l to r: pottery chaud froid, pastapot for alessi, chair thalya for kartell, public toilets of paris, 'tarti, nutella' for ferrero

opening tommorow at the centre pompidou, paris is 'patrick jouin - carnets et recits de design'
exhibition. for the show the french designer selected some twenty projects illustrative
of the diversity and eclecticism that characterise the work of him and his agency he founded
10 years ago, presenting materials that instantiate and explain the research and development
process for each work.

born in 1967, patrick jouin is one of the major actors in contemporary design in france
and across the world. since 1999, his paris agency has distinguished itself by the diversity
of its practice: architecture, interior design and exhibition design as well as product
and furniture design ranging from street furniture to high-quality artisanal productions.


l to r: nightcove for zyken, armchair jules verne D3 limited edition, tablewares evol and wave for gien


l to r: public toilets of paris, chair thalya for kartell, pastapot for alessi, cutlery zermatt for puiforcat


l to r: 'tarti, nutella' for ferrero, champagen bucket for G.H. MUMM, 'C2 solid, self edition'


'flower' MGX by materialise

the design of the exhibition aims to immerse the visitor in the living history of
the agency’s projects. it combines the real with the virtual to bring out the intersecting
but distinctive viewpoints of designer, manufacturer and end-user.



in the centre of the room is a partition on which is screened a film by alain fleischer,
shot within the exhibition. in it, patrick jouin introduces himself, his colleagues,
and others involved in the design process, among them sleep specialist prof. damien léger
and chef alain ducasse. the film offers an original and lively take on the stories
and the development work on the objects displayed nearby, a personal introduction
to the pieces that visitors will then be able to look at in more detail.



the second element takes the form of a materials library, half-real, half-virtual, whose
shelves rehearse the developmental history of each object (through materials samples,
components, mock-ups, prototypes, documentation etc.), thus offering an overview of
the agency’s design process and an insight into the wide ranging nature of the researches
required. this display begins outside the room, within the space of the museum itself.