india mahdavi invites martine bedin to collaborate in project room 5

INDIA MAHDAVI’S PROJECT ROOM IS A SPACE CONCEIVED FOR FREE EXPRESSION AND COLLABORATION

for her project room #5 in paris, india mahdavi has invited martine bedine to collaborate with her, joining their universes and expanding their color journey. both french, both women, both creatives, mahdavi and bedine share a passion for aesthetics, an obsession for color, and a successful career, making this an organic and exciting collaboration that results in a poetic moment.

‘beyond a love for patterns and colors, it is the poetic dimension that seduces me in martine’s work,’ said india mahdavi. ‘her drawings erupt from her sketchbooks and illustrate an uncompromising materiality in the invention of sculptural objects, sometimes enigmatic, yet always unexpected as they summon our imagination.’

image © designboom

CELEBRATING MARTINE BEDIN, ONE OF MEMPHIS’ FOUNDERS

born in bordeaux, martine bedin started her studies in architecture, which she then pursued in italy. while in italy, she collaborated with superstudio’s leader adolfo natalini, and also took part in the founding of the avant-garde memphis group. since 2013 she has been in paris, producing and showing her creations and drawings in many galleries, museums and foundations.

‘ever since my childhood, I’ve drawn things, objects, furniture, places; freehand, line, with pastel colored pencils, dry, then bold, watercolor or oil. it depends,’ said martine bedin. ‘drawing takes time, its own time, the drawing crystallizes an operation of the mind which is in itself already drawing. drawing is like writing with words; giving body in the moment to the trailing gaze, and to quite paul valéry, it is to illuminate the thought of space in things, between things, around things.’

image © designboom

india mahdavi’s project room #5 celebrates martine bedin’s career, showcasing her drawings and objects, and highlighting the theme of domesticity. the polychromatic installation encompasses the relationship between architecture, design, and the poetry of color. a conversation takes place: a selection of unique drawings and objects is exposed; india mahdavi edits an exclusive fabric drawn by martine bedin to dress up one of her sofas – a real complicity emerges. this project room honors one of memphis’ founders through a colorful scenography.

‘this project room doesn’t only display the drawings and objects, but it immerses the visitor in martine’s sketch-space and universe,’ continued india mahdavi. ‘I felt an urgency to share martine’s work on a different scale. our conversation gave birth to a printed fabric designed by martine (clair de lunes) which will cover my oliver sofa — to be discovered.’

image © studio india mahdavi

‘I try to look at the world in drawing time, or in other words, with a slight delay, an essential moment to give ideas a direction and open the gentle progression of forms between the hand and the page,’ said martine bedine. ‘I have a deeply intimate need for color, each and every color, the ones that fit and the ones that don’t — because color induces light, my light, from the south.’

image © martine bedin

‘meeting india was obvious: she beautifully writes spaces and objects with colors from her own south,’ bedin concluded. ‘it seems that together we started a conversation; and that in this space of the project room, we have expanded our color palettes, amplified the sound of our music, set foot on a new territory to explore, fresh and vibrant.’