fondation d’entreprise martell reopens with 'sagmeister & walsh: beauty' + 'places to be'

the fondation d’entreprise martell in cognac reopens on may 20, 2021, with two exhibitions: ‘sagmeister & walsh: beauty’ and ‘places to be’. presented for the first time in france, stefan sagmeister and jessica walsh’s visual multimedia exhibition addresses the concept of beauty as a key and functional aspect of appealing design. meanwhile, ‘places to be’, the foundation’s first group show, reopens with 14 international designers that have each reimagined a room within a house composed of 11 huge metallic tanks (read designboom’s previous coverage here).all images: exhibition views of ‘sagmeister & walsh: beauty’ at fondation d’entreprise martell

photos © jean-françois tremege

both exhibitions are on view at fondation d’entreprise martell from may 20, 2021, to january 2, 2022. in ‘beauty’, acclaimed designers stefan sagmeister and jessica walsh make a case for the importance of beauty in our lives. bringing together examples from the fields of graphic design, product design, architecture and city planning, the exhibition demonstrates that beautiful objects, buildings and strategies are not only more pleasing, but are actually more effective.philosopher plato considered beauty a moral value

spreading across the second and third floors of the foundation, the exhibition demonstrates that beauty is more than a superficial strategy of appeal: it can make the world better. tapping into all the senses, it presents convincing arguments to counter the negative connotations associated with beauty that emerged during the 20th and 21st centuries. in sagmeister & walsh’s eyes, ‘beauty is function’ and they believe it should be treated as such during the design process. with the aid of examples from various creative fields, as well as findings from the field of psychological aesthetics, the duo offers evidence that beautifully designed works stimulate human perception and are hence more effective.‘nebula prototype: liminal architecture’ by philip beesley studio and LASG/ living architecture systems group

upon entering the show, visitors are immediately met with the fundamental question: ‘what is beauty?’, discussed by countless philosophers and scientists over the centuries. sagmeister & walsh answer the question of what makes something beautiful with facts and references to science, history and philosophy, as well as with about 70 object groups that stimulate an aesthetic discourse on beauty as the paradigm of high-quality design. the exhibition invites visitors to interact through coins stamped onto their admission ticket, which can be used to vote for their favorite forms, colors, landscapes or scents. the visit ends with the philosopher plato, who considered beauty as a moral value.‘nebula prototype: liminal architecture’ by philip beesley studio and LASG/ living architecture systems group

meanwhile, ‘places to be’ reopens on the ground level of fondation d’entreprise martell, immersing visitors in a game of ‘clue’ at a human scale. the group exhibition gathers 14 international artists and designers, who never exhibited or worked together previously, to jointly reconstitute a unique living space made up of 11 rooms. read more about ‘places to be’ on designboom’s dedicated feature here.

since 2020, the foundation has fully activated the ‘ateliers du faire’, a creative workshop dedicated to experimentation with different materials, including glass, ceramics, wood, paper and textiles. here, local or international artisans are matched with emerging or celebrated artists and designers in the form of crossover residencies. finally, the foundation’s program is complete with the second edition of the métamusiques festival, which takes place during may 28-30, 2021. visitors are invited to experience free concerts with more than thirty artists, who are brought together through live music performances.jill fantauzza’s interactive installation features a flock of birds, whose density and speed can be controlled; it proves that there tends to be a preference for balanced patterns

inflatable bags in nils völker’s ‘two hundred and sixteen (blue)’

exhibitions info:

organization: fondation d’entreprise martell

location: 16 avenue paul firino martell, 16100 cognac, france

opening days & hours: thursday to saturday from 2pm to 8pm, sunday from 11am to 5pm

admission: free entry

sagmeister & walsh: beauty

dates: may 20, 2021 – january 2, 2022

designers: stefan sagmeister and jessica walsh

places to be

dates: may 20, 2021 – january 2, 2022

participating designers: wendy andreu, clément brazille, matali crasset, jenny feal, porky hefer, anima ona, ornaghi & prestinari, jerszy seymour, céline thibault & géraud pellottiero, yuan yuan