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/// IN THE AIR / Mathieu Lehanneur Mathieu Lehanneur / IN THE AIR ///

MATHIEU LEHANNEUR
The Olympic torch and cauldron are
Science Has 2024 been your year? know. I like to think of it as a not sporting equipment. They're more
don't
I
Mathieu
Lehanneur:
continuation, or even the start of something. I have a sinusoidal symbolic, almost liturgical.
and CONSCIENCE view of my I career. believe how much proud of still to I've done;
Sometimes
I'm
what
there’s
other
can’t
times
do! There
was the Olympic flame, the Olympic cauldron, the opening of the
Factory and Maison&Objet; but also, the completion of our first
"pied-à-terre" in New York. That's the codename we've given What do you think about using AI in design?
M. L.: I don't use AI; or at least, very little of it. So far, I think
our Manhattan penthouse, furnished entirely with our creations.
it's built to make a résumé of things. A mix of the existing,
The USA is bigger, faster, and stronger. A symbol for me.
a perfect average, a giant, historical moodboard. But my work
You are one of the few who has created a brand in your name. isn't a synthesis. As long as AI is unable to surprise, it will be bad.
BLENDING DESIGN, ART AND TECHNOLOGY,
Is it important to create with total freedom?
MATHIEU LEHANNEUR’S MAGIC TOUCH What role do designers play in today's society?
M. L.: That's the dream. You have an eye on everything.
PERMEATES ALL OF HIS CREATIONS.
M. L.: They can go everywhere. Although they still have to
For sure, there are choices to make; technical and budgetary
ARCHITECTURE, FURNISHINGS, OBJECTS, be invited! I worked in a church, because I was invited by the
ones; but you decide alone. It's the best way, I think, of getting
priest. If you think of design as the missing link between humans
DECORATION, ACCESSORIES... HIS PRODUCTION
an idea to germinate. An idea is like a seed: to help it grow, you
and things, then there are no limits. I have no preconceptions;
IS MULTIFACETED AND GROUNDED, BUT must give it the right conditions; in a well-meaning hothouse.
everything depends on the client and the aim of a commission.
DECIDEDLY POETIC. REALITY IS WOVEN INTO
Design, art, technology... How do you define your design Why not one day design a toilet, if it's legitimate; if there's a
HIS DESIGN – ONLY TO BETTER TRANSCEND IT. approach? strong concept, or new technology at the heart of the project,
and not just a way to make money?
M. L.: I think we must always come back to what we are:
human beings. Sure, objects should be useful and functional;
but humans need things to go beyond that; we need magic,
1 2 something extraordinary. In design, I do what I think it's legitimate
to do. So, some of my pieces are very functional, inhabitable
even; while others are more artistic.
1. Designs by Mathieu Lehanneur
This comes across in several of your creations, but how do you
2. Chaise Flood
24 think that design relates to sport, movement, the dynamic? 3. Square Sun Armchair 25
M. L.: This year was special in this area, with the design of the 4. Inverted Gravity bedside table
Olympic torch and cauldron; two objects that are part of the 5. Saint-Hilaire Church, Melle, France
sporting world, without being sporting equipment in themselves.
They're more symbolic, almost liturgical. To me, sport is
enthralling, but it can make design functional above all – centered
around performance and e ciency. However, when you think
5
of a sports shoe design, for example, it can be something that
gives you the feeling of moving faster. And that simple belief can
enhance performance. The design of a sporting object can also
deliver a message to its user.
3 4
“2024 Maison&Objet Designer of the Year”: Now
that's an award commensurate with the quality
of Mathieu Lehanneur's creative output. From
his Factory in the Paris suburbs to his pied-à-
terre in New York, the French designer is shaking
up the discipline with his conceptual approach
imbued with science and conscience. He is one
of those who believe that design has a functional
role, for sure, but also a transcendental symbolic
force. He joins us to take a look at his latest work
and share his vision.