matali crasset: le blobterre de matali at centre pompidou, paris

matali crasset: le blobterre de matali centre pompidou, paris, france on now through march 5, 2012

‘le blobterre de matali’ installation at centre pompidou, paris image © simon bouisson

the realization of an imaginary world, ‘le blobterre de matali’ by french designer matali crasset transforms the children’s gallery of the centre pompidou into a site for entertainment and exploration. the main purpose of the space is to break away from the logics that govern everyday life and rediscover discovery itself. the artificial landscape is an experimentation area dedicated to creativity, as visitors are encouraged to immerse themselves not only in the new structures, but also the smells and sounds devised especially for blobterre.

the neo-vegetation playground hybrid is both primitive and artificial, as it is based on organic forms, yet stays away from the biological itself. each system of shapes, or ‘extratoofs’ has its own miniature zone inside, allowing you to investigate one after another. crasset was joined in the creative process of coming up with the pods by students at the high school of art and design in geneva.

view of exhibition from lobby of centre pompidou image © simon bouisson when it came to bringing the vision to life, it was a collaborative process. the tapestry was woven by domeau & pérès, a french team whose work often unites with crasset’s. tarkett, an international flooring company based in france, supplied the flooring. the metal structures themselves were created by blachère. the fabric, made by LMA alitecno was then transformed by procéde chenel into hanging sculptures. other contributors include HI life, viriato, danese, pallucco, confort mousse and sphère. exploratory spaces image © simon bouisson

detail image © simon bouisson

artificial garden image © simon bouisson

‘extratoof’ image © simon bouisson

exploring the space image © simon bouisson

creation of atmosphere image © simon bouisson

transformation of space through unique structures image © simon bouisson view of pods and hanging elements image © simon bouisson

view of experimental structure image © simon bouisson

sounds created for installation image © simon bouisson

‘big leaf’ carpet by nodus under metal dome structure image © simon bouisson

one particular extratoof connects a tubular dome structure with a large area rug, a collaboration between nodus, an italian company focusing on high end carpet design, and matali crasset. the ‘big leaf’ is a large, circular bed with hand knotted wool ribs extending beyond the carpet itself, complete with fringed edges. in the installation, this rope is attached to the structure, and defines the space. special scents created by firmenich, a swiss fragrance company, are absorbed into the fibers, one of four perfumes created for the exhibition.

‘big leaf’ limited edition carpet by matali crasset and nodus image courtesy of matali crasset