Matali Crasset Another Logic Of...
London, England
November - December 2008
“The object isn’t the central focus of the creative process, neither the final product. It’s one possibility amongst many, chosen at a decisive moment within a greater system of thought and ideas – a system which I leave behind and from which I develop a new kind of logic.” - Matali Crasset
This philosophy underlies the new work commissioned by Rabih Hage. ‘There is a system of ritual involved with objects’, she says. ‘Why we make them is one point of view, how we use them is another. I’m interested in the way people interact with the objects they surround themselves with. I’m also interested in how objects will adapt and change to reflect the changes in human behavior.’
Crasset is an international designer with an impressive portfolio of work to her name. Having started out in marketing it was exposure to the mechanics of product design which caught her imagination and led to a change of direction. She took a course in product design at ‘Les Ateliers - Ecole Nationale Superieure de Creation Industrielle’ in Paris to learn her trade. A five year stint with Philippe Stark included a huge project for Thomson Multimedia – an electronics company. The project work on Thomson intensified her interest in technology giving her an enviable freedom to develop new concepts. ‘The idea of gently changing people’s way of thinking and giving them access to new things was compelling’ she says.
Earlier this year, Rabih Hage developed a concept with matali for an exhibition to take place at the Rabih Hage Gallery, Chelsea, London, which she was eager to become involved with. This exhibition presents two installations. The first will be a piece of work which initially appears familiar to the viewer, being related to everyday household objects (tables, chairs, lights…) but which is responsive to the environment and the influence of different people around them.
The second piece is entitled Spring City and explores the climate change and extensions of cities as well as the relationship between the man and his environment.
This large light and video installation illustrates her unique expression of an organic cityscape. She wanted to create a work which shows how one environment is influenced by another such as with global warming.