Artists under Lockdown / Roxane Lahidji
French designer based in Brussels.
By TDE Editorial Team / 22nd April 2020
Roxane Lahidji
COURTESY: Roxane Lahidji
The Design Edit (TDE): How are you keeping busy in self-isolation?
Roxane Lahidji (RL): I took some time away from my studio initially – even though I was still able to work there under Belgian lockdown restrictions – in order to understand what was happening and take minimum risks for the longest time possible. Somehow it was also an excuse to pause the production pace and reflect on recent life and work choices I have made. It felt good to feel myself again and dedicate some time to thinking. I also spent time planning future pieces for upcoming projects; diving into old references like films and books in order to write an article; taking in the sun on my rooftop; gardening, and enjoying the spring while I walked or ran. After two weeks I went back to my studio.
“Dived into old references like movies and books to write an article …”
COURTESY: Roxane Lahidji
TDE: Everyone’s pace of life has slowed down considerably; what is the impact of this new rhythm on your work and home life?
RL: My health and my social life are actually back.
Sunset from a Belgian window
COURTESY: COURTESY: Roxane Lahidji
TDE: Do you have a favourite self-isolation recipe to share with us?
RL: I like to alternate left with right-brain activities – as well as physical with intellectual – so this is my personal recipe mixture … Dice and card games with Cuban music. Diving into old family photographs. Looking anything that requires a lot of different ingredients and preparations. Creating as many music playlists as I can according to my daily life and mood. Looking at old projects and work. Learning a new type of dance.
Roxane Lahidji, ‘Marbled Salt’ side table and pedestal, 2019
COURTESY: Roxane Lahidji
TDE: What is saving your sanity under lockdown?
RL: I have a daily schedule which I might, or might not, follow. I am very keen on hearing and respecting my emotions and body responses. I try to focus on one activity at a time – even when listening to a podcast – in order to feel the time lapse and the energy I spend on it. I also leave the house every day.
Roxane Lahidji, ‘Marbled Salt’ side table, 2019
COURTESY: Roxane Lahidji
TDE: Which online exhibition/gallery viewing room, or other internet offerings have caught your eye?
RL: I have fallen in love with this website Radiooooo – a worldwide musical time machine.
Roxane Lahidji, ‘Red Camargue’ pedestal, 2018 (detail)
COURTESY: Roxane Lahidji
Roxane Lahidji – is a social designer specialised in ecological material developments and applications.
Learnings from Confinement – essay by Roxane Lahidji
Radiooooo – allows modern listeners to experience a bit of that magical time travelling sensation, via an interactive map that allows you to tune in to specific countries and decades.
Top reads of the week
People
People
Robert Wilson: “A chair is for me like sculpture, I like to look at it in space and to see it from different sides. I do not see chairs as having any function other than that.”
Exhibitions
