From left: Stephanie Sayar and Charbel Garibeh. From right: Atelier Malak | Photo Dolce and Gabbana Casa
The table-jewel designed by the Lebanese duo and the French designer's sculpture are the works created by Incalmi presented at Gen D - Generation Designers, the initiative curated by Federica Sala for Dolce&Gabbana.
Raytoid From Arcturus and Palaver Garden are the titles of the works that the duo Sayar&Garibeh and designer Malacou Lefebvre of Atelier Malak presented together with Incalmi at the 2023 edition of Gen D, the project conceived by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana and curated by Federica Sala. An initiative that stems from the desire to translate into the field of furniture the same openness to the future that over the years the Dolce&Gabbana brand has shown in the field of fashion, actively supporting the talent of young people. The works, signed by international designers and artists and made by Italian companies, speak the language of contemporary made in Italy creativity.
Raytoid From Arcturus by Sayar&Garibeh | Photo curtesy Dolce e Gabbana Casa
«Our goal was to explore and highlight traditional Italian materials and techniques», say Stephanie Sayar and Charbel Garibeh, Lebanese-born designers with studios in Paris. «For our 'Haute Couture' piece, we chose to play with fire at different levels: blowing, working, bronze casting and enameling». The result is a very special artifact, at once a coffee table, sculpture and jewelry, celebrating the culture of glass and enamel on metal. Inspiring the shapes of the coffee table are the pleasures and emotions of life: «Raytoid combines nature, sensuality and irony. It stimulates touch and other senses, but it also ignites a smile because it is playful and colorful. It is like a creature from the Arcturus star system, a piece that transports to another reality». The work is the perfect synthesis of Dolce&Gabbana's DNA - ironic and sensual - and the designers' aesthetic, which has always had craftsmanship, the combination of different materials and research into organic forms as its cornerstones.
«Raytoid combines nature, sensuality and irony. It stimulates touch and other senses, but it also ignites a smile because it is playful and colorful. It is like a creature from the Arcturus star system, a piece that transports you to another reality»
The Palaver Garden is an installation by Malacou Lefebvre, former finance man and founder of Lyon-based creative carpentry firm Atelier Malak. «The installation aims to explore the meaning of the Palaver Tree, what makes it so meaningful, what gives it the power to bring people together», says the designer, who worked on the symbolic charge of the Palaver, the structure, often placed under a tree, where community meetings and activities take place in many cities in Africa. «To synthesize this symbolic force, starting with the totemic aspect of the Palaver Tree, I wanted to create furniture that is welcoming in form and powerful allegorically. To achieve these two goals, I designed three pieces that together describe a landscape». Palaver Tree in fact consists of three sculptures that define the space, playing with the perception of the elements, which look like seats or tables.
Palaver Tree by Atelier Malak | Photo curtesy Dolce e Gabbana Casa
Both artifacts were made by Incalmi, which used its network of specialized glass and metalworking workshops, in addition to its own enameling workshop. «For Raytoid From Arcturus, we used three of our flagship techniques, glassblowing, fire enameling on metal, and bronze casting. The Palaver Garden, on the other hand, required a lot of research to achieve a certain aesthetic with the metalwork and finish», concludes Patrizia Mian of Incalmi, who adds: «we are happy to have created these projects, which allowed us to explore in a new way the techniques we work with on a daily basis».
The works Raytoid From Arcturus and Palaver Tree were presented at the last Milan Design Week and are currently part of Dolce&Gabbana's private collection.
«To synthesize this symbolic force from the totemic aspect of the Palaver Tree, I wanted to create furniture that is welcoming in form and powerful allegorically. To achieve these two goals, I designed three pieces that together describe a landscape»
