DUBAI: The French-Moroccan designer discusses her AlUla Design Award-winning piece, created in response to a brief that asked for ‘cultural retail’ objects inspired by “the heritage, landscape and artistic legacies of AlUla.”
Imane Mellah. (Supplied)
I had to think about what it means to have an object that reflects the culture of a place. I really wanted to dig down into the history and archaeology and the visual culture. That’s the brief, really, for any project I work on anyway. In architecture, you have to be site-specific and offer solutions to local needs, so I tried to apply that approach.
So I started extensive research to try to understand the material culture back then. And I realized that the things people were using back then are things that transcend time. They’re fundamental to our lives. That’s an idea I was really seduced by: An object is not just an object, it can also be something we actually need; something more than just decoration.
I’ve always been drawn to lighting, and when I saw this ancient oil lamp, I thought it was a very smart piece. I think it has some intelligence in the design that we haven’t managed to compete with when it comes to electrical lighting. And I had to bear in mind sustainability, so I thought it might be interesting to reintroduce oil lanterns.
The ancient lanterns were inspired by nature, especially birds. They had the shape of birds, with the beak and the tail. They also had inscriptions and symbols of plants.
I was always asking myself: “What do I need to keep?” I thought the shape was so great and so functional, so mine is a bit of an ode to the original. I just simplified it with new technology and methods.
I thought I didn’t really need the beak — just a central device that could hold the wick. So it’s an evolution, too: It’s about the lighting, but it’s also about the smell.
I think there’s a whole series that can be developed around this idea and this shape. This is still a prototype; it’s a 3D print that I sanded and spraypainted. I’d like to develop it with local artisans in Saudi; I think that would be really relevant to this piece.
