À l’ombre de la nuit, Séléné, 2024



À l’ombre de la nuit is the exhibition produced to present Séléné, a sculptural bench within the framework of the Mobilier national prize won during Design Parade Toulon 2023 with Emily Chakhtakhtinksy. This award offers us the opportunity to develop a creative project in partnership with the ARC (research and creation workshop of the institution). 
The prototype is exhibited during the Design Parade Toulon 2024 from 30th of June to 3rd of November 2024. The prototype is presented as the center of a unique and original scenography among prestigious French work of arts that will be lent by the Mobilier national.


À l’ombre de la nuit aims to embody an astral reverie. Playing with the alchemy of elements and cosmogonic myths ; this dream vessel unveils a new way of living and invite us to slow down and to contemplate the world.

The Moon, as a mythological and cosmogonical emblem, crystalizes our need to take care of the details and to the cycles of life. Inside this sanctuary, bathed in darkness, between light and shadow, the remains of astral myths start to appear, gravitating around a sacred monolith.

The Séléné bench is a metaphor of a lunar eclipse, provoked by the kinetics of the angular and textured shadows that rotate around the inner circle. This monolith offers us a lunar landscape. Its goal is to become a meditative experience, amplifying our relationship to the materials, the patina, the fractional changes of tones and opacities.



Photographs © Luc Bertrand, Emily Chakhtakhtinksy & Marisol Santana

The installation unfolds through four symbolic panels, inviting a cyclical journey. Revolving around the sacred monolith, each wall becomes an emblem of temporality.


The lighting of the space was designed by lighting designer Solenne Bermudez in partnership with Flos.
In the symbolic panel Dawn an alcove celebrates the meeting of visual artist Olivia Stora and floral designer Maureen Lamotte.


Séléné, mimicking the moon and its eclipse, invites those who gaze upon it to take a moment of contemplation and focus. The bench offers multiple layers of interpretation, starting with the sharp selection of exceptional materials, whose treatment highlights the skilled hands of the artisans who crafted it. The sandblasted wood with mineral-like textures contrasts with the patinated bronze, evoking desert landscapes. The glass, with golden reflections, appears to float. Inside the bench, a crescent moon, with selenite-like textures formed by hand, places the bronze at the center of our attention.


The symbolic panel Day showcases the embroidery work of textile designer Harmonie Palierne in partnership with Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp. Harmonie created the all-over embroidered pattern using flax tow.

The symbolic panels Twilight and Night juxtapose the ceramic works of Olivia Stora and Lucie Ponard, with a special focus on glazes and lunar shines, Olivia's work is intertwined with the Murané wall sconces by designer Panzeri, on loan from Nedgis.  

The construction of the scenography was supported by Christophe Belando and the villa Noailles team <3