The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite lifestyle Images courtesy of Adorno Thus, local craftsmen and artists have to sometimes rely on producing pieces with currently available materials in their studios. Amazedly, despite this uncertainty, they have strength- ened their supportive network in Lebanon and develop even greater connections and room to explore their chosen fields. Using their concept of human interaction and the urban ex- perience through a multidisciplinary approach, Tessa and Tara have been able to explore their own individual strengths and interests. Within the constraints of political, social, and economic ten- sions, T Sakhi has created works that seek to shift how their audience experiences their everyday life. One example is their 2018 series ‘Holidays in the Sun’ which reinterpreted security barriers to create public seating and vertical gardens, as well as reimagining the function and overall aesthetic of objects found around the city. Another collection, ‘Tasting Threads’ saw the duo collaborate with Venetian craftspeople to create a collec- tion of Murano tableware. Through this collaboration, crafting knowledge was exchanged to produce new, innovative approaches to age-old techniques and materials that highlighted the expertise and history of these two Mediterranean cultures. The pieces brought together traditional Lebanese forms with the expert technique of Mura- no glassblowing, developing a dialogue between heritage and contemporaneity, form and function. Pieces such as the Flask, Shot, and Long glasses are coloured in red, green, and blue. Other designs that caught my eye included Cétoine by Kiwi Bravo from Barcelona, Spain. The name of this amazing chair is French for a specific breed of iridescent beetle, in which it aims to capture the beauty and variety of the species. This in- sect is considered to be sacred in ancient culture and has an exoskeleton that changes colour and form depending on the viewer’s perspective. Sometimes its camouflage conceals the creature and at other times, its iridescent colouration serves as a warning.