summery necklaces: Lito’s corals dipped in gold and Katerina Psoma’s shells with crystals
Galerie BSL at Marais
Exclusive one-off pieces, limited series, creation in design, jewellery and fashion… A three-part editorial line launched by Galerie BSL which opened to the public in the Marais on May 7th, at 23 rue Charlot, Paris 3rd.
Founded by Béatrice Saint-Laurent, this is a place that aims at making over the codes of the genre. The on-site architecture by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance breaks with the international white cube standard for art galleries – a model that may suit contemporary artworks but does not cover the needs of a design gallery. Noé has re-shuffled conventional object display codes by proposing a white Corian spiral scanned by sequences, a sculpture extrapolated to architectural scale.
This structure becomes the founding statement in the gallery’s space: an object for displaying other objects. As the designer himself says: ‘It’s a straight-up piece that accentuates interior perspectives, but which can also be as neutral as a white sheet‘.
A shell that is showcase and cocoon, built to enhance the most advanced design projects of today and other rare pieces or exclusive commissions: 20th c. lighting, contemporary and vintage jewellery, fashion creations.
The aim is to effect a radical tearing down of the borders that separate modes of expression and periods, which Béatrice Saint-Laurent hopes will lead to any number of exchanges. Cross-overs, influences, correspondences – a source of transversal readings and discoveries.
The other good news is the collaboration of a greek designer with BSL Gallery! Lito Karakostanoglou, executive designer of “Cabinet des Curiosites”, is showing pieces of her beautiful Peacock collection and many more, in the heart of Paris.
when flowers become jewels
i like orchids.
not my favorite flower, i prefer simpler forms of this world’s flora, humble flowers like anemones and freesias- but who can deny the majesty and beauty of an orchid?
that’s what charmed Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Chiuri at Valentino House for this season, as many other designers in the past, and created those beautiful orchid cuffs that wrap with tulle around the wrist. a couple of them arrived this week at work for our next shooting and although they look a bit aggressive shot still-life, they become astonishing when worn.
however today i visited Lito Karakostanoglou ‘Cabinet des Curiosités’, a jewel designer whose collections i can spend hours looking carefully the details and uniqueness of every single piece, and i found something i ‘d never seen before, a special jewel magnificent as something created by nature. actually it was.
a real orchid, dipped in gold and finished with enamel, hanging on a chain with amethysts.
my heart skipped a beat.
