and Designer, Founder of RF Studio
Interior architect and designer Nelson Fossey (born 1989) of Index Office seamlessly blends high-tech innovations with traditional craftsmanship. After graduating with a degree in Interior Architecture and Design from École Camondo in 2014, he then pursued a master's degree in Neo-Industrial Design from ENSCI - Les Ateliers in Paris in 2017. Fossey's talent and dedication caught the attention of Les Ateliers de Paris, a talent incubator that paved the way for him to establish Index Office (IO), his design studio, in 2019.
Fossey's design philosophy revolves around creating bridges between industry and traditional craftsmanship. His clientele includes esteemed institutions and brands like Lexon. Fossey says the studio's ambition is to use contemporary modeling and manufacturing tools to integrate them into industrial or craft processes. “Thanks to technology, we can simplify the life of the craftsman at every stage of the manufacturing process,” Fossey said in a interview with Maison&Objet. “What's more, the tools available in all the studios mean that projects can be tested very quickly, increasing the creative potential tenfold by stepping up experimentation. But what I like is when the result doesn't show the use of these tools. I necessarily draw by hand, and then I design a program that generates formal versions, making the project as malleable as clay. Sometimes there are fortunate accidents."
Fossey also designed trophies for the city of Paris which were meticulously sculpted and shaped from a block of dry clay using a CNC machine, followed by traditional glazing and annealing processes. Fossey also produces objects such as his IO Lamp — a lighting system designed for easy dismantling and recycling using PLA, a bio-plastic material derived from plants. Each component of the lamp is 3D printed in the IO workshop, following an on-demand production model. This approach reflects a shift in values within the design industry, as Fossey highlights, "Today's tools make it possible to imagine made-to-measure solutions. Instead of sending materials to the other side of the world, we could, for example, send a simple digital file, giving new meaning to local manufacturing." Fossey's innovative work stands as a testament to the limitless possibilities that emerge when technology and tradition converge in the world of design.
Jenna Kaës
Selected by Jean de Loisy, Art Critic and Curator
French artist Jenna Kaës, (born 1987) is making a distinctive mark in the realm of contemporary art and design. Kaës, a graduate of the Haute École des Arts du Rhin in Strasbourg and the École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne, has carved a niche for herself in the unique field of funerary art. After completing her studies, Kaës undertook residencies at Les Ateliers de Paris in 2018 and 2019, before venturing into self-producing. She is a regular exhibitor at the Galerie Southway Studio in Marseille, and the online French Cliché gallery, where she is known for her work that blurs the line between collectible design and art.
Kaës’ focus on funerary art, a theme often considered taboo and underexplored, sets her apart in the art world. She explores the spiritual dimension of objects, moving beyond their traditional religious associations to a more universal and spiritual interpretation. Her recent collaboration on the colombarium at the historic La Chartreuse cemetery in Bordeaux, alongside architect Martial Marquet and landscape architect Renan Rousselot, is a testament to her innovative approach. Her work aims to engage symbolism and aesthetics as a means to aid in grieving.
At the upcoming Maison&Objet exhibition, Kaës plans to present "Grave Keepers," bronze rings inspired by those found in ancient Egyptian and Chinese tombs, and "Night Thoughts I and II," blankets made in collaboration with French Carmelite nuns. She also frequently collaborates with craftsmen and women, incorporating their expertise into her studio work. For example, one of her projects included working with a pleater on tanned gut, traditionally used by Inuits, and a collaborative reinterpretation of the Rococco style using 3D software to create ethereal, fanciful shapes.
Emma Cogné
Selected by Lionel Jadot, Founder of Zaventem Ateliers
Emma Cogné, a young and innovative French textile designer (born 1993) is redefining the use of industrial materials in interior design. A graduate with a Master's degree in Textile Design from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre in Belgium, Cogné currently works in a former factory near Brussels, transformed into a creative space for craftsmen by designer Lionel Jadot.
Cogné's unique approach involves the low-tech method of weaving plastic tubes, originally sourced from streets and construction sites, and now increasingly obtained directly from factories. Her work brings an ornamental dimension to these otherwise functional and invisible materials, typically used as coverings for electrical wiring in homes.
In an interview with Maison&Objet, Cogné shared the philosophy behind her work. She focuses on recylcing polypropylene tubes, typically hidden in walls and floors, by incorporating them into interior designs as decorative elements. Her weavings create dividing walls, establishing zones of isolation and intimacy within a space. Cogné is inspired by the bold, industrial colors of the pipes, seeing them as opportunities to develop intricate rhythms and patterns, thus infusing subtlety and emotion into the material. This approach is also evident in her design of four-poster beds using truck tarpaulins.
At the upcoming Maison&Objet exhibition, Cogné will showcase her "Système T," a project that encompasses Pipe, Textile, and Carpet (Tuyau, Textile, Tapis in French). This research explores the potential of materials from the unseen spaces of our homes. One of her featured works, "Turborama," is a partition that unfolds like a curtain, created using bead-weaving and assembly techniques typically reserved for jewelry making. This artisanal technique allows for numerous variations and personal interpretations, while the altered scale of the material adds an architectural dimension to her creations.
Emma Cogné's work exemplifies a new wave of sustainable design, where repurposing industrial materials in innovative ways challenges traditional notions of interior decor. Her creations not only showcase the potential of upcycled materials but also represent a significant shift towards more environmentally conscious design practices.
Raphaël Cuevas and Line Pierron, Studio Line & Raphaël
Rising Talent Craft winner, chosen by Stéphane Galerneau, President of Ateliers d’Art de France
Raphaël Cuevas (b. 1994) a skilled craftsman has partnered with designer Line Pierron (b. 1978) to create a unique fusion of traditional craftsmanship and modern technology in furniture design. Cuevas, who studied joinery in 2014 and cabinet making in 2015, met Pierron, a product designer who graduated from the École Supérieure d'art et de design de Reims in 2001. Their collaborative venture, Studio Line & Raphaël, blends Pierron's passion for 3D printing with Cuevas's expertise in custom fittings and furniture making.
Line Pierron, with her background in designing decorative accessories and an interest in 3D printing, sought to expand her creative output. Imprime-moi un mouton, her brand of decorative accessories, exemplifies her ability to produce intricate shapes using 3D technology. The partnership with Cuevas allowed her to apply this technology to larger furniture pieces, adding a modern twist to traditional cabinet-making.
In an interview with Maison&Objet, the duo discussed how they merged their respective skills. Pierron was motivated to integrate 3D ornaments onto Cuevas's furniture, while Cuevas saw an opportunity to evolve the art of marquetry. Their approach takes marquetry from two-dimensional inlays to three-dimensional, complex shapes, creating furniture that resembles relief paintings.
Their process involves hand-making unique pieces for both private and professional clients in their workshop. The creation begins with establishing a motif, after which Pierron digitally codes the design for precision cutting. This method not only saves time but also allows for the replication of their designs.
At the upcoming Maison&Objet exhibition, Studio Line & Raphaël, as the Rising Talent Craft winners, will showcase their innovative furniture designs including the Ecaille entrance console—a striking piece featuring Sycamore wood with oak and elm marquetry, complemented by a 3D-printed relief in white nylon. Additionally, the duo will display various samples of their materials, presenting marquetry patterns and designs in a manner akin to paintings.
The work of the Rising Talents 2024 will be on display at the Maison&Objet fair in Villepinte, Paris from January 18-22, 2024.
Read our preview of the January edition of Maison&Objet here.
