gilbert moity sculpts hanging forest for belgian chocolate shop

gilbert moity sculpts hanging forest for belgian chocolate shop
photo © john picat
all images courtesy of gilbert moity

a majority of the buildings located in the brussels’ place du grand sablon are under the protection of the cultural heritage authorities. among these structures we find the shop of the chocolate artisan patrick roger, where it was compulsory to maintain both the facade and the interior. the space is narrow, entirely developed in length, with a high ceiling. as a result, the layout was then conceived in a way to have visitors moving around the central axis, which is demarcated by a massive bronze sculpture as a sort of lying down menhir. in order to emphasize the hierarchy of the arrangement, rogers required the help of gilbert moity for a project called ‘hanging forest’, a name has been derived from the fact that the culinary artist draws his creativity from nature.

chocolate artisan patrick rogers stands by the counter of his shop
photo © john picat

the verticality of the place oriented the designer towards a system of long tubes, dispersed in a way to be perceived like a unique two-color object which dominates the store. thus, the work feeds on the engineering and technological competences of the components used. each piece adds its own character to the overall aesthetic while complimenting the shop’s general lighting. the play of reflective and transparent materials makes references towards the organic world and rogers’ confections.

the lighting system is suspended above a bronze sculpture
photo © john picat

looking down the central axis
photo © john picat

the arrangement reflects rogers’ passion for nature
photo © john picat

view from afar 
photo © john picat

each tube has its own x- and y-coordinates
photo © john picat

the reflective use of green represents the natural world
photo © john picat

looking at the interstices
photo © john picat

the source of creativity for the project
photo © gilbert moity

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.