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      Sara Ruffin Costello fashions quirky interiors for The Chloe hotel in New Orleans

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      Inky blue walls, alligator-print carpet and grand four-poster beds appear inside The Chloe hotel in New Orleans, which has been designed by decorator Sara Ruffin Costello.The Chloe hotel comes as the latest venture from restaurateur Robert LeBlanc and is situated amongst the picturesque streets of New Orleans’s Uptown neighbourhood.
      It occupies a family mansion that was originally designed by American architect Thomas Sully in the 1860s.

      Top image: The Chloe’s entrance lobby. Above: an alligator-print carpet runner features on the stairs

      Sara Ruffin Costello, who is a native of New Orleans, was tasked with devising the interiors of the hotel.
      “Sully’s architecture is grand Southern Victorian – exceptionally tall ceilings, incredible tile work and plaster mouldings and a Byzantine layout,” Costello told Dezeen.
      “I ran with the romance of that era and played around with the notion of New Orleans being a port city, kind of that ‘what news do you bring from the outside?’,” she added.
      “To translate that into a vibe, The Chloe is moody with dark, antique furniture, with an emphasis on Orientalism but updated and made culturally relevant through a very special art collection.”

      Plush furniture decorates the reception lounge
      Guests enter The Chloe via a lobby that features inky-blue walls and dark wood floors. The building’s original ornate staircase is left in place but updated with a quirky, deep-red carpet runner that depicts an alligator creeping down the steps.
      “Last time I went for a kayak in the Bayou, not five minutes into my paddle two giant alligators got into a splash fight right in front of my boat – alligators are a real part of life here!” added Costello.

      Inky blue walls appear throughout the hotel
      Adjacent to this is = a reception room arranged around a large fireplace. Just in front are a couple of plush, claw-footed sofas perched on a blue floral rug, while an oversized cream lamp has been suspended overhead.
      A doorway in the corner of the room looks through to a cosy blush-pink seating nook with trellis-style walls.

      A bird-print mural is the focal point of the hotel’s salon
      The hotel’s restaurant serves signature New Orleans’ dishes with a contemporary twist. Drinks can be enjoyed in the bar and salon, where one wall has been painted to feature Egret birds fluttering amongst spindly tree boughs.
      A burnt-orange leather sofa runs along the lower half of the wall, accompanied by a handful of fringed seating poufs and tiny lamps that dimly illuminate the room.

      Guests can also enjoy dinner and drinks out on the patio
      Guests can alternatively sit with cocktails on the hotel’s porch – the floor here is clad with the tiles that date back to the 1860s.

      Maison De La Luz hotel in New Orleans is “madcap and fun” says Pamela Shamshiri

      Outdoors there’s also a swimming pool shaded by palmetto trees, a herb garden and an alfresco bar.

      Bedrooms come complete with four-poster beds
      A more pared-back design approach is taken in the bedrooms, where walls have been painted eggshell-white.
      Touches of drama are added by the four-poster beds and freestanding soaking tubs that take centre stage in the bathrooms.
      “Since The Chloe is actually a house, it feels like you are getting invited over to a local’s – which is all I ever want to do when I travel,” concluded Costello.

      The en-suite bathrooms also include freestanding tubs
      The Chloe joins a number of charming spots to stay in New Orleans, where tourists continue to flock to experience its rich history, vibrant live music scene and revered Mardi Gras parade.
      Others include The Eliza Jane, which takes over seven historic warehouses, and Maison de la Luz, which is designed as if it’s the home of a well-travelled woman that’s come to acquire several worldly souvenirs.
      Photography is by Paul Costello.

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      Trahan Architects creates curving wooden balconies for Atlanta theatre

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      US firm Trahan Architects has renovated the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, using steam-bent timber to form an undulating auditorium.Constructed in 1968, the 650-seat Alliance Theater is part of the Woodruff Arts Center campus in the state capital of Georgia.

      The 1960s theatre was gutted and refurbished
      For the renovation, Trahan Architects stripped the interiors of the lobby, theatre and backstage areas back to the original concrete walls.
      New York-based, steam-bent furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig collaborated on the design of the wooden elements, which were made by fabrication specialists CW Keller Associates.

      Steam-bent timber curves around the seating. Photo by Trahan Architecture

      Pliessnig created a 1:1 scale mock-up of the Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater and shared his expertise in steam bending wood, a process that involves heating wood to make it pliable and bending it by hand.

      Revolving auditorium is showpiece of Boulevard theatre by SODA

      “The result is a series of beautiful steam-bent millwork guardrails and balconies that merge handcraft with mass production,” said Trahan Architects.
      “The synthesis of acoustic performance, hand-driven artistry, and sophisticated laser positioning are all carefully choreographed to execute the complex steam-bent millwork without the need for wasteful CNC moulds.”

      All of the seating zones are connected in the theatre
      The seating is now 10 feet (three metres) closer to the stage than before, and the seating of the stalls abuts the orchestra pit.
      Seating stacked around and above the stalls in the balconies are defined by curving wooden elements but are not separated.
      The architects said this design decision was a symbolic one to draw on Atlanta’s history. The city was America’s most racially segregated after 1865 when slaved were freed in the US, right up until the 1960s.
      During this period, black people were barred from eating at certain restaurants or attending certain cinemas reserved for white patrons or were forced to sit in separate seating.

      Trahan Architects worked with a sculptor on the wooden design
      “The design team felt a responsibility to remove the separation between balcony and orchestra – challenging historic notions of segregation and discrimination,” said Trahan Architects.
      “All seating zones can be accessed from every entrance within the chamber.”

      Steam-bending timber created less waste than CNC cutting the wood
      Based in New Orleans and New York, Trahan Architects was founded in 1992 by Trey Trahan. Previous work by the practice includes a visitor centre for an 18th-century plantation in Louisiana.
      The Coca-Cola Stage at the Alliance Theater is shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the civic and cultural interior category, along with a museum in Pittsburgh built in a ligtening-struck library and a museum of architecture models in China.
      Photography is by Leonid Furmansky unless otherwise stated.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Trahan ArchitectsDesign team: Trey Trahan, Leigh Breslau, Brad McWhirter, Robbie Eleazer, James Babin, Scott Melançon, Conway Pedron, Ayesha Husain, Sarah Hussaini, Wenyun Qian, Andrew FuArtist collaboration: Matthias PliessnigMillwork fabrication: CW Keller AssociatesTheatre consultants: Theatre Projects ConsultantsAcoustics: Talaske GroupStructural engineer: Uzun + CaseMEP: DLB Associates Consulting EngineersLighting designer: Fisher Marantz StoneGraphic design: ThirstLife safety: Jensen HughesProject and cost management: Cost+ Plus VerticalTransportation: Lerch Bates

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      Space Popular uses green tones throughout Infinity Wellbeing spa in Bangkok

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      A tropical garden can be seen from within this spa in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, which architecture studio Space Popular has designed with soothing green and white treatment rooms.Infinity Wellbeing is set within a building on one of the side streets, or “sois”, that lead off Sukhumvit’s main road.
      It is entered via a luscious garden planted with dragon trees and lipstick palms, which Space Popular hopes will offset the shops, food vendors and towering skyscrapers that cluster around the spa.

      Above image: the garden that surrounds the spa’s entrance. Top image: one of the spa’s treatment rooms.

      “Designing the arrival and departure sequence is perhaps the most challenging element as the interior ambience is highly contrasting with the bustling street atmosphere in Bangkok,” the studio’s founders, Lara Lesmes and Fredrik Hellberg, told Dezeen.
      “Through the leaves of the garden, the spa is in strong contrast to the street with its often chaotic collage of sounds and sights.”

      The spa’s reception is decked out in calming shades of green and white
      The leafy plants also help obscure views through to the interior of the spa, where the studio has continued the calming ambience by utilising a serene colour palette of off-whites and pastel greens.
      Lesmes and Hellberg were particularly inspired to use the colour after coming across a local green-hued marble.

      Chairs in the spa are part of Space Popular’s latest furniture collection
      At the centre of the reception area is a fluted white service counter. Sheer white curtains have then been hung at the peripheries of the room, serving as a backdrop to customer seating areas.
      The accompanying armchairs, recliners and bar stools are all from Space Popular’s latest range of furniture called The Second Collection. Each piece features a tubular mint-green framework and “petroleum-blue” upholstery.

      Mint-green timber louvres line the spa’s corridors
      Green tube-like bases also feature on the stone-topped side tables dotted throughout the room, which also come as part of The Second Collection.

      Space Popular designs world’s first VR architecture conference as alternative to “boring” Zoom talks

      A contrasting pop of colour is provided by the copper-tone grid that runs across the reception’s backlit ceiling. Stems of the grid extend down and away from the ceiling to form overhead lamps.

      Green-terrazzo vanity units feature in the spa’s treatment rooms
      Corridors lined with mint-coloured timber louvres lead through to Infinity Wellbeing’s white-painted treatment rooms, most of which have been finished with vanity stands and washbasins crafted from green terrazzo.
      The garden-facing massage rooms are slightly moodier in tone – walls are clad in dark teal acoustic panels, while packaging foam is used to create coffered ceilings. Space Popular said it wanted to juxtapose high-end and humble materials like this from the outset of the project.
      “It’s a contrast often seen throughout Bangkok, which despite its abundance of luxury and shine manages to maintain its agility and inventiveness through its market and street food culture,” the studio explained.

      The moody massage rooms have up-close views of the garden
      Only one of the treatment rooms, which boasts sandy-pink walls, diverts from the colour palette seen in the rest of the spa. It also has a dramatic tiered ceiling which staggers upwards into a cone-like shape.
      “[The room] had very particular constraints due to where it was located – it doesn’t face the garden – so we decided to turn it into its own world,” added Space Popular.

      A tiered ceiling is the focal point of another treatment room
      This is the second branch that the studio has designed for the spa company. The first location, which is simply titled Infinity, was completed back in 2017. It’s situated in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district, occupying a pair of traditional Thai shophouses.
      More recently Space Popular has designed the venue for Punto de Inflexión, the first-ever architecture conference to be held in virtual reality.
      Photography is by Wison Tungthunya.

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      Archipelago House by Norm Architects is a minimal family getaway in Sweden

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      Norm Architects has completed Archipelago House, a pine-clad holiday home on the coast of Sweden that’s designed to embody both Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics.Copenhagen-based practice Norm Architects created Archipelago House, which is located just north of Gothenburg, for a couple and their four children.
      It’s a stone’s throw away from a holiday home that the mother of the family frequented when she was younger.

      Top image: the interior of Archipelago House. Above: the exterior of the home is lined with pine wood

      Archipelago House comprises a quartet of pine-wood volumes that stagger in line with the site’s rocky terrain.
      Each of the volumes features gabled roofs, subtly mimicking the form of the boathouses which appear along the nearby seashore.

      The kitchen features oakwood cabinetry
      “We like to consider the spirit of a place and integrate a new building structure more or less flawlessly into its surroundings,”  partner at Norm Architects Frederik Werner told Dezeen.
      “The building should look natural to the site and put the focus on the beautiful surroundings and the life unfolding in the place rather than the building itself,” he continued.
      “It is important for us that architecture does not feel alien to a site – especially in a place like this where there is a perfectly harmonised small village on the shore with other wooden houses around.”

      At the heart of the floor plan is a double-height lounge
      Inside, the practice has used natural materials to devise a sequence of muted, pared-back living spaces that nod to traditional Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics.
      Handleless oak cupboards feature in the home’s kitchen, at the centre of which is a jet-black breakfast island with in-built drawers. Stone tiles have then been used to line surfaces in the bathrooms, which have been finished with dark-wood vanity cabinets.

      Furnishings in the lounge were designed by Norm Architects and Karimoku Case Study
      The influence of Japanese design can be observed most clearly in the home’s double-height lounge, which is dressed with furniture that Norm Architects has produced in collaboration with Karimoku Case Study – the sister brand of Japanese manufacturer Karimoku.
      This includes a pebble-grey sofa, stone-topped coffee table and pair of armchairs that boast arching backrests upholstered in creamy fabric.
      Archipelago House is the third project that the brand has worked on since its launch in 2019, joining the Kinuta Terrace apartment block in Tokyo and the Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Yokohama.

      Japanese lanterns appear throughout the holiday home
      The home’s living area also has a delicate cone-shaped lantern that was created bespoke for the project by Kojima Shouten, a Japanese brand that has been making lanterns for over 230 years.
      Crafted from washi paper, the lantern’s peaked form is meant to act as another reference to the architectural form of Archipelago House.

      Johan Sundberg builds Swedish holiday home that takes cues from Japanese architecture

      More squat lanterns that balance on four-legged stands appear in the home’s tranquil sleeping quarters. Here there are also book-like storage boxes that Norm Architects designed alongside Danish brand August Sandgren, where inhabitants can tuck away their personal trinkets.

      Book-style storage boxes hide the inhabitant’s belongings
      Beyond the home’s dining room lies an expansive outdoor deck where the family can play games or enjoy alfresco dinners with views of the adjacent sea and small, rugged islands.
      “Nature plays an important role in our soft minimalist approach, where we believe that buildings should be a functional backdrop and structure for human engagement,” added Werner.
      “It might be a romantic relationship with nature – but after all, that is why we want to escape the city once in a while and reconnect with nature in our holiday homes.”

      The home includes an outdoor deck
      Norm Architects was established in 2008 by Kasper Rønn Von Lotzbeck and Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen.
      The practice’s Archipelago House joins a number of getaway homes in scenic Sweden – others include Summerhouse Solviken by Johan Sundberg Arkitektur, which is raised up on steel stilts, and Villa Vassdal by Studio Holmberg, which boasts minimal plywood interiors.
      Photography is courtesy of Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects.

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      Terrazzo and bronze staircase forms focal point of The Sukhothai hotel by Neri&Hu

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      A dramatic staircase connects floors inside this Shanghai hotel, which Neri&Hu has designed with calming, nature-inspired rooms.The staircase can be found in the entrance lobby of The Sukhothai hotel, which is situated in Shanghai’s Jing’an district.

      A huge staircase is the focal point of The Sukhothai’s lobby. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      It features a bronze balustrade and a staggered sequence of slim, grey-terrazzo steps that have been slightly set apart to create the illusion that they’re hovering.
      The entire structure is then enclosed by a gridded timber framework that “envelops” guests as they ascend to the first floor.

      Bronze has been used to make the balustrade, while the steps are grey terrazzo

      In the communal areas that lie beyond the staircase, Neri&Hu has fashioned an aesthetic that subtly celebrates the culture of both Shanghai and Bangkok – where the inaugural branch of The Sukhothai is located.
      “The challenge for Sukhothai in Shanghai was how to remain true to the spirit of the original iconic hotel in Bangkok while bringing in elements that represent the local culture and history,” the studio explained.

      Green hues reference nature and gardens. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      “In the end, our guiding concept was inspired by a universal condition that defines many dense Asian metropolises such as Shanghai and Bangkok — the sense of fragility and congestion and the desire for a reconnection with nature, for room to breathe and rejuvenate,” it continued.
      “We created an urban oasis in the midst of the concrete jungle of the city, so every aspect of the hotel relates to nature.”

      The hotel’s swimming pool is also lined with green tiles. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      Gardens became the main point of reference for the studio. For example, a network of columns has been installed in the restaurant as a nod to the ornate pillars that typically appear in Italian renaissance-style gardens.
      The forest-green leather chairs that surround the dining tables and the emerald-coloured tiles that line the open kitchen are also meant to evoke lush, verdant settings.

      Neri&Hu keeps time-worn details in Parisian restaurant Papi

      A medley of green tiles has also been applied mosaic-style to the hotel’s swimming pool.

      Natural materials are spotlighted in the bedrooms. Photo is by Pedro Pegenaute
      Neri&Hu have continued to use green tones and natural materials upstairs in the 201 guest bedrooms. Walls have been painted a tranquil jade hue, while the floor, headboards and writing desks are lined with wood.
      Pebble-grey Carrara marble has been used to line almost every surface in the bathrooms – including the tubs.

      Grey marble lines surfaces in the bathrooms
      A number of hotels have opened in China this year. Among them is the Intercontinental in Chongqing and Read and Rest Hotel in Beijing, which includes a small library filled with print magazines from across the world.
      For those looking to stay a bit more off the beaten track, Wiki World and Advanced Architecture Lab have also created a collection of 18 mirrored guest cabins on the forested mountainsides of Yichang in China’s Hubei province.
      Photography is by Xia Zhi unless stated otherwise.

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      B2 Architecture creates optical illusion with office interiors for DDB Prague

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      Czech studio B2 Architecture designed office interiors for DDB Prague with coloured walls that project the company’s logo as an optical illusion.The office in Prague is occupied by a creative advertising agency that has a logo of a stylised B formed of two stacked D shapes.

      The segments of colour appear random when viewed from other angles
      Using anamorphosis, a perspective technique, B2 Architecture painted sections of colour on the walls and floors appear random and distorted unless viewed from a particular point – the front door.
      “The viewers entering the DDB Prague offices enter at the unique vantage point from which the DDB logo is visible in its perfect form,” explained B2 Architecture.
      “As their journey continues, the viewers can see that the illusion was formed by colour applied throughout the whole space of the agency.”

      The anamorphic illusion resolves itself from the doorway

      A striking black covers most of the walls and floors, providing a contrasting backdrop for another version of the agency’s logo picked out in neon behind the front desk.
      The opening from the lobby to the rest of the office is surrounded by abstract geometric shapes of white and blue the form the logo when looked at from the doorway.

      D-shaped benches can be tidied away by slotting into the wall
      White floors and walls continue through the open-plan office, with a slice of black in the corner adding to the graphic and dynamic vibe.
      The white wall next to this entryway is covered in two rows of the DBB Prague logo formed of colourful fabric-covered benches resting in slots carved into the wall.
      When employees gather for meetings they can grab a D-shaped stool and pull up a seat informally.

      A yellow “war room” punctuates the open-plan office
      In the centre of the L-shaped office sits the agency’s “war room”, a freestanding room shaped like a circular sector in plan and painted bright yellow inside and out.
      The interior of the room features amphitheatre-style stepped seating around the curved side, facing a floor-to-ceiling glass corner.

      Stacked curved benches form amphitheatre-style seating
      Black cushions and beanbag chairs provide comfortable places for colleagues to sit and hold brainstorming sessions together.

      Felice Varini creates optical illusion on roof of Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation

      The glass walls can be used as surfaces to draw on or screened off with dark curtains to create a private room for meetings and presentations.
      Shelves along the exterior are also painted yellow and are used to display books and objects from past campaigns.

      Shelves line the exterior of the yellow room
      Following a consultation with the staff at DDB Prague, B2 Architecture incorporated a cafeteria and lounge area for staff to socialise in and hold workshops.
      “An office landscape has been created to promote communication and teamwork with a mix of open spaces, retreats and collaboration areas,” said B2 Architecture.
      “It also assures both transparency and discretion, enables rapid orientation within the space and reflects the agency’s creative character.”

      The office interiors are designed to reflect the agency’s creativity
      B2 Architecture is based in Prague and was founded by Barbara Bencova.
      The office for DDB Prague has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the small workspace interiors category, alongside micro offices clad in corrugated aluminium in the Netherlands, and a timber music studio in a Finnish back garden.
      The winners of Dezeen Awards 2020 will be announced on 23 November.
      Photography is by Alexander Dobrovodsky.
      Project credits:
      Architect: B2 ArchitectureLead architect: Barbara BencovaClients: DDB Prague

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      David Adjaye and Aston Martin design five residences in New York skyscraper 130 William

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      David Adjaye has partnered with luxury carmaker Aston Martin to design homes and limited edition SUVs for five residents who will live in the British-Ghanaian architect’s first New York skyscraper.Five Aston Martin Residences will be located on the 59th and 60th floors of 130 William – Adjaye’s 244-metre-tall residential tower under construction in Manhattan. Each resident will also receive a limited-edition, Adjaye-designed Aston Martin DBX.

      Above image: crosshatched bronze, an emblem of Aston Martin, will cover Adjaye-design wallpaper. Top image: residences will have outdoor loggias
      “The 130 William Aston Martin homes have been touched in a very particular way that merges our design sensibilities,” said Adjaye.
      “Together with the limited edition SUVs that come with these units, we’ve created a truly unique signature that blends our two disciplines.”
      Differing from the other homes in the 242-unit tower, these five will be decorated with materials, textiles and furniture sourced from the Aston Martin Home Collection by the Italian manufacturer Formitalia, with additional touches by Adjaye.

      The living and dining room will feature items from Aston Martin’s home collection

      The entry hallway will be covered with a bronze cross-hatch, a signature of the Aston Martin brand, that will cover over dark Adjaye-designed wallpaper. A large arched smoked-glass mirror by Aston Martin’s design team will hang on the wall, as a reference to the arched windows of the skyscraper.
      Renderings show these windows will flood daylight into the lounge and dining room, whose furnishings will include leather, metal and fabric chairs that are intended to draw on the aesthetic of Astin Martin car interiors.

      Residents can customise a bedroom into a study
      An open-plan kitchen adjoining the living room will have rich materials like blackened-oak Italian cabinetry, marble countertops from Italy’s Apuan Alps and a cantilevered Nero Marquina marble top.
      In the main bathroom, meanwhile, dark Italian Salvtori will be carved into a bathtub and double vanity sinks. Design details in the main bedroom will include Formitalia furniture and a custom cashmere headboard.

      The spare room can also be turned into a racing simulator
      Residents will also be able to turn one of the rooms in the two- or three-bedroom homes into a racing simulator, an office and library space or a bedroom. The racing simulator will be made in partnership with British technology company Curv Racing Simulators.
      Each residence will also have an expansive outdoor space with bespoke slatted screens to divide up lounging areas.

      The main bathrooms with have a bathtub carved from marble
      The Adjaye-designed Aston Martin DBX that will accompany the purchase of each residence will feature rich materials to mirror the homes – including marble, walnut wood and hand-stitched leather with green trim.
      The five Aston Martin Residences include two penthouses for sale at $11,500,000 and $10,500,000, and three loggia residences priced from $3,985,000, $5,985,000 and $10,000,000.

      130 William skyscraper for New York will be “great for drones” says David Adjaye

      First unveiled in 2017, 130 William is a 66-storey skyscraper in Downtown Manhattan that Adjaye has designed with local firm Hill West Architects for developer Lightstone.
      It will have a textural hand-cast concrete exterior to complement the materiality of the surrounding historic, brick commercial buildings, which Adjaye has previously said will make it ideal for close-up drone photography.

      Each resident of the five homes will get an Adjaye-designed Aston Martin DBX luxury car
      The partnership with Aston Martin is not the first time the car marker has turned its hand to architecture and design.
      “This is a fascinating project for the Aston Martin design team to work on and a great opportunity to collaborate with David,” Aston Martin CCO Marek Reichman said.

      Rich materials inside the SUV are intended to reference the homes
      “It is our first real estate project in New York City but our second collaboration in real estate design after the Aston Martin Residences in Miami,” he added. “We can apply what we have learnt in Miami and also bring our unique automotive design skills to these beautiful luxury homes.’
      Last year, the brand also launched an architectural design service called Automotive Galleries and Lairs to design homes around the resident’s cars. It has since teamed up with US studio S3 Architecture to create Sylvan Rock, an angular black-cedar home in Hudson Valley, New York.
      Renderings are courtesy of Aston Martin.

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      Pablo Chiereghin violently destroys and rebuilds furniture for Riot Design exhibition

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      Italian visual artist Pablo Chiereghin has created a series of furniture pieces from the remains of items he destroyed “using a riot aesthetic” for an exhibition at Vienna’s Kunstforum.Named Riot Design, the exhibition consists of a series of reconstructed pieces of furniture and everyday items displayed alongside videos showing Chiereghin destroying the original items.
      “Riot Design is a process through consumerism, violence appeal, design and the market,” explained Chiereghin.
      “Un-personal everyday objects are destroyed and transformed using a riot aesthetic and then brought back to functionality through an invasive restoration,” he told Dezeen.

      The Riot Design exhibition is at Vienna’s Kunstforum.

      Each of the items, chosen for their normality, was destroyed on-site within the gallery, which is in the former vault of the bank that houses the Kunstforum.
      They were then reassembled using construction materials that are usually hidden within items to draw attention to the rebuilding.

      Riot Design consists of destroyed and rebuilt furniture
      “The act of destruction is part of the artwork, violence models and deconstructs the object, leaving left-over pieces which are then to be recomposed in a unique object,” Chiereghin said.
      “The exhibition is conceived as a whole installation which combines objects and videos, changing rhythm through rough sounds and flirty objects, between construction materials and pink moulded plastic.”

      The items were chosen for their normality
      Chiereghin destroyed the items while wearing a helmet or balaclava to make a visual connection to the act of rioting.
      “The combination of the objects and the riot tools was influenced by the destruction result I wanted to obtain and by visual references to the history of riots,” said Chiereghin.
      “The idea of applying violence to things is common, either in everyday life or in the art,” he continued. “Nevertheless, I was for a long time fascinated by the power of exercising violence and the appeal that violence has on human beings.”

      The furniture was destroyed within the exhibition space
      “With the passing of the time I realised I wanted to excerpt the idea of riot and its violence from a context and use it as a cultural, ready-made tool of design,” continued Chiereghin.
      “Destruction activates multilayer connections: damage, hedonistic liberation, loss of value and reaction against status quo.”

      Videos show the items being destroyed
      The exhibition was created after Chiereghin watched lots of footage of riots, including those at the WTO in Seattle in 1999 and the Genova G8 Summit in 2001. The artist also focused on anti-austerity riots in Greece between 2010-2015, along with the recent riots in Hong Kong and USA.

      “As a predominantly white profession, we recognise that we have contributed to this pain”

      He accepts that the subject matter and the title of the exhibition may prove controversial, but hopes that it challenges visitors to ask questions.

      Pablo Chiereghin violently destroyed the pieces
      “If somebody finds it inappropriate, contradictory or speculative they are right,” he said.
      “The project offers a multilayer approach, which goes from entertainment to speculative design and consumerism critics,” he continued.
      “Visitors have possibilities to stay on the level they want but I think I would be happy if some visitors go home with questions.”
      Riot Design is on at the Kunstforumin in Vienna from 15 October to 22 November 2020. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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