the Reception Salon | all images © Jean Allard

THREE UNIQUE SALON CONCEPTS BY STUDIO GGSV IN PARIS

Founded in 2011 by Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard, Studio GGSV takes a multidisciplinary approach that spans design, installation, exhibition curation, and interior architecture. The duo, known for their experimental use of illusion and trompe-l’œil, were residents at the Villa Medici in 2018 for a research project exploring the application of painting to objects and architecture. Their works are part of the collections of the Centre Pompidou, the CNAP, and the Mobilier National, and they have been commissioned by institutions and brands including the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, Fondation Rothschild, Hermès, Chanel, and Galeries Lafayette. In 2023, they won the call for proposals Re-enchanting the Villa Medici with their project Camera Fantasia, and are currently presenting the monumental installation Grand Feu to mark the 200th anniversary of the Musée de la Céramique in Sèvres.

In this commission, the Paris-based design duo blurs the boundaries between architecture, décor, and furniture. Patterns, materials, and forms echo and extend one another to create a unified yet unconventional whole. The result is three environments: the Reception Salon, the Conversation Salon, and the Reading Salon. 

the Conversation Salon

The Reception Salon

‘Working with Mobilier National’s carpenters, we created a modular furniture system with an architectural scale — flexible enough to generate multiple pieces from the same structure. Its form references the curves of Louis XIII furniture, but reimagined with alternating black and white laminated layers that transform the surfaces depending on the angle,’ Studio GGSV explains. ‘The result is a contemporary ensemble that honors tradition while pointing toward new possibilities.’

hypnotic black-and-white rhythms recall the twisted columns of Louis XIII style

The Conversation Salon

the Conversation Salon is organized around a large hexagonal sofa

The Reading Salon

the Reading Salon

rocks, mountains, and vegetation intertwine to create a dreamlike landscape

romantic landscapes cover the walls, floor, and ceiling

overhead, a luminous ceiling disc evokes a shifting sky

‘the second room takes inspiration from the garden,’ shares Studio GGSV

the Reception Salon explores the dialogue between architectural structure and applied décor

classical and baroque references merge with art deco geometry, forming a layered composition

Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard of Studio GGSV

project info:

name: Les Salons de l’imaginaire (The Salons of Imagination)

designer: Studio GGSV | @studio_ggsv

location: Manufactures nationales 

The post studio GGSV transforms historic parisian apartment into salons for the imagination appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

At On Labs Tokyo, a unique experience center in Japan’s capital city, the future of sports innovation is on full show. From September 13-21, 2025, visitors can witness a robot spray a complete, ultralight shoe upper in just three minutes. This is not merely a technical demonstration; it’s a peek into how the Swiss sportswear brand On is blending cutting-edge technology with a deep attention for the human element of design. The pop-up space may showcase innovations like LightSpray technology and the Cloudboom Strike LS running shoe, but throughout, activations – from athlete talks and panels to workshops and runs – bring the city’s sports community together to emphasize how the athlete remains at the heart of their design process.

designboom spoke with Pablo Erat, Director of LightSpray, and Johannes Voelchert, Senior Lead for Innovation Technology Exploration, at On Labs Tokyo to explore the brand’s new innovation, athlete-led design, and community engagement.

designboom visits On Labs Tokyo to see LightSpray in action

all images courtesy of On

ON’S LIGHTSPRAY REVOLUTION

On’s design philosophy is rooted in Swiss engineering and a commitment to precision and efficiency. This approach has given rise to LightSpray, a revolutionary manufacturing process that enhances a robot to create ultralight, seamless shoe uppers in a single step. The brand‘s innovative technique sprays a shoe upper in just three minutes, reducing production time and paving the way for localized manufacturing.

‘LightSpray is the future. It is a radical sustainable technology in itself. It has created a shoe upper from just one material. We can develop new designs by manipulating filament into several shapes. There’s a lot to play with, and at On, we wish to be the leader of this material technology,’ begins Johannes Voelchert, Senior Lead for Innovation Technology Exploration.

the revolutionary manufacturing process uses a robot to create ultralight, seamless shoe uppers in a single step

LightSpray also ushers in a new era of sustainability. The process significantly minimizes waste and reduces an upper’s carbon emissions by 75% compared to other On racing shoes. It’s a technology that not only enhances performance but also helps the planet. The first product to feature this innovation, the Cloudboom Strike LS, weighs an exceptionally light 170g and provides a seamless, precision fit that adapts to the foot. This design introduces a completely new look and silhouette to performance footwear.

by spraying a shoe upper in three minutes, the process reduces production time and enables localized manufacturing

While the Cloudboom Strike LS is the first application of this technology, On’s team believes LightSpray has the potential to revolutionize all kinds of wearable products in the future, including apparel and accessories.

‘In the future, accessories and various types of shoe variations might be possible. It is important that On doesn’t produce something just because it can be produced with this technology. As a brand, we are very critical with ourselves. Even in terms of shoe models, we always ask ourselves whether we can significantly improve this product and if it truly solves the customer desire. If the answer is yes, then it makes sense to design and produce. This is what we need to consider for LightSpray,’ clarifies Pablo Erat, Director of LightSpray.

the Cloudboom Strike LS is the first application of this technology

ON ATHLETE, FEEDBACK, AND POWER OF COMMUNITY

Despite the focus on advanced robotics and automation, On’s design team highlights the crucial role of human input. The brand’s innovation is not solely driven by technology; it is sparked by the human body, mind, and environment.

‘Innovation and creativity is made by the friction between your environment and brain,’ explains Pablo. ‘Athletes are definitely a really important source. This is not only about the validation of something that we have developed, but how their ideas and feedback can spark completely new dimensions.’

On Labs Tokyo connects the sports community through activations like athlete talks, workshops, and runs

‘On works in a very human way. This collaboration extends from technological development to athletic performance. The human factor of athletes means we can tailor innovations to those special needs. It is so valuable to work closely and gain their visions,’ notes Johannes.

Athlete feedback is a vital source of inspiration. On works directly with high-performance athletes like Olympic medalist Hellen Obiri and two-time Tokyo marathon winner Sutume Asefa Kebede, who have been wearing development versions of LightSpray shoes in races since April 2025. The rapid prototyping capabilities of LightSpray allow On to test different design variations with athletes and quickly iterate on feedback, a process that can happen from day to day. This collaborative approach ensures that the final product truly solves a problem and meets a specific athlete’s needs.

‘Our interactive design process is a huge advantage,’ adds Pablo. ‘Our lab allows athletes to work directly next to where we work, meaning we can do a 3D scan of their foot, make a prototype that can be tested, and create iterations basically from day to day. This is more important in terms of the early stages of product development. With multiple different athletes, we can do a lot of variation to figure out the best product model for the athlete, develop it, and launch future models.’

visitors can get personalized running analysis, trial On’s latest products, and see LightSpray in action

Community activations, like the one in Tokyo, are essential to this philosophy. On Labs Tokyo is a space where the public can get a personalized running analysis, trial the brand’s latest products, and see technology like LightSpray in action. These events foster a connection between the brand, athletes, and the community, reinforcing the idea that innovation is a shared journey.

In a world increasingly shaped by automation, On’s approach to design stands out. By prioritizing the human element – from the insights of elite athletes to the dreams of its innovators – the brand is proving that even the most advanced technology should be built on a foundation of creativity, community, and a commitment to bettering human performance.

from September 13-21, 2025, On Labs Tokyo connects On, athletes, and sports enthusiasts

the rapid prototyping capabilities of LightSpray allow On to test different design variations with athletes

the experience center emphasizes how athletes remains at the heart of On’s design process

Johannes Voelchert, Senior Lead for Innovation Technology Exploration, led the LightSpray development

project info:

brand: On

event: On Labs Tokyo

location: 6-35-6 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

dates: September 13-21, 2025

The post On Labs Tokyo demonstrates human-centric design philosophy in robotic world appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Dmitry Morozov, known as ::vtol::, develops technology-based installations and kinetic sculptures that combine robotics, sounds, coding, and interactive systems. The Moscow-born, Ljubljana-based transdisciplinary artist and researcher centers his practice on electronic installations that react and respond to environmental changes and the proximity of the viewers. They include robotic systems, sound generators, and mechanical devices that operate independently once activated. ::vtol:: presented three of his recent projects at Sónar+D between June 12th and 14th, 2025, during which designboom also hosted a live talk with the artist.

In a recent interview, the artist, who’s the mastermind behind the tattoo-based instrument Reading My Body and wearable mask organ Last Breath, shares with us that when he creates works, he’s creating a form of entities with agencies rather than just tools. ‘Ultimately, I perceive my works as participants in a gigantic performance called technological art. This kind of art is very ephemeral, as the lifespan of any object is quite limited—either the electronics will break down, the software will be updated, or the mechanics will fail,’ he tells us.

view of Last Breath | all images courtesy of Dmitry Morozov, known as ::vtol::

microcontrollers process sensors and control mechanics

::vtol:: constructs his kinetic sculptures, robotics, sounds, and code-driven installations using electronic components, sensors, motors, and custom programming code, and each work includes microcontrollers that process sensor data and control mechanical movements. The systems respond to sound, motion, light, or other environmental inputs, allowing these machines to exhibit unpredictable behaviors that seem to react to the user’s mood and handling methods. The artist applies sculptural methods to electronic construction, too. Instead of following engineering protocols, he treats circuit boards, sensors, and actuators as sculptural materials. 

This approach of ::vtol:: produces kinetic sculptures, robotics, and installations that have personality traits with their operational patterns. Sound generation systems are often a recurring theme in his practice, where mechanical components create acoustic outputs through vibration, striking, or air movement. Electronic circuits process these sounds and feed them back into the mechanical systems, creating feedback loops. The works operate as autonomous performers, and sensors detect audience presence and environmental changes. The systems modify their behavior based on this input data, so different audience interactions produce varying mechanical responses.

side profile of Last Breath

Technology-based artworks that demonstrate lifelike behaviors

::vtol:: shares with designboom that while he creates what may be considered as a ‘set of electronic components and code’, he always puts his soul into these kinetic sculptures, robotics, and installations. After all, he’s partly a sculptor, and not an engineer, as he describes himself. ‘I grew up in the 80s and 90s when half of all devices were still analog. These devices behaved so unpredictably that it seemed to depend even on your mood transmitted in the field around the object. I believe this quality has also transferred to many of my works. Since childhood, I have been accustomed to perceiving devices not just as soulless objects, but as living beings,’’ he explains to us. 

It’s worth noting that he’s not inclined towards esotericism, but the artist admits that there is certainly more for people to discover about how living and non-living objects interact on different levels. As a result, the kinetic sculptures, robotics, and installations of ::vtol:: explore relationships between living beings and technological systems, and he investigates how people interact with machines that demonstrate lifelike behaviors. The installations then respond to human presence in ways that suggest awareness or intention. Below, we continue our conversation with the transdisciplinary artist and researcher, who tells us the beginning of his artistic journey, his creative process, the backstories of the projects he presented at Sónar+D in Barcelona, and the ways he sees the ever-evolving climate of contemporary digital art.

the exhaled air (its pressure and flow rate) activates the generative process

Interview with Dmitry Morozov, known as ::vtol::

Designboom (DB): Your practice spans kinetic sculpture, robotics, sound, and code-driven installations. Can you walk us through your trajectory as a transdisciplinary artist and researcher? What were some of the pivotal moments or turning points that shaped your current approach?

Dmitry Morozov / ::vtol:: : I started my journey as an artist completely unaware that I was one. I understand that this sounds unusual or even strange, but I truly became a media artist before I even realized it myself. Initially, I became very fascinated with electronic experimental music: formless, strange, and endlessly testing new ways of extracting and creating timbres. This led me into the world of electronics as a DIY practice: circuit-bending, DIY synthesizers, and so on. I began building my own synthesizers and strange controllers for creating and manipulating sound around 2006-2007. At that time, I didn’t yet understand that there was a vast scene where interactive art, multimedia, music, and sound art intersected. 

The format of installations, sculptures, or performances didn’t interest me much back then, although many of my early objects were in some way related to them. Everything changed when a few of my more knowledgeable friends in this practice told me that with my skills, I could easily fit into much more prestigious events like exhibitions and contemporary art festivals, unlike the underground noise concerts I was used to. All it took was to make my ‘instruments’ larger and more friendly for audience interaction. I tried it, and I really enjoyed the audience’s reaction; seeing viewers interact with your work is incredibly energizing.

‘топот-м’ explores the concept of an extended body

::vtol:: (continues): By that time, I had already created many instruments for other musicians, such as Aphex Twin, but usually, my instruments ended up in studios and collections, and you rarely receive feedback or get to observe how they are used. With interactive art, everything is quite different; essentially, you witness the act of interaction or observation, which is the artwork itself. It emerges at that moment, not when you finish creating the mechanism. At first, my works only included sound, but very quickly the media expanded – light was added, movement, more complex interactivity; the works became more conceptually thought out, addressing various complex themes – sometimes social, sometimes very abstract or historical (for example, media-archaeological). 

In fact, when you master one technical language as your tool – like electronics or programming – other ‘mediums’ become clearer and easier to learn quickly. The main thing is to understand the logic of data and signals and how they can interact with each other if needed. This rapidly and easily expands your expressive range. Thus, I quickly shifted to kinetic and robotic works, and since programming is necessary for their operation, you begin to see the potential in works that primarily consist of code, regularly venturing into that territory (for example, my project Hotspot poet). I believe that the combination of different media can greatly support each other when revealing a particular concept, especially if it is embodied in a design and visually appealing object.

‘you, me and all these machines’ is a performance for voice and electronic devices

DB: Your projects often carry a strong DIY ethic, open-source tools, hacked hardware, self-built systems. How do science, tinkering, and the ethos of experimentation inform your creative process? What role does risk or failure play in how you develop new work?

::vtol:: : DIY is the most important ideology in my work. I believe that an artist should do as much as possible by themselves and use as little ready-made material or outsourcing as possible. Of course, this approach can lead to absurdity, and one might even start making electronic components themselves (like my project Resistor) or wires, but I am endless in this pursuit, and whatever happens, happens. Essentially, the more that is done exclusively by you in your work, the more it reflects you, although this is not so simple in technological art. This leads to many mistakes – some of them are fatal for the project, while others open new horizons, often turning the meaning of the work 180 degrees. By introducing something into it that is beyond your control, you simply allow it to exist. 

Overall, I subscribe to the concept that ideas don’t belong to their authors; we are just lucky to snatch them from the flow of something and, given the right circumstances, embody them in a piece of art. Therefore, I am always happy to share both ideas and technical components of projects; this even affects their appearance. I rarely hide elements in a case; it is usually immediately clear how everything is made. In the last 5 – 6 years, I have also actively taken up teaching, which is very energizing. You systematize and structure your knowledge to share it more successfully, and this, in turn, inspires new ideas. It’s really cool to see how your students pick this up; you show them some technique that has become clichéd for you, and they suddenly apply it in a very unconventional way.

‘drop’ is a small automatic device consisting of a Geiger counter

DB: A few years back we published two of your projects, Reading My Body and Last Breath, on designboom. Can you take us inside the making of those pieces? What were the conceptual or technical challenges, and how did they evolve during the process?

::vtol:: : Reading My Body was initially inspired by some silly sci-fi movie where people had barcode tattoos that worked as passes to different zones. I liked the idea of a functional design on the body, but instead of control, I wanted it to be something more elegant. At that time, my friends were organizing a sound art festival of performances, and I decided to create a strange performance there – I would get a tattoo and make a robot that would use it as a score. 

Everything happened lightning fast; I drew the tattoo in Photoshop in probably about 20 minutes, then immediately ran to find a salon with an available artist, but it was already evening and everyone was either busy or didn’t want to do such a tattoo. Eventually, in despair, I stumbled into the last salon that happened to be on my way; everything there was in a biker-rocker style, far from what I needed, but they liked the idea when I started explaining it, and the artist did everything very quickly. I didn’t wait for the tattoo to heal and immediately started ‘building’ the object for reading it; a couple of times I touched the tattoo with the details – it was very painful and funny.

there’s a hydraulic system involved in the work ‘drop’

::vtol:: (continues): In the end, it turned out to be a very successful work – when I shot the video and posted the documentation, the project spread all over the internet. I understand that from both a sound and technical perspective, it could have been much more complex or successful, but everything turned out as it did – thanks to the DIY approach and quick decision-making! I was very pleased with myself, and a few years later, I learned that this project inspired experimenters at MIT Media Labs to conduct their research in this direction, creating smart tattoos for medical purposes. So sometimes even DIY artists can be useful to society. As for the project ‘Last Breath,’ it was born when I was in India in 2019 and became seriously ill with some virus. 

COVID was still a whole year away, so I anticipated a trend a year in advance; artists sometimes have good intuition. I was very scared of dying back then, but not because I was afraid for my life, but because I didn’t want to stop creating, playing music, and engaging in creativity. So, I essentially made myself a pre-mortem instrument, in case I could no longer move but would still be breathing. It turned out epic and even a bit brutal. This is, by the way, a good example to illustrate co-participation with a technological object – it cannot exist without me, and I cannot exist without it, but I do not define everything it does; the instrument has its own working algorithm, and all it needs from me is a flow of air. This significantly changes the hierarchy between the instrument and the performer, establishing rather a horizontal connection.

view of j2000.0

DB: This year, you presented a series of projects at Sónar+D’s Project Area. What did you showcase, and how does it build on, or depart from, your previous projects? Are there any shifts in your materials, methods, or conceptual interests that this new work reveals?

::vtol:: : I presented three works, quite different and from different periods of my life. The first work is ‘Drop,’ a small sound sculpture-fountain. The work uses a small Geiger counter that measures radiation levels. It’s a simple but very precise device capable of detecting even individual particles passing through it. There is always a slight background radiation on any point of Earth, which is absolutely normal. 

Each time one of the particles passes through the device, a drop falls from a small tube into a basin equipped with optical sensors that detect the ripples in the water after the drop falls. These sensors control a small synthesizer that produces sounds. The longer the device operates, the more complex its timbre becomes; that is, it is a sound composition developing over time, dependent on a natural phenomenon. It’s quite a meditative device.

iPot is a device for performing a digital tea ceremony

::vtol:: (continues): The second work is ‘Remember Me, Erase Me,’ which, strangely enough, has no sound. Essentially, it’s a selfie machine – anyone can approach it and take their picture simply by pressing a button. But as soon as they take the shot, the photo starts to distort as if it is being forgotten; they need to press another button to stop the degradation and print the photo. So, it’s like memories –  the longer ago something was, the worse the image is preserved, although it remains recognizable for quite some time. The third work is a collaborative project with artist Alexandra Gavrilova called ‘iPot.’ Essentially, it’s a robot for a tea ceremony. The machine heats water and then pours it into a transparent reservoir, above which there is a camera. After that, a small ball of Chinese tea falls from a tube, which looks like a blooming flower during brewing. 

This ball gradually unfolds, and the camera connected to a program tracks this and transforms its movement into digital abstract graphics and sound. After some time, this process stops, and the prepared tea is automatically poured into five small cups offered to the audience. Even in hot Barcelona, viewers were very happy to taste exquisite tea from such an unusual machine, especially after observing the entire process. Despite the fact that these works were created some time ago, they are still quite new, and in response to your question, I would say that the most significant change is a certain lyrical and poetic quality in my works that has become more characteristic of me in recent years. Perhaps long interaction with technology has generated in me a desire to convey increasingly human qualities using non-human agents.

‘reading my body’ is а sound controller that uses tattoo as a music score | read more here

DB: Looking ahead, what excites you most about where digital art is going? Are there any current trends or technologies you find troubling, ethically, politically, or artistically?

::vtol:: : I am closely following how contemporary digital art is changing. There are aspects that I really like – such as the fact that materials and many technologies are becoming increasingly compact and accessible. However, there are other things that I like a bit less – like how everyone has jumped on the AI bandwagon, even when it may not be particularly relevant to a specific project. The technology itself is wonderful and holds endless potential, but I often see its use merely in favor of trends. 

It would be foolish to deny its significance for art, but personally, I use it very little; perhaps that will change in the near future. What I undoubtedly appreciate is that AI has greatly simplified programming for people who have never learned it, and most artists are initially quite distant from programming. The way ChatGPT can skillfully handle code and assist in creating programs of various levels is astonishing; I see how quickly my students are progressing because of this. It opens up new horizons in art.

‘hotspot poet’ distributes wi-fi masked as wireless network

project info:

artist: ::vtol:: | @vtol_

name: Dmitry Morozov

The post inside the world of ::vtol:: and his kinetic sculptures, robotics and code-driven installations appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

LOLO designs haute couture costumes for the park employees and topical settings inside the Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park in Florida, US. From June 2025, the adventure park showcases the detailed and thorough craftsmanship by the London-based design studio for the location’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic and Dark Universe. LOLO’s founder, Laurent Guinci, sits down with designboom and lets us into the studio’s design process, one that studies eachworld’s backstory, periods, colors, and materiality, to name a few. 

He tells us in our interview, ‘we design costumes that belong to a world, whether we’re designing the waterpark, wizarding world, or epic universe, the approach is always the same. It’s story, fashion, function for the garments. We try to have the same energy in the designs that we bring. Everything is character driven. This is why I call them costumes. They’re not staff uniforms anymore.’ For the founder, it’s about bringing an element of fashion into our garments and an immersive experience so that visitors live and feel as if they were in the world that the costumes refer to, such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, alongside the Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe.

Dobby’s costume for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic | all images courtesy of Universal, unless stated

Design process from sketches and fabrics to accessories

LOLO’s costume design process begins with a brief from the Universal’s team. The research process starts, and it takes the team into studying and explaining each of the world’s background stories and identities. ‘We treat each world like a couture house. They all have their own palettes and tailoring language, their DNA. No matter how many worlds we juggle with, LOLO designs them from inside out. We try to be faithful to our language and the message we want to show,’ says the studio founder. He adds that no matter what the lands they need to design the costumes for, they easily jump from one world to another. They go from Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe theme park to Fantastic Beasts, 1930s Paris, then to a more modern Harry Potter, and even to Nintendo and Minions, the projects they’ve worked on before. Laurent Guinci shares with designboom that it’s about juggling all these projects and having different views and approaches for each of them. 

‘Despite the fact that we do a creative job, there’s a certain discipline in our way of working that allows us to shift gears while keeping every stitch grounded to the storytelling and the style of what we want to show,’ he says. The design team develops sketches, selects fabrics, and chooses accessories for each costume. Some characters receive items like wand holsters, umbrellas, or jewelry pieces. Others need hidden support structures to work with animatronic elements. Take The Wizarding World section, which combines elements from 1920s wizarding Paris and the British Ministry of Magic. Staff costumes include period-appropriate clothing for ministry workers, ride attendants, and other characters. Dark Universe features gothic horror themes based on classic Universal monster movies, including Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolf Man stories. These pieces, so detailed in their visuals, create the horror atmosphere that their respective movies have long made the viewers experience.

haute couture costumes for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic on stage

printed linings and frayed hems add to worldbuilding

LOLO has worked on previous Universal projects, including Volcano Bay water park and Universal Beijing Resort. The studio also designed costumes for Super Nintendo World in Osaka and Warner Bros. Studio Tours in London and Tokyo. Designing the costumes for Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe is already informed by the myriad of haute couture experiences of the founder and his team, not to mention charged by his degrees in Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics and backgrounds in fashion, design, and long-term working in the movie industry. It’s these combinations that also allow him to emphasize the costumes’ storytelling through clothing details. Small elements like printed linings, frayed hems, or shaped clasps contribute to character development and worldbuilding, and while these details may go unnoticed individually, they create overall realistic settings for the visitors.

‘One example is a garment we created for the new Ministry characters at Epic Universe, a kind of elegant bureaucrat in a magical world. We layered pinstriped civil servant tailoring with Wizarding collar gowns infused with a cinematic blue and purple palette reminiscent of films, but also the fact that Shacklebolt is head of the MOM, and I wanted this to come out in the costumes of the Staff at the MOM,’ Laurent Guinci explains to designboom. The end result was a three-piece ensemble that felt and looked steeped in realism touched by something fantastical. ‘That’s a LOLO hallmark: fashion history colliding with fiction,’ he says. In the rest of our interview with the designer and LOLO’s studio founder, he walks us through the hidden animatronic-support structures in some costumes, the design and detail requirements of the costumes, and how the studio ensures coherence in their visuals, as well as turning these works of art and design into objects outside of Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe. 

costume for Dugold McPhail | all costume views courtesy of LOLO

Interview with LOLO’s studio founder Laurent Guinci

Designboom (DB): Each costume reflects the kind of setting that’s tailored to a particular theme park or setting. What does your research phase look like? When you receive a brief, for example, from Universal, how do you go from having this concept to actual designs?

Laurent Guinci (LG): A lot of research goes into it, as well as team effort. We usually get the idea and then look into the script if there’s a script. We do our research in terms of historical period documents. We also work by feelings and fashionable elements we could include in our presentations, and we look at color schemes we want to use for the designs of the costumes.

Then, we either work individually and regroup or start working as a group and go in different directions. We develop prints according to the period and the job, and that part of the job is important because it allows us to work quickly afterwards and make decisions and directions. I manage to have a vision quickly of what I want, and once we’ve got all those mood boards established, we know what direction to take and move forward from there.

view of the Librarian Ghost’s costume

DB: How do you go with the color schemes? Is it based on the research you were doing, or is it more intuitive, as you mentioned you also have partly intuitive feelings for this?

LG: Different elements and concepts depend on the environment. Sometimes I decide to go as per intuitions. It’s a lot of feeling, but it also depends on the environment we want to create. For example, when we create for Harry Potter, we try to be down to earth and faithful to the films and the color scheme in the films. The colors are important to me. Sometimes I joke that what you see as blue and what I see as blue are two different colors.

Still, we are accurate with the pantones we want to use. For example, the bathroom in the films is from the 1990s, but the costumes we created for Epic Universe are from the 1930s. It’s still blue, but it’s a different blue. It’s still blue, but it’s more powdery. I wanted to feel that period element by looking at the color.

costume view of Cassandra Trelaney

DB: What are the usual materials you work with, and have you experimented with biomaterials or alternative materials in your costumes?

LG: In terms of theme park work and costumes for the show, one thing we are conscious about is the quantity and the needs in operation. Unfortunately, we are not able to use materials we would normally use on a film or on a one-off garment in a video (for example, silk is a no when you use it in a theme park because they want to wash it many times). We have a clear idea of the feel, the texture, and the way the fabric is woven, but at times we have to compromise because the operation found a fabric that is more suitable and because they need to wash it 100 times and it still needs to feel alive.

I’m pushing the boundaries in terms of finishes, stitches, and raw edges. Some of the costumes have stitches and paint with different effects. When I first started, raw edges were something the clients didn’t want to hear about. The first time I talked about distressing or damaging a garment, it was outrageous for them, but now they understand that according to world we want to show, we have to come to this at times. 

studio founder Laurent Guinci tells us they ‘design costumes that belong to a world’

DB: So it’s constant innovation and generation of ideas.

LG: This is why LOLO has been successful. As you said early in this interview, we don’t treat them as staff uniforms. We treat them as costumes. It’s a fashion statement we bring into the theme park.

DB: They’re a fashion statement, and some of the costumes even have animatronics installed. Did you face any technical challenges in terms of combining or retaining that feel of the costumes while using technology, including the overall weight and flexibility?

LG: This is where my years on films became handy (I also worked on the technical side of films). When we have to work with animatronics, I feel comfortable and face all the problems and see first what the movement is. If an animatronic moves the arms all the time, then there’s going to be a problem with the fabrics there. On films, you learn to adapt quickly and efficiently. It’s the same process I have in theme parks when they talk to me about animatronics, like in the dark ride at Epic Universe or Hagrid for the motorbike rides in the Wizarding World. It’s different work because the fabrics need to be more durable. 

the visuals are character driven

LG (continue): A lot of the time they need to be lined with different materials so they don’t create friction or interfere with the wires or the mechanism. You think differently about the way you cut your costume or have wider sleeves because the arms are going to go up and down. You adapt to the movement and the environment.

For example, talking about the Hagrid ride, not that you see it or anyone would know because the costume looks identical to the one in the film. But that costume is completely weatherproof because Hagrid is in the outside elements. He is in the hut, which is covered, but the hut is open to the elements. In Orlando, we have to protect it from humidity, heat, and rain. Despite the fact that you don’t realize it, that costume is completely different and treated as a totally different element. We do not use silk on this garment.

costume view of Simon Merchant

DB: You’ve designed many collections. Do you have a costume or masterwork that you resonate with?

LG: As a designer, I evolve all the time. At one time I would have one favorite or one thing that inspires me, then I do another job and like that one instead. There have been influential designs in my path, however. The designs I did for the Hulk were influential in my work because we won an award for it. Then, the work we did for Skull Island was the same. Then, we jumped to Volcano Bay and got awards for it, too. It’s a progression. 

There are designs I love more because I’ve matured and put more effort into them. Now Universal, or other clients like Warner Brothers, are not scared of trusting us and pushing our creative envelope. They let us do things we didn’t have the liberty to do at the beginning. It’s more satisfying. Do I have a favorite costume? No. They all have a reason to be. They all have a raison d’être, as we say in French. They have a purpose in the story they’re telling and a fashion statement to make, whether it’s bringing a period element into something more modern or linking a fashion element into a theme park.

costume view of Mad-Eye Moody

DB: Do you see your costumes and designs living outside their designated collections?

LG: Some of them are. Some of our elements or graphics are taken into merchandising. For me, this is the most rewarding thing. It’s like an evolution of my costumes and designs into another step. It’s never just about the costume. It’s wearable storytelling. The fact that our pieces or accessories or a print influence merchandising and they use it to do something else, I’m proud of it. It allows visitors to have a bit of the world we create.

It’s not cosplay anymore. It’s fashion from one of our universes. We are currently exploring a full merchandising collection where guests can wear the world they live in. I’m fashion forward and fashion thinking. There are great technologies in fabrics now. Some are expensive to develop, but there are more techniques we can use.

Frankenstein’s haute couture costume at Dark Universe

LG (continues): I’m keen to get inspired, go to shows, and see new products we could use. I’m interested in shapes and comfort because if we design a staff uniform, my main objective is comfort. Of course I try to do something beautiful, but it’s got to be stretched, comfortable, with gussets when needed or elasticated bands on the waistband you don’t see at the back. I keep grabbing ideas from shows, exhibits, or magazines. 

A lot of it is from my gut. I like to be different and grow all the time. I like to change things. I like to offer something slightly different all the time. It’s fresh, new, and interesting. It’s not déjà vu. It’s about offering something new all the time in the products we do. Talking about evolution and being in an immersive environment, we design so that fashion becomes atmosphere. This is a very important vision we have.

view of the Wolf Man costume at Dark Universe

elements like printed linings add to worldbuilding of the costumes

project info:

theme park: Universal Orlando’s Epic Universe

studio: LOLO | @lolocreativedesign

founder: Laurent Guinci | @laurentguinci

The post LOLO on designing haute couture costumes for universal orlando’s epic universe theme park appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Mute challenges the static nature of traditional office design, introducing a new paradigm where adaptability is embedded into the very structure of the workspace. As companies grow, shrink, or reconfigure their teams, the demand for dynamic workspaces has never been greater. Yet, traditional office layouts — fixed, costly, and time-consuming to update — can no longer keep pace. Mute’s approach to modular design has already garnered the trust of global giants like Meta and Airbnb. In an interview with designboom, Szymon Rychlik, Mute’s CEO, shares his insights on the core principles of adaptability, the journey behind Mute Modular, and his vision for the future of office design.

Mute Modular in UpHill Health Office, Lisbon | image © Emontenegro Architectural Photography | all images courtesy of Mute

AN ANSWER TO EVOLVING workspace DEMANDS

Mute, a company specialized in interior acoustics, has developed a modular system that responds directly to the demands of contemporary office life. Called Mute Modular, the system replaces static interior construction with a room-in-room concept that enables easy, low-impact spatial transformation. It allows for the creation of nearly any space a modern office requires, from conference rooms, hot desking zones, and quiet focus areas to lounges, or social coffee points.

Szymon Rychlik, CEO of Mute

IN CONVERSATION WITH  SZYMON RYCHLIK, CEO OF MUTE

designboom (DB): The journey of office design has seen numerous shifts, from cubicles to open-plan spaces, each addressing past challenges while introducing new ones. What were the most significant learnings or key takeaways from these historical iterations that informed Mute‘s decision to develop Mute Modular?

Szymon Rychlik (SR): What we’ve learned from this evolution is that neither the total isolation of cubicles nor the full openness of open-plan offices truly supports how people work. The modern workplace must offer a purposeful balance of both — a range of spaces that support deep focus, collaboration, and hybrid meetings. Mute Modular was created to meet this challenge by enabling adaptable, reconfigurable offices that support all work modes in a future-proof, cost-efficient, and sustainable way. 

DB: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerated the world of work towards hybrid setups and new employee expectations around flexibility and working from home. Why do you believe having a physical office space is still profoundly relevant today?

SR: Even in a hybrid world, the physical office remains vital for genuine connection. It’s where collaboration happens naturally, where people build relationships over coffee, exchange ideas, and form the kind of informal bonds that lead to stronger teamwork, higher engagement, and lower turnover. This is why innovative companies like Google, Meta or Nvidia maintain physical hubs. The challenge today is to create environments people genuinely want to be part of — comfortable, valuable, and inspiring spaces that are worth the commute.

with Modular Pods, the same pod size can be arranged and rearranged in hundreds of different ways

DB: Could you tell us about the journey of Mute Modular’s development and launch? What specific market gaps or challenges did Mute aim to address with this adaptable office system?

SR: The idea for Mute Modular came from understanding the simple but pressing challenge that modern offices must meet ever-evolving needs while staying sustainable. We set out to create something more universal than pods and more flexible than traditional drywall solutions: a scalable and customizable space arrangement system. Built from prefabricated modules, it combines the acoustic performance and consistent quality of top-tier pods with the design freedom of conventional methods. Mute Modular was designed for quick, low-impact assembly, allowing offices to be built in hours and reconfigured as easily as a set of Lego bricks.

Mute Modular in Aleph Alpha office, Heidelberg

DB: The term “adaptability” is central to contemporary office design. From Mute’s perspective, what does it mean for an office space to be adaptable?

SR: An adaptable office evolves as teams grow or shrink, projects shift, or workstyles change, without the need for costly renovations, construction waste, or high CO₂ emissions. It’s not about short-term flexibility, like moving a table or adjusting lighting. It’s about creating a space that’s fundamentally designed to change — in size, function, and layout — again and again, without disruption. Our own Warsaw headquarters, built entirely with Mute Modular in just two weeks, serves as a powerful real-world example — a testament to designing spaces that can last longer and adapt over time. 

DB: A key advantage of Mute Modular is its flexibility, but on the other hand, the market has been full of products described as flexible or moveable for years. How are adaptable office systems different in this regard?

SR: To me, “Flexibility” has become a buzzword — used so often that it’s lost much of its meaning. We often see companies describe their products as flexible, but in practice, it usually means just moving a product across the room.  Mute Modular offers something fundamentally different: architectural-level flexibility. This isn’t about minor tweaks — it’s about the ability to completely change the size, layout, and function of a space. Mute Modular allows you to do that without major costs, without emissions, and whenever needed.

Mute Modular in ELCA Office, Lausanne | image © Florian Amouser

DB: Looking back at Mute’s journey and implementations, could you share a project that you’re personally most proud of? What made that particular project stand out, and what were some of the most rewarding aspects of seeing Mute Modular come to life in that specific context?

The ELCA project was a milestone for us. When we introduced Mute Modular two years ago, we were confident it was the solution the market needed, though its novelty brought some uncertainty. That’s why we were thrilled when ELCA – a leading Swiss IT company we met at one of the first trade shows – decided to rethink their plans. Instead of using plasterboard, they built their entire five-floor office almost entirely with Mute Modular. It was the first project to use our system for a whole office, and seeing it in action so soon after launch reassured us we were on the right path.

Mute Office Warsaw | image PION Studio

DB: Mute recently launched its Modular Pods collection. How do these new pods build upon the success and principles of Mute Modular, and what are the key shortcomings or limitations of conventional office pods that Mute aims to explicitly overcome through its adaptable design?

SR: There is a lot to choose from, but let’s start with more ergonomics in space planning. Most manufacturers still offer just 2 to 6 pod variations, assuming that’s enough to cover all needs. Modular Pods break that mold, by offering 30 unique models in 11 sizes, with 0.5-meter increments. This makes it easy to match any office layout and make the most of available space.

Traditional pods also fall short when it comes to customization. Most offer only a selection of finishes and additional accessories. In contrast, Modular Pods can be arranged as freely as a regular room  both in look and functionality. With our dedicated Mute Modular furniture system, single pod size can serve as a meeting room, a focus space, or something else entirely. Plus, for the first time, the pod’s wall layout is fully customizable. The user can decide on door placement and each wall configuration — whether it’s solid, transparent, or semi-transparent. That gives users total control over both the design, function, and level of privacy of each unit.

And finally, accessibility. We believe it’s time to move beyond the idea of one, dedicated, “special” pod for people with mobility challenges. Instead, every Modular Pod is designed with inclusion in mind: barrier-free access, no flooring, accessible thresholds, and height-adjustable furniture.

Mute Modular in LinkedIn Office | image © Shai Epstein

DB: Looking ahead, what is Mute‘s long-term vision for the evolution of office design, and how do you see Mute continuing to innovate?

SR: The keyword that will define the future of office design is adaptability. Our long-term mission is to lead this transformation and redefine the world of interior architecture through adaptability. With our Mute Modular system, we believe we can make true adaptability more accessible. That’s why we’re committed not just to promoting our innovations, but also to educating the market and showcase the powerful potential adaptability brings to the future of workspace design.

project info:

company: Mute | @insta.mute
products: Mute Modudar, Mute Pods

The post szymon rychlik details how mute pioneers smarter modular office designs appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Reactive bioluminescent algae lights up the haute couture dress of Iris van Herpen during the Paris Haute Couture Week on July 7th, 2025. Co-created by biodesigner Christopher Bellamy, also known as Bio Crafted, the dress named Look 1 carries 125 million bioluminescent algae around it, illuminating on the runway staged with the light sculptures and set design of artist Nick Verstand. In an interview with designboom, Chris Bellamy tells us that he initially developed encapsulating the bioluminescent microalgae in collaboration with indigenous artists and scientists in French Polynesia. ‘A bespoke 35-step process was developed, which encapsulates the algae in a nutrient gel and a protective coating and allows them to live for many months. This was possible thanks to an artist residency at the University of Amsterdam in the Soft Matters Group,’ he shares with us.

Once encapsulated, the algae only require regular sunlight to photosynthesize and maintain their circadian rhythm. The biomaterial can live for many months, even during hot weather conditions, and Chris Bellamy says that he also has samples that have been alive for more than a year. ‘However, as this new material is so experimental, we are still working to understand what exactly is going on,’ he explains to us. ‘To help keep the algae in perfect condition for the show, a bespoke full-size climate chamber was developed for the garment so that it can be exhibited in different locations and maintain its circadian rhythm.’ The biomaterial is an evolution of Chris Bellamy’s previous project, Lucid Life | Marama Ora (2024), the starting point of his research on encapsulating microalgae. For the biodesigner and maison, developing the algae dress is a collaborative effort, as they need to keep the microorganisms alive through two heatwaves and while transporting them to Paris for the Iris van Herpen show for the haute couture.

all images courtesy of Chris Bellamy of Bio Crafted, unless stated otherwise

Living microorganisms encapsulated in nutrient gel

The collaboration between Iris van Herpen and Chris Bellamy of Bio Crafted allows the two to tap into the capabilities of living microorganisms such as algae. The biomaterial is reactive too; as the wearer moves, the dress glows gently, emitting a bluish glow that lights up in the dark. The maison and biodesigner say that the bioluminescent algae are placed in seawater and then encapsulated inside a nutrient gel that keeps them alive for a long time. The dress with bioluminescent algae forms part of the collection Sympoiesis, the recent series from Iris van Herpen shown in Paris Haute Couture Week. As the model walks, wearing Iris van Herpen’s algae dress co-created with Christopher Bellamy, the set design also glows in the background through the light sculptures by artist Nick Verstand. These artworks, called biospheric, add more light to the show, making the bioluminescent algae embedded into the Iris van Herpen dress glow even brighter. 

‘The vision to have a fully living garment that illuminated while on the runway in Paris was incredibly ambitious. On top of that, the design had to match the level of intricacy and detail expected with Iris’ work. To achieve this, we had to develop an entirely new process to encapsulate and form the algae,’ Chris Bellamy shares with designboom. It took them and the design team around four months of biotechnological process to develop the dress and match its detail and aesthetics to the rest of the Sympoiesis collection, but the biodesigner tells us that he only had a breakthrough finishing the illuminating material just 24 hours before the deadline. The project was only possible to develop in person, and thanks to an artist residency at the University of Amsterdam in the Biophysics and Soft Matters research group, completing the Iris van Herpen algae dress was realized in time for the show.

reactive bioluminescent algae lights up the haute couture dress of Iris van Herpen in Paris

refrigerated trucks to keep the algae dress alive

Because of the time restrictions, Chris Bellamy and Iris van Herpen had to rely on their intuition and gut feeling in developing the algae dress, instead of approaching it in a scientific manner. Luckily, the biodesigner had been knee-deep into the research for two years then, so he was already backed up by personal experiences with the living microorganisms. ‘The final process was incredibly complex, with 35 steps, and required very specific materials, formulations, and techniques. The final challenge was keeping the dress alive while traveling between countries for the show and in the chaos of a show environment,’ he explains to designboom.

To make this happen, the Iris van Herpen team was involved in a logistical trope, renting refrigerated trucks and putting wireless humidity alarms in place that worked under red light to keep the algae dress alive and ready to glow in the dark during the show. ‘Iris was the perfect collaborator, pushing and challenging the design but also learning and adapting as we understood more about the living organism and their behaviors,’ says Chris Bellamy. Back in 2024, the biodesigner worked on and researched the bioluminescent microalgae for just about over nine months. The same algae now flows through the Sympoiesis dress of Iris van Herpen during the Paris Haute Couture Week, which runs between July 7th and 10th, 2025, following the signature coral-inspired designs of the fashion designer.

for the dress, a 35-step process was developed, which encapsulates the algae in a nutrient gel

a protective coating allows the algae to live and glow for many months

detailed view of the dress

once encapsulated, the algae only require regular sunlight to photosynthesize

the algae dress showcased during Iris van Herpen’s show in Paris | image courtesy of Iris van Herpen

view of light sculptures and set design of artist Nick Verstand

a biosphere light portal grows around the models on the runway

detailed view of the biosphere-inspired light sculpture by Nick Verstand

the light portal illuminates the Sympoiesis show of Iris Van Herpen during Paris Haute Couture Week

project info:

name: Sympoiesis

maison: Iris van Herpen | @irisvanherpen

biodesigner: Christopher Bellamy of Bio Crafted | @bio.crafted

light artist: Nick Verstand | @nickverstand

event: Paris Haute Couture Week

dates: July 7th to 10th, 2025

The post reactive bioluminescent algae illuminate iris van herpen’s haute couture show in paris appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Time Warp draws design inspiration from ice caves, plant cells, and hexagons for the stage designs inside the techno music festival. An annual event since 1994, the event takes place in different cities, including Madrid (October 10th and 11th, 2025); Mannheim, the founding place (November 7th and 8th, as well as March 21st), and New York City (November 21st and 22nd, 2025). In an interview with designboom, Time Warp festival’s technical director Anatol Fried says that the design team wants the audience to feel fully surrounded by the stage settings and not just by the techno music. ‘It was natural for us to try to surround people with light and scenography along with the music,’ he tells designboom. There are five stages in the Time Warp techno music festival, and instead of going traditional by adding lights on the ceiling, the team spread more than 200 lights around the floor, audiences, and performers, lighting them up from all directions. ‘For us, it somehow worked,’ adds Anatol Fried.

Across the five stages, the theme of nature comes through, but Anatol Fried sees the word more as what everyone can see every day rather than just only greenery. He worked with different designers per stage inside the Time Warp techno music festival, all of which followed a fluid brief on nature. Take The Cells designed by Greg Sullivan and The LED Cells by Valentin Lüdicke and Anatol Fried. The former looks like a simplified visualization of plant cells, while the former mimics the lines and visuals of a leaf under a microscope. ‘These stage designs’ impact is the volume they add to the room. The sheer amount of surface you can play on with lights, and the contrasts you can generate with lights and shadows due to the 3D elements, is stunning. Standing underneath it, the audience can feel what I meant before about being surrounded by an experience,’ Anatol Fried shares with designboom.

The Cells | all images courtesy of Time Warp | photos by Marko Edge, unless stated otherwise

Caves and meteors as artistic influences for the spaces

Natural phenomena also appear as a theme that runs through the stage designs in the Time Warp techno music festival. Inside The Meteors, an ensemble of rock-looking fixtures hangs above the audience as they party, glistening as the hundreds of lights shine their beams on them. The Cave, designed by Valentin Lüdicke, resembles an ice cave through a series of suspended semi-translucent white cloths. ‘The idea here was to shape a room and create the perspective you have looking into an ice cave, but it also offers perspectives from positions other than the perfect angle,’ says Anatol Fried. Because of this undulating design, the stage design moves as the breeze comes in.

Valentin Lüdicke has created a second version of this space in the Time Warp techno music festival, rightfully naming it The Cave 2.0. Here, the idea has slightly changed, while still following the brief on nature. Above the audience are seemingly singular panels depicting a wavy form. When the light shines on it, the sculpture, made of a black material typically used to block out light in the agricultural industry, comes alive, appearing to move through the lights. For the technical director, it feels as if the audience were looking up in a forest and seeing the sky through trees and leaves. ‘The impact is the strong contrast between the upper lit side of the silver fabric and the pitch-black lower side that doesn’t catch any light,’ Anatol Fried explains to designboom. ‘With the huge amount of LED lights above it, it almost looks like the room moves.’

The Cells resemble a honeycomb structure

Replicating geometry, space and nature in music festival

In the other rooms within the Time Warp techno music festival, Anatol Fried has (co-)designed the spaces, from Chaos, where the style resembles patterns of strobe lights, to Strings, a wire installation he created with Valentin Lüdicke, inspired by the ideas of mathematics, geometry, even-sided triangles, and hexagons. ‘We are currently working on a design called Einheitskreis, which will hopefully come to life soon,’ the technical director shares with designboom. Instead of starting with the materials, the team leads the stage designs in the Time Warp techno music festival with an inspiration, which is nature in this case. 

That is the underlying, connecting theme between the spaces, even if they look distinctive from each other. ‘These stage designs were all inspired by some looks or details we found outside the event industry – like nature, space geometry, or mathematics – that we tried to replicate and put inside a venue. If you look up in a forest on a sunny day, you can see a strong contrast between sky and leaves. That’s basically the effect of ‘The Cave 2.0’, for example, so when we knew the look we were seeking, we started looking for a material that suited the look, instead of the other way around,’ says Anatol Fried. 

The Meteors | photo by GuilleGS

At times, designing the stages in the Time Warp techno music festival is a bit challenging, and Anatol Fried gives The Cells as an example. Here, the ceiling resembles a honeycomb structure, lighting up in patterns through the LED strips. Instead of the normal LED lights, the design team uses a series of tailored aluminum ones. The idea, as the technical director tells us, is to emit light in two directions. ‘An indirect source of light to the structure above and the direct source of light visible from below,’ he adds. ‘This was not available on the market, and therefore we produced an aluminum profile that had space for three LED light sources and also had the cord edge profile in place.’ 

This stage may be the most complex they’ve done so far since manufacturing the structure above the LED lights had to come from 700 differently shaped pieces of blackout fabric. But it was all worth it in the end because the audiences attending the Time Warp techno music festival feel the music while experiencing the performative stage designs instead of these two being separate. At the moment, visitors who want to see these spaces can first-hand experience them in Madrid (October 10th and 11th, 2025); Mannheim, (November 7th and 8th, as well as March 21st), and New York City (November 21st and 22nd, 2025).

a cluster of rock-looking sculptures suspend above the audience

Optics stage design

swirling patterns sit on the ceiling in this set design

Glass Dome

the Glass Dome has transparent windows above the visitors

The Cave 2.0

the sculpture is made of a black material used to block out light in the agricultural industry

project info:

name: Time Warp | @time_warp_official

technical director: Anatol Fried 

designers: Anatol Fried, Valentin Lüdicke, Greg Sullivan | @voll_lustig_licht

upcoming dates: Madrid (October 10th and 11th, 2025); Mannheim, (November 7th and 8th, as well as March 21st), and New York City (November 21st and 22nd, 2025)

photography: Marko Edge, Tyler Allix, GuilleGS | @marko_edge, @tylerallix

The post ice caves, plant cells and hexagons inspire stage designs of time warp techno music festival appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

In an exclusive interview with designboom, iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 jury members Cheryl Durst and Pascale Sablan share their unique insights on the growing role of social impact in design. As part of the 2025 iF DESIGN AWARD jury, both Durst, Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and Sablan, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), Council Member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMAC) CEO of Adjaye Associates New York, and founder of the Beyond the Built Environment (BBE), bring invaluable experience in promoting equitable, sustainable, and community-driven design. Held online and later in Germany, the two-step jury process brings together 130+ global experts to evaluate over 11,000 submissions across nine design disciplines, including architecture and interior architecture. Durst and Sablan emphasize that beyond aesthetics, today’s design must address urgent societal issues, fostering inclusivity, resilience, and sustainability.

‘Design now has the responsibility to be more than just beautiful or functional. It must be relevant to the world and contribute to a better society. As jurors, we have the opportunity to champion projects that amplify voices, foster equity, and genuinely transform communities. What excites me is the possibility to elevate those projects that would not normally be recognized, and to provide visibility to those doing transformative work. The power of design is in its capacity to not just serve but to heal, to bring people together, and to address complex social challenges. It’s also a chance to reinforce that design should be a necessity, not a luxury,’  begins Cheryl Durst, Executive Vice President and CEO of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA), in an interview with designboom.

iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 jury members Cheryl Durst (fourth from left) and Pascale Sablan (seventh from left) explain the growing role of social impact in design | all images courtesy of iF DESIGN AWARD

BEGINNINGS OF PURPOSE WITH CHERYL DUrST & PASCALE SABLAN

Both Cheryl Durst and Pascale Sablan were invited to their iF DESIGN AWARD jury roles with a wealth of experience and personal histories that deeply inform their design philosophies. For Sablan, her formative experience came during an internship when she worked on the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City. This project signified how architecture should honor history, empower communities, and tell untold stories. It highlighted the profound responsibility architects hold in shaping spaces that preserve memory and elevate the identities of communities, especially marginalized ones. Sablan recalls the community involvement in the design process as revelatory, reinforcing the importance of making architectural language accessible so that all stakeholders can understand, contribute, and feel ownership. The experience further deepened her commitment to advocacy, justice, and a people-first approach to design, where social narratives are intentionally embedded into the core of every project.

‘We are seeing a shift in the way we assess projects that are about the story, the process, and the community impact. The value is both in the object and in the way that it uplifts people and improves environments. Sustainability is essential, but social sustainability is just as critical. It is about understanding who is being served, who is included in the conversation, and ensuring that the benefits of design are accessible to all. Designers must think holistically, considering the ripple effects their work will have on future generations and the social fabric of our communities,’ continues Pascale Sablan FAIA, CEO of Adjaye Associates New York and Beyond the Built Environment founder.

the second stage of the jury process (the physical Final Jury) convened experts together for three days in Hamburg, Germany to decide the 2025 award winners

ADVOCATING THROUGH EDUCATION WITH IF DESIGN AWARD

Cheryl Durst and Pascale Sablan bring unique expertise to the iF DESIGN AWARD jury table. Durst, with her leadership at IIDA, has consistently championed diversity and equity in interior design, focusing on creating spaces that reflect and serve all users. Sablan, through Beyond the Built Environment, actively challenges systemic inequities in architecture by spotlighting the work of Black and underrepresented designers globally. Both their experiences go beyond individual practice; they represent an ongoing commitment to pushing the design industry towards inclusion and equality. Together, they bring to the jury a strong, shared understanding that diversity is essential in evaluating what constitutes design excellence.

‘My career has been about opening doors and expanding perspectives. Being part of this jury allows me to elevate work that might otherwise be overlooked—projects that address real social issues and offer meaningful change, especially in communities that need it most. It’s about amplifying work that speaks to the dignity of people and the power of design to uplift. It’s not just about what is seen, but about what is felt, what is remembered, and who gets to be a part of that narrative,’ adds Durst.

jury members were split into expert fields to assess specific categories of submissions

Both jury members observe that social impact in design is no longer a niche consideration but a primary focus and a defining metric of success across the industry. Sablan notes that the global design community is becoming increasingly aware of its power to shape more equitable, inclusive societies and that designers are stepping up to this responsibility with intention, consistency, and depth. The universal qualities that now distinguish exceptional design are clear: cultural sensitivity, authenticity, transparency, sustainability, functionality, and measurable social benefits. This shift is evident in the submissions seen at the iF DESIGN AWARD, where jurors actively champion designs that demonstrate social and environmental accountability, and intentionally move away from superficial or purely decorative solutions that fail to engage with deeper, real-world needs.

‘Designers are becoming more intentional about creating solutions that are inclusive and that address social disparities. We are not only asking “is this beautiful?” but “who does this serve, who does this empower?” asks Sablan. ‘This level of awareness is essential for the future of design. We are also paying attention to the process, considering whether the community was engaged and local voices considered. It’s about ensuring that design is created with and for people. This kind of engagement leads to solutions that are more meaningful, more sustainable, and more equitable.’

‘We are seeing a shift in the way we assess projects that are about the story, the process, and the community impact,’ notes Pascale Sablan in an interview with designboom

Durst and Sablan underscore that the iF DESIGN AWARD’s international platform carries a significant responsibility to set benchmarks for socially and environmentally responsible design and to actively shape the direction of the industry. With participants and submissions spanning the globe, the award brings together a diversity of categories – from architecture and urban planning to product design, mobility, fashion, UX and cultural exhibitions. This broad spectrum of entries showcases how impact and excellence can manifest across disciplines and at every scale. Equally important is the diversity of the iF DESIGN AWARD jury, composed of global experts who bring unique cultural, technical, and social perspectives to the evaluation process. This diversity enriches the selection, encourages bolder conversations, and opens space for creative risk-taking that pushes the boundaries of what design can achieve. Jurors advocate through their respective lenses while challenging each other to think beyond conventional measures of success. Durst and Sablan believe this collective, inclusive approach ultimately drives better innovation and ensures socially and environmentally impactful projects rise to the forefront.

‘Being part of the iF DESIGN AWARD is powerful because it sends a message about what matters in design today. It’s about raising the standard—prioritizing empathy, responsibility, and global impact. This platform allows us to amplify what design can truly achieve for society. It also fosters an incredible community of jurors across disciplines, who bring unique lenses and collaborate to advocate for projects. It changes how we show up in our day-to-day work, reminding us to champion people-first design and interconnected solutions beyond traditional boundaries,’ expresses Cheryl Durst.

‘Being part of this jury allows me to elevate work that might otherwise be overlooked,’ Cheryl Durst tells to designboom

Looking ahead, both Cheryl Durst and Pascale Sablan are optimistic about the continued evolution of design evaluation and the direction the global design community is taking. They envision future juries placing even greater emphasis on social narratives, community engagement, and cultural authenticity as critical elements in defining design excellence. The evolving criteria will demand that designers approach their work with deeper responsibility, moving beyond the pursuit of form, profit, or surface innovation. Instead, design will be increasingly expected to address systemic inequities, environmental resilience, and the preservation of cultural identities. As the expectations grow, both the responsibility and the opportunity for designers and jurors will expand, requiring thoughtful, conscientious decision-making that directly impacts real-world communities and contributes to long-term societal well-being. The future of design, as they see it, is rooted in purpose, collaboration, and sustained social transformation.

‘The future of design is deeply connected to the stories we tell and the people we serve. Evaluation must go deeper—looking at how projects can heal, empower, and bridge divides. I see this as a critical moment where we can redefine success in design for the betterment of all. We need to remain consistent in asking tough questions about community impact and to embrace the opportunity to lead with purpose. For me, the iF DESIGN AWARD experience reaffirmed that community-centered design is the standard, not the exception,’ concludes Pascale Sablan.

each jury member brings unique cultural, technical, and social perspectives to the evaluation process

at the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025, 134 renowned designers from 23 nations make up the iF jury panel

jurors advocate through their respective lenses while challenging each other to think beyond conventional measures of success

social impact in design is no longer a niche consideration but a primary focus and a defining metric of success across the industry

the future of design is rooted in purpose, collaboration, and sustained social transformation

project info: 

organization: iF DESIGN AWARD | @ifdesign

jury members: Cheryl Durst | @cheryldurst; Pascale Sablan | @pascalesablan

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To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Telekom Electronic Beats and Berlin-based media and fashion company 032c, the two have joined forces to present ‘All is Sound. All is Transformation,’ a pop-up installation by artist and designer Harry Nuriev of Crosby Studios. On view from July 1–8, 2025 at 032c Workshop in Berlin, the work reflects on the materiality of music through a sculptural intervention that blurs the lines between archive, club culture, and social sculpture.

At the core of Nuriev’s installation is a stainless steel structure, displaying sequentially arranged CDs — a nod to the now-obsolete format and the spaces where music was once physically discovered. A CD player and repurposed car speakers are integrated into the work, activating it as a listening station. Complementing the installation, a limited capsule collection designed by 032c Creative Director Maria Koch further extends the project’s themes. designboom was invited to join Harry Nuriev and Maria Koch for a listening session inside the installation, where we talked about the depth of curated listening and how the energy of rave culture continues to shape their creative work.

images by Alejandro Arretureta (@alexberlinetta), unless stated otherwise | above and banner © designboom

IN CONSERVATION WITH HARRY NURIEV AND MARIA KOCH

designboom (DB): This installation celebrates the 25th anniversary of Telekom Electronic Beats and 032c. Maria, could you take us back to the beginning of 032c and how it evolved into the brand it is today?

Maria Koch (MK): 032c began as a gallery space my husband opened with friends. To promote what was meant to be a digital magazine, he decided to print its first issue — and that’s how 032c was born. When we met, we started working together and launched the simplest thing you could imagine: a bootleg T-shirt for a Sade concert. The shirt became a huge success — even Sade’s team reached out because they loved it. That moment set everything in motion and brought us to where we are now.

DB: Harry, could you tell us about your connection to the brand, and then walk us through the concept and key elements of this installation, giving us insight into what visitors are about to experience?

Harry Nuriev (HN): 032c was always my, I would say, ‘coffee table book’ — my favorite magazine for many reasons, but mainly because it was ahead of the curve. It was the first magazine that didn’t just publish content but built a real community around itself, and that idea of community has always been central to my work.

So this installation is a three-way collaboration between Electronic Beats, 032c, and myself. We’ve worked together before, and I hope it won’t be the last time. The concept here is very simple: I wanted to create a space where people feel compelled to put their phones down. The installation turns the table into a physical desktop — a literal playlist — where visitors can pick up a CD and play it.

Harry Nuriev designs pop-up installation for Telekom Electronic Beats and 032c collection launch

DB: The installation prominently features CDs, a medium that feels very nostalgic. In an age dominated by digital music, what is your core intention behind highlighting this “nearly obsolete medium,” and how does it speak to the concept of transformation and the curated experience?

HN: The beauty of curating a CD library today lies in the limitations. You’re working with an existing archive, and that restricts your options — but in a way that’s freeing. It reconnects you with original, culture-defining music. Since the selection reflects a specific era and place — like Berlin, in this case — it forces a kind of localized curation. You don’t have unlimited access like you would on your phone. And that’s the interesting part: we’ve come full circle to appreciating the value of being limited.

MK: What’s fascinating is that, unlike the endless options on your iPhone, this physical selection really makes you focus. Even if you want to listen to something else, you can’t — so you end up going deeper into what’s available. You hear tracks again, discover new layers, and engage more thoughtfully. That’s the strength of this kind of curation: it’s slower, more intentional, and opens you up to a completely different experience. It’s not fast or flashy — and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.

featuring repurposed car speakers

DB: Maria, when you first reached out to Harry, what was it about his artistic vision and approach that made you feel he was the perfect artist to create this installation for 032c x Electronic Beats?

MK: There were a few reasons I reached out to Harry. The first was when I saw this stainless steel restaurant installation he designed in Paris — with everything from the plates to the dishwasher setup made from stainless steel. I was so impressed, I immediately wanted to collaborate with him on my first project. Timing didn’t work out then because I contacted him too late, but that was the initial connection. Since then, we’ve worked together on other things. For this project, the link came through Electronic Beats, who knew we already had a creative relationship.

DB: Harry, on your side, what specifically attracted you to this opportunity, and how did their vision resonate with your own creative interests?

HN: Where do I even start? The magazine is a cultural icon, and Maria’s creative and fashion direction constantly pushes my boundaries. I’ve known about the 032c family for a long time and when Maria calls, you just don’t say no.

a close-up look at the stainless steel sculpture showcasing a curated selection of CDs

DB: Maria, can you tell us about the inspiration behind the capsule collection, and how does it tie together with the theme of sound and transformation that runs through this anniversary project?

MK: The collection is a capsule of just three pieces — a cap, a bag, and a shirt. The idea is simple but deeply emotional for me. I was a real rave kid and partied hard, especially close to the music of The Prodigy. There’s one song, “No Good,” with a music video that stuck with me. Back then, music videos were everything — I hardly listened to the radio and watched videos all day. In this one, the band walks through a chalky, dusty bunker, mixing punk outfits with some bling. The energy was incredible. I wanted to capture that feeling, that chalky, dusty vibe, as a visual memory on the garments — chalk on the bag, on the cap, on the shirt. When we shared this with Harry, he immediately connected with the idea and brought The Prodigy’s spirit to life in the design.

DB: Harry, Maria mentioned she was a “classic rave kid.” Do you share the same passion for rave culture or do you find a similar resonance with specific music genres that influence your work?

HN: Absolutely. I’m not really into vinyl — it’s a cool format, but it wasn’t part of my personal experience growing up. That was more my parents’ thing. For me, CDs have the same role as vinyl does for others. I really want to keep that in my life. Honestly, I was just thinking I want to recreate the same table setup at home, invite my friends over, and listen to music together — even if it’s on some crappy car speakers that actually sound pretty good.

MK: Techno was really the last truly innovative youth culture in music. I remember it feeling so brave, wild, and somewhat untamed. It wasn’t dangerous, but it was like these hidden clubs where we all went. Even though my parents were open-minded and smart, they couldn’t really understand what we were into or what we were listening to. I think that energy of being different, being out of reach from the conventional — that’s what made that electronic scene so beautiful to me back then.

capsule collection designed by 032c, Maria Koch

DB: What is the most important message or feeling you hope visitors take away from stepping into this experience?

NH: Put your phone down. 

MK:  I would just say the same — put your phone down and give yourself the chance to listen again, and again, to a song. Honestly, I still do this. I love listening to a favorite track 10 or 12 times a day. Everyone around me gets annoyed, but I just want to be fully immersed. It’s intense. Even if it’s like elevator music, then I discover something new — another drum, another layer, another scenario.

All is Sound. All is Transformation – Maria Koch and Harry Nuriev | image © designboom

the curated CD library reflects the spirit of Berlin’s club culture and musical archives

a limited-time installation combining club culture, archives, and design

project info: 

name: All is Sound. All is Transformation

artist: Harry Nuriev | @harrynuriev

collaborators: 032c | @032c and Telekom Electronic Beats | @electronicbeats 

dates: July 01-08, 2025

opening hours: 11:00–19:00

location: 032c Workshop, Berlin, Germany

The post harry nuriev remixes CDs, rave culture and steel into a pop-up sound installation in berlin appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The IED Istituto Europeo di Design Master program in Social Ecological Design emerges as a vital alternative to design education, aiming to confront the complex challenges of our time. For Michael Kaethler, coordinator of the program, the traditional design curriculum, often shaped by market trends or conventional perspectives, does not contribute enough to the urgent transformation needed to address today’s crises. From accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss to widening social inequalities and the creeping rise of authoritarianism, the challenges are immense and interconnected. 

Despite its problem-solving prowess, academic design programs sometimes risk lacking the ability to adapt to new approaches required for socio-ecological change. This critical gap is what the Social Ecological Design program aims to fill as Michael Kaethler revealed in an exclusive interview with designboom. The program is built on the idea that education itself should ‘assist in unlearning the status quo,’ Michael Kaethler tells designboom, pushing for new forms of knowledge through emancipation, experimentation, and breaking down old structures.

‘We don’t need more education but rather, we need different education,’ Kaethler continues. ‘We need alternative modes of building and sharing knowledge in order to produce the forms of meaningful knowledge that can engage with these crises.’

Co-design Workshop at C.E.P. by Marginal Studio (Francesca Gattello, Zeno Franchini), part of the project “Riconnessioni: percorsi di riattivazione della memoria urbana per riportare la periferia al centro”, promoted by Sguardi Urbani, funded by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea e Rigenerazione Urbana MIBACT, Palermo, 2020. Photo by Francesca Gattello

IED MASTER PROGRAM IN SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL DESIGN

Within a 16-month period, the IED in Torino offers a pioneering Master’s program in Social Ecological Design: Regenerative Practices for Everyday Life. As coordinator of the program, Michael Kaethler — a sociologist of design with a background in social anthropology and human rights research — leverages his expertise to root the curriculum in a profound understanding of societal change and human agency. The course positions itself as a critical response to the complex challenges of our time, offering a deep dive into fostering connections between humans, communities, and ecosystems. It’s designed to equip a new generation of designers with the tools to actively engage in meaningful social and ecological transformation.

‘We study transitions and how design can provide important levers for change. We explore the importance of creativity in opening up new forms of relations, new forms of understanding and communicating and ultimately how it can offer generative action towards meaningful social ecological transformation. It’s not just about knowledge—it’s about recovering a sense of agency,’ explains the program’s coordinator.

Co-design Workshop at C.E.P. by Marginal Studio (Francesca Gattello, Zeno Franchini), part of the project “Riconnessioni: percorsi di riattivazione della memoria urbana per riportare la periferia al centro”, promoted by Sguardi Urbani, funded by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea e Rigenerazione Urbana MIBACT, Palermo, 2020. Photo by Francesca Gattello

CULTIVATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGNERS

The program’s core philosophy centers on a radical re-evaluation of design’s role, seeking to restore fundamental capabilities for ideological and societal engagement. This approach challenges the comfortable notion of design as purely aesthetic or commercially driven, repositioning it as a critical tool for societal survival. ‘It feels absurd to be designing new chairs or lamps when our house is on fire,’ he states, emphasizing that the overlapping social, ecological, and economic crises are ‘real design problems!’ This sentiment is rooted in a historical critique. Kaethler notes that after the Cold War, design largely ‘favoured irony over ideological engagement, swapping grand social visions for playful contradictions.’ This shift, he argues, turned design into a mere service provider for the highest bidders.

The IED program directly counters this by bringing back generative critique – a design practice that doesn’t just analyze problems from the sidelines, but actively makes, intervenes, and creates tangible alternatives. ‘It is not simply a question of adding “criticality” to design but rather building up a culture of design that is essentially reflective in its engagement with the world and these reflections include questioning fundamental tenets such as values and orientations.’  

Final public event presenting the results of the Co-design Workshop at C.E.P. by Marginal Studio (Francesca Gattello, Zeno Franchini), part of the project “Riconnessioni: percorsi di riattivazione della memoria urbana per riportare la periferia al centro”, promoted by Sguardi Urbani, funded by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea e Rigenerazione Urbana MIBACT, Palermo, 2020. Photo by Francesca Gattello

To achieve this, the curriculum employs its unique ‘OUT THERE’ methodology, pulling students out of traditional classrooms and into immersive fieldwork across diverse Italian regions, including the off-grid Alps, Tuscany, and Sicily. This direct engagement with communities and ecosystems fosters a versatile skill set, spanning crucial areas like biomimicry, multispecies thinking, cross-cultural communication, cultural ethnography, creative activism, systems analysis, and inclusive design. Students work closely with local stakeholders, craftspeople, experts, and peers, applying principles of social and ecological design through analysis, interpretation, and practical application. The program’s structure guides them through three distinct phases: exploring ‘OUT-of-the-box’ ideas in the first trimester, immersing themselves ‘OUT in the field’ and ‘OUT of their comfort zone’ in the second, and finally challenging them to be ‘OUT on their own’ in the third trimester.

‘A big part of our vision is that learning is driven and directed by the student’s own ambitions and interests, which we nourish through one-on-one mentoring as well as regular moments of co-reflection and dialogue. We pair this with an intensive program of lectures, workshops and immersive fieldwork that pushes students to tackle difficult subjects and contexts beyond superficiality. Nothing inspires one to learn quicker than working in real life contexts,’ Kaethler emphasizes. ‘When design education becomes rooted in the real world, design becomes a fundamental human act of shaping one’s world to express one’s needs—tangible or intangible. This is where design can have a positive impact.’

students engage directly with communities and ecosystems

Graduates are prepared for a professional landscape in constant flux, equipped with dynamism, transversal skills, and a confidence that matches competence. Beyond the intensive coursework, IED supports students with practical experiences like internships and leverages its extensive network of partnerships and alumni to ensure they are truly career-ready for diverse and impactful roles.

‘It sounds cliché but ambition and openness are more important than any specific experiences. Overall, we believe in balancing intellectual knowledge with practical knowledge and this means being willing to challenge oneself with theory in the morning and in the afternoon learning new maker-skills… and in the evening cooking dinner with members of the local community.’

collaborative workshops cultivate a versatile skill set

Looking ahead, Michael Kaethler envisions the program fostering a strong alumni community that continues to support collective engagement with critical social and ecological issues. His ambition extends beyond the IED, aiming to inspire a broader paradigm shift in design education globally. 

‘More broadly, I hope we inspire other design institutions to embrace an emancipatory, embedded, and autonomous approach to design education,’ Michael Kaethler concludes. ‘The world needs it.’

project info:

course: Social Ecological Design

organization: Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) | @ied_offical

program coordinator: Michael Kaethler

The post ‘the world needs it’: michael kaethler on IED’s social ecological design for urgent change appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.