Life of Forms l Paris Design Week

The exhibition’s title echoes the book by art historian Henri Focillon, Life of Forms (1934), in which he argues that art and architecture “collaborate in the creation of a world.”

On the occasion of this event, Clément Delépine, director of Lafayette Anticipations and co-curator of the exhibition, Arnaud Morand, Head of Arts and Creative Industries at AfalUla and co-curator of the exhibition, as well as Ali Alghazzawi, Head of the Artist-in-Residence Program at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) and associate curator, discuss the criteria that guided the dialogue between works from AlUla’s residency programs and pieces from the Lafayette Anticipations Collection — Moulin Family Endowment Fund.

They are joined by designers Ori Orisun Merhav and Mehdi Kebaier (ALTIN Studio), both of whom are alumni of the AlUla 2025 design residency program, to discuss how works such as Harrat by Studio ThusThat, Palm Chronicles by ALTIN, and Die Bibliothek I by Katinka Bock conceive of matter as a repertoire of gestures and sedimented histories. Together, they explore the connections between contemporary art and design, viewed here as two sister disciplines.

Talk moderated by Formae.

Far from being mere media, the materials brought together in Life of Forms function as living archives. This idea is echoed by anthropologist Tim Ingold, for whom an artifact always reflects its maker’s relationship to the world they inhabit, and by theorist Jane Bennett and her concept of “vibrant matter,” according to which non-human elements actively participate in the ecological systems around us.

This event brings together Dushyant Bansal and Priyanka Sharma (Studio Raw Material), designers and residents of the AlUla 2024 design residency program, Kevin Rouff (Studio ThusThat) and Paul Moustapha Ledron, designers and residents of the AlUla 2025 design residency program, in conversation with Dominique Petit-Frère, curator and co-founder of Limbo Accra, exploring matter as a vehicle for memory, transformation, and creation. Through projects such as Studio ThusThat’s Harrat (copper slag transformed into facade tiles), Paul Ledron’s use of palm fiber in Lafiya, and Studio Raw Material’s research on mining residues, they explore how materials often considered secondary become the starting point for new narratives.

Talk moderated by Emily Marant, associate curator of the exhibition and founder of Studio Marant.

For one afternoon, families are invited to imagine and build their own playground, inspired by the pieces created by Aseel Alamoudi, designer of the AlUla residence, which are themselves conceived as invitations to play, relax, or observe.

With Aseel Alamoudi, designer, AlUla Design Residency 2025.

Please reserve one ticket per participant; children must be accompanied by an adult.

In AlUla, creativity isn’t imported—it’s shaped by the land itself. The landscapes, local materials, and traditional skills—from weaving palm fronds (sa'af) to building with mud brick (á¹­Ä«n), as well as stone carving, ceramics, and traditions related to incense—are inspiring a new generation of designers and creators.

On the occasion of this event, Hamad AlHomiedan, Director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU); Simon Garcia, Director of Cultural Development at AFALULA; along with designer Aseel Alamoudi and the bahraini - danish studio—all participants in AlUla’s design residency programs—discuss how the initiatives developed in AlUla —the AlUla Design Residency, the AlUla Design Awards, and the Designathon—foster a fruitful dialogue between vernacular craftsmanship and contemporary practices, which has become one of the defining features of today’s Saudi creative scene.

This encounter between heritage and contemporary creation is also at the heart of the exhibition Life of Forms, informing both its works and its theme.

Talk moderated by AD Middle East.

Après Vulgaire, Trans, Contrefeu et Nuances, Décor #6 - Terminal interroge, à travers les contributions d'artistes, de designers et de penseur·ses, la place du numérique dans nos existences, au-delà de sa seule dimension technologique.
 
Pensée comme un espace de réflexion sur les transformations du monde contemporain, la revue Décor explore les arts décoratifs au sens large : des manières de vivre, d'habiter et de percevoir le monde.
 
Ce nouveau numéro appréhende le numérique comme un fait total - culturel, politique, économique, social, juridique et esthétique - et examine les infrastructures, les usages et les imaginaires qui façonnent aujourd'hui nos milieux de vie.
 
Au programme : présentation par l'équipe éditoriale et graphique du numéro 6 de la revue Décor, activations visuelles et sonores issues de ses contenus dans les espaces de Lafayette Anticipations, séance de signatures et cocktail, en présence des équipes éditoriales et des contributeur·ices de Décor.
 
La revue sera en vente en avant-première à la librairie de Lafayette Anticipation le soir du lancement, puis disponible sur le site des Éditions Dilecta et en librairie.
 
288 pages - Prix public : 25 €
 
Décor est conçue et produite par l'École des Arts Décoratifs - PSL et publiée en coédition avec les Éditions Dilecta.
 
Directeur de la publication : Emmanuel Tibloux, directeur de l'École des Arts Décoratifs - PSL.
Comité éditorial : Olivier Bienz, Elsa Boyer, Martin De Bie, Defne Elver, Marius Gauge, Luz Palacios-Aufrere-De-La-Preugne et Lola Sahli.
Design graphique : Sarah Garcin et Julie Blanc, avec la contribution de Sami Jemli.

On the occasion of this event, Gaël Charbau, artistic director of Villa Hegra; Feriel Fodil, its executive director; and designer Paul Emilieu Marchesseau discuss the origins of this new institution, the ambitions of its programming, and the role design plays within it.

Talk moderated by Arnaud Morand.