A Floral Dream: The World of Marc-Antoine Barrois at Milan Design Week
A dense forest of ropes to be traversed in the darkness, then, in a large clearing: light, fields of fragrant flowers and a feeling of hope that shines again. This immersive experience by Marc-Antoine Barrois marks the Parisian designer’s debut at Milan Design Week. The installation is also the backdrop of his new fragrance, Aldebaran, unveiled in one of the city’s most beautiful historic buildings. Visitors are invited to enter the 1930s space of the Salone dei Tessuti, amidst industrial reminiscences and neo-Gothic style. The installation was conceived in collaboration with French designer Antoine Buillot, inspired by the concept of light ripping through darkness, just as the star Al-Debaran, from which the fragrance takes its name. Discovered in medieval times, Al-Debaran is the red giant known to be even brighter than the sun, and it is its light that shines in the flowery glade.
In the centre of the glade, there are tuberose flowers made from paper and infused with the fragrance Aldebaran, created by perfumer Quentin Bisch. Aldebaran is based on a single flower: the tuberose, a plant that has something mystical about it, since its scent releases most strongly as darkness falls and is therefore known as the “flower of night.” Surrounding the night garden is the first limited-edition furniture collaboration between Barrois and Bouillot, which includes wooden stools and benches with stones, inspired by the pebbles of the beaches of Belle-Île Island, off the coast of Brittany. To celebrate the debut at Milan Design Week, Marc-Antoine Barrois held a dinner in the Salone dei Tessuti space, with several guests including Farida Khelfa, Fleur Geffrier, Margherita Missoni, Alessandro Calascibetta, Marc Forne, Erika Boldrin, Niki Wu Jie, Eddy De Pretto and Sarah Andelman.
Text: Anna Zucca
Photocall: Niccolò Campita
Exhibition views and portraits: Keffer
