Page 55 - Designing Ways 256

LICHEN by Marie-Pier Gauthier-Manes,
Chloé Isaac, Victor Roussel, Montréal
(Québec) Canada / Paris, France
Photo credit: JC Lemay

FORÊT FINIE, ESPACE INFINI? by Antonin Boulanger Cartier,
Pierre-Olivier Demeule, Melaine Niget, Québec (Québec) Canada
Photo credit: JC Lemay

both a more constant irrigation of the very different profiles. Marie-Pier is the
soil and a longer retention of moisture. founder of Studio Moodswings. Chloe
This environment allows plants that are and Victor are now based in Paris and
particularly sensitive to temperature work on their own.
variations and drought to grow peacefully. GRAVITY FIELD by TERRAIN
Its thermochromic treatment changes its WORK [Theodore Hoerr, Rebecca Shen,
appearance according to the temperature Kelly Watters], New York, Etats-Unis
Together, they form a multidisciplinary to reveal different colours throughout the Plants are extraordinarily adaptive.
and complementary duo, Maison029, summer season. They can thrive in some of the harshest
with the objective of offering unique Marie-Pier Gauthier-Manes is a environments on earth by responding
characteristics to each project they product and space designer, Chloe Isaac to a myriad of stimuli – sun, water,
realize. To do so, they seek to embody is a ceramacist and graphic designer and temperature, soil, and gravity – to
and amplify the qualities of a project's Victor Roussel is a 3D artist. All three sustain life. Plants are also essential to
context through the playful exploration of studied environmental design at the human existence, providing sustenance,
form, materiality, construction technique Universite du Quebec a Montreal. ecosystem services, and carbon
and light. Whether it's for architectural It is during their studies that they sequestration.
projects, urban design, furniture or developed their friendship and discovered While they play a key role in mitigating
graphics - it's all in-house. the pleasure of creating together. They the effects of climate change that threaten
LICHEN by Marie-Pier Gauthier- are attracted to design proposals that put our existence as a species, they too are
Manes, Chloe Isaac, Victor Roussel, the properties of materials at the centre also vulnerable and must adapt quickly
Montreal (Quebec) Canada / Paris, France. as well as artisanal and eco-responsible to a rapidly changing climate. Gravity
The lichen is a perceptive, malleable approaches. Field demonstrates the robust adaptation
and mutable organism. It metamorphoses Despite their similar educational of plants in even extremely strenuous
in contact with the topography, backgrounds, they are now creators with conditions.
humidity and ambient temperature.
Like its namesake, Lichen is sensitive
to disturbances in its environment LES HUIT COLLINES by ONOMIAU [Noël Picaper], Levallois-Perret, France
and is therefore a valuable indicator of Photo credit: JC Lemay
environmental change. Composed of
small, delicate elements, it is nonetheless
a cohesive and resistant structure that
serves to prepare the ground for other
plant species. As we wander between its
agglomerations, we observe, otherwise
invisible, elements reveal themselves in
colourful patterns.
Inspired by terracotta pots, real
archetypes in gardens, this installation
is composed of 1,200 hand-made
earthenware rings that are fired in an
outdoor kiln right here at the Jardins de
Metis. The drainage and water retention
capabilities of this material allow for

dw • Issue 256 55