French interior designer François Champsaur has worked on the interior design of high-end hotels such as the Fern Hotel in Paris, the Metropolitan Hotel, and the Saffron Barry on the Riviera. He is a famous creator, but he bid farewell to his fame and moved back to his hometown of Marseille. Through various small design works, including his own home, he explores how to reduce the ecological footprint in design and avoid the use of "inanimate" materials , in order to deal with the common ecological crisis of mankind.

The concept of "de-growth" goes hand in hand with Champsall's work and life. Leaving the big city and returning to his hometown, he pursues "less is more" in pursuit of creation and life. Champsol voluntarily narrowed its client list. He pursues the simplicity and cleanliness of the essence of life, giving up consumption in supermarkets and instead supporting the local organic industry. Champsol has his own set of "de-growth" logic of life and creation: "Reducing income and pursuing a simpler standard of living allows me to gain greater freedom to choose eco-friendly creative projects."

The pursuit of "de-growth" comes from Champsall's understanding and thinking on the historical process of consumer society. In his view, over the past 50 years, ultra-liberalism has brought abundance and abundance to one part of the world for a long time, while others have been blessed with little to gain. Consumerism is like a stimulant that stimulates people's desires and makes people accustomed to having everything at their fingertips, but this artificial happiness built on uncontrolled consumption of resources will inevitably collapse one day. "We hid many unpleasant truths about industrial waste, radioactive waste, water pollution, etc. for a long time, until now, ecological threats have surfaced. This is why we should go to the next level to explore and discover , to experiment, to return to an attitude of humility."

At the 2019 Design Parade in Toulon, France, Champsall organized an event called "Restoring Nature Discussion", advocating designers to use more 100% "natural" materials to create degradable and recyclable designs . For Champsall, that means he will try everything possible to avoid the use of plastic materials. “People believe that plastic is a recyclable material, but in fact, 80% of plastic is thrown into non-recyclable trash cans, or ends up as marine litter. The most we should do is to try to Using more organic, raw materials.”

For the tables and chairs in the restaurant of the Cannavale Museum, Champsall uses chestnut wood and retains the texture and touch of the wood. The wooden part of the section reveals the light color of the log, and the sinuous curve like rattan constructs a simple outline, which also gives it a strong natural beauty. The natural materials and the pure and simple style make this set of works seem to be bathed in the sunshine of southern France, exuding a comfortable and gentle temperament.

Champsol values the ability of young designers to develop natural materials, such as designer Samuel Tomatis using seagrass as a material; Champsol's close partner Samy Leo Rio), researching exotic plant species as raw materials for production. Champsol also works with various foundations to support independent artists and pioneering designers in the development of eco-friendly materials.

"We can't make more plastic chairs." In Champsall's view, design is the fusion of subject and form. When the subject is empty, the form will have nothing to express, and the soul of design will be lost. Even digital technologies such as 3D modeling, in his opinion, should be re-examined by designers: "We should properly return to the wisdom of hand-made." He uses clay to make models for his works, in his opinion , the process of working with "organic, living materials, not dead ones" is pleasing and healing. This represents an important fundamental issue for design in the next few years: should we create designs that are "living"?

Champsall pursues nature and simplicity in his commercial design works and personal life, upholds the concept of natural design, and consistently fulfills the aesthetic, ecological, social and even political responsibilities that a designer should take on. "We have to invent new ways of creating and consuming, producing locally and reducing waste."

Article Source:艺术与设计

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