At Work with Gilles Belley

For French designer Gilles Belley, the creative process starts in the pages of his sketchbook. His ideas for products begin as metaphoric drawings, often bordering on the surreal, in his search for a novel starting point.

A sleek pot of fertilizer he recently designed began as a neat sketch of a cloud hovering over a floating puddle, one of dozens of drawings inspired by nature.

“They help to explain to myself and to the client where I want to go,” says Belley of his fantastical drawings, always the most difficult part of his projects. “To design something is not only about the shape… but about the relationship between the product, the world, and society.”

After stints at two design schools, Belley finally settled on Les Ateliers, the main school of design in Paris. After graduating, he worked under Eric Benqué, whom he credits with helping him “become more familiar with the professional life of a designer.”

Belley has been working independently for five years now. His design studio, perched in an old building on a quiet street in the tenth arrondisement, exudes a sort of frenzied creativity with his collection of old prototypes and models.

Among other things, he has developed electrical accessories for EDF, a French electrical company, collaborated with Tectona at the Maison d’Objets, and designed displays for the Shoah Memorial in Paris.

Belley’s last project, “The Organic Factory,” was commissioned by the art center La Cuisine in collaboration with the L.C.A. (Laboratory of Agricultural Chemistry) in Toulouse. Belley received critical acclaim for his work, landing the prestigious 2009 Bourse Agora prize for his use of “Agromaterials,” products made from recyclable plant matter.

Instead of substituting them for petrol-based plastic, Belley explored these sustainable products from a natural point of view.

His Brindille, or twig, is a prototype of a small branch paired with a smooth black plate that he developed with the help of a chemistry laboratory. The branch, made of recycled sunflower, corn, and aromatics, gradually dissolves when dipped into a small puddle of water, releasing a delicate perfume throughout the room.

It’s a perfect example of the way Belley aims for “minimalism and something poetic” in his work, a thoughtful narrative that clearly drives his portfolio of work.

Belley, however, still harbors doubts about sustainable design and dismisses much of it as “trendy.” For him, the most interesting part of the project was that he “made perfume out of agromaterials,” not some grandiose attempt to save the world.

Despite his own reservations, Belley’s designs have attracted attention throughout the industry. Most notably, French designer Philippe Starck singled Belley out as one of ten up and coming designers to watch, a huge compliment considering Starck’s reputation.

“In the beginning, it was a surprise,” says Belley modestly. Clearly, “it’s a very nice opportunity to show my work.”

Belley will get that chance along with other designers at the “Biominitisme” Exhibition at the Lieu de Design near Bastille from 16 March to 30 April.

Look for Belley to start building on that buzz in the coming months.

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by Trafton Kenney
Photo by Mateja Smigoc
Gloobbi Design

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