Residency: September-November 2021
Mentor: María Inés Rodríguez
Born in Bogota, Colombia, Felipe Ribón is a Paris-based designer and artist. A graduate from ENSCI – Les Ateliers, in Paris, he was a resident of Villa Medici, Rome, and Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto.
Ribón produces objects and photographs that confound strictly methodical thinking and appeal to uncertain terrains of the unconscious. Felipe Ribon’s practice challenges our parameters of perception and proposes new ways of seeing, feeling and conceiving another imaginary. By devising and experimenting with new fields of design, Felipe Ribón goes beyond the limits set by the rationalism of Cartesian thought, while remaining faithful to the demands of his discipline. The rejection of conceptual restrictions, the questioning of preconceived ideas and the suspicion of the obvious are key factors in the approach of this French-Colombian artist’s work.
His work has been exhibited at, “Double Je”, Palais de Tokyo ; “Mutations”, Musée des arts Décoratifs, Paris; “Conversations”, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; “The Host”, Shoyeido Kunjyukan, Kyoto; “Sensitive Bodies”, MADD, Bordeaux; Æ, “Medium Objects”, Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris; and “Mind the Gap”, Dutch Institute, DDAYS, Paris
During his residency at tropical papers, Ribón continued to experiment with the noble material of borosilicate glass, and adapted his research into a new and domestic piece. He worked together with a glass workshop in Paris and the Japanese incense company Shoyeido. The result is “Tropical Bulb”, an entirely handmade and self-standing censer in borosilicate. The sculptural aspect of its refined outline constitutes a captivating geometry that unveils its subtle yet original functionality. “Tropical Bulb” allows to combine different scents at the same time, creating an immersive multi-sensory experience.
POSTED: @tropicalpapers_02.09.2021 to 08.11.2021
“During my residency, I will be working with a glass workshop in Paris, specialised in borosilicate.
I was immediately seduced by the lathe technique where the artisan can blow shapes by fusing the precision of the machine with their dexterity and artistic skill. In this controlled yet interpretive process, it is possible to undertake a fascinating dialogue with the craftsman. This collaborative method is fundamental in my work.”
“Whenever I’ve seen the use of incense, I realised that people always burn one specific scent at a time. Although there is a wide range of perfumes available, the chosen smell is always predetermined. And so, from beginning to end it will diffuse the same notes with the same intensity. I wonder if we can modify this habit and imagine an object that will allow us to mix different scents in real time, creating a new and surprising ever-changing fragrance. An artefact that could blend the smokes and by doing so generate a 3D olfactory experience.”
“In 2018, I was invited by the @if_officiel in Japan and @villa_kujoyama to conceive an exhibition during the Nuit blanche Kyoto. The theme was the 5 senses and I was immediately captivated by the possibility to work with incense. Incense is one of the rare constants of all our sacred practices. It is said that when it burns, its white smoke is capable of uniting the visible with the invisible. I wondered how we could channel this particular and yet universal function? Would an artefact help us to better translate this passage? An object that can enhance our perception and elevate our senses? I decided to work with borosilicate glass, to consciously experiment with the beauty of the combustion process.”
«TROPICAL BULB »
A series of 5 domestic self-standing incensories, entirely handmade out of borosilicate glass.
We are happy to present “tropical bulb”.
A domestic self-standing incensory, entirely handmade out of borosilicate glass.
The sculptural aspect of its outline constitutes a captivating geometry that unveils its subtle yet original functionality: “Tropical bulb” allows you to combine different scents at the same time, producing a multi-sensory experience. The alchemy occurs when the perfumes randomly combine within its transparent volume producing an ever-changing olfactory image.
Introducing the first results of my residency.
Domestic self-standing borosilicate glass incensory entirely handmade.
5 unique and original pieces* are going to be edited.
“Whenever I’ve seen the use of incense, I realised that people always burn one specific scent at a time. Although there is a wide range of perfumes available, the chosen smell is always predetermined. And so, from beginning to end it will diffuse the same notes with the same intensity. I wonder if we can modify this habit and imagine an object that will allow us to mix different scents in real time, creating a new and surprising ever-changing fragrance. An artefact that could blend the smokes and by doing so generate a 3D olfactory experience.”
“During my residency, I will be working with a glass workshop in Paris, specialised in borosilicate.
I was immediately seduced by the lathe technique where the artisan can blow shapes by fusing the precision of the machine with their dexterity and artistic skill. In this controlled yet interpretive process, it is possible to undertake a fascinating dialogue with the craftsman. This collaborative method is fundamental in my work.”