matali crasset: emulsion for lycée georges frêche

’emulsion’ by matali crasset

‘lycée georges frêche’ by massimiliano and doriana fuksas (see designboom’s coverage of the article here) is a new educational institution in montepellier, france specializing in hotel, catering and tourism management. as part of the architectural project, the languedoc roussilon region – where the school is situated – has dedicated 1% of the building’s construction cost (400, 000 euros including VAT) to the creation of design objects by matali crasset. this falls inline with the region’s policy to invest 1% of construction costs of each newly built school towards buying or commissioning artworks or design objects to be exhibited in the educational establishments.

a room divider / screen and floor lamp made from whisks

crasset’s designs entitled ’emulsion’ consists of a collection of original furniture and lighting systems which have been installed within the public areas of the building (restaurant and teaching hotel), making them accessible for all to enjoy. each piece the french designer has created is composed of whisks, the most striking work found in the reception of the hotel whereby a glowing tree made up of multiples of the kitchen utensil stands at a height of over 5 metres. here, the shape of the functional sculptural is composed of four different sized whisks whereby color, light variations, grading and shadows are all produced from an intrinsic part of the object. floor lamps, screens, ceiling lights and signage complete the collection, ’emulsion’ standing as a symbol of the transformation of a liquid into solid matter, a metaphor for the training and apprenticeship programs conducted at the school.

the most striking piece of the collection is a more than 5 metre high illuminated tree formed from multiple sized whisks