To identify oneself in a profession is often much simpler than to defend
a free status which escapes limited definition. Current design
is a universe which is more and more multifaceted. A society that mixes
needs and desires, dreams and reality, can only generate multiple
expressions, diversified, faceted and complex objects.
Raphaël Charles (1979) is – by his own definition, a self-educated
creator of objects. Far from being the result of a “materialistic”
desire, his creations are born rather from the need to materialise the
desire to put into perspective fast evolution, a hyperconsumerism
of ideas, things, time…The object suspends time, is positioned
in space like an interface and produces lasting relations.
Raphaël creates in the pure sense of the word. Through a cognitive
and experimental act, which repeats itself every time, in an unlimited and
open evolution, he gives life to materials, shapes and functions. It’s
through an artistic impulse that the object takes form. The material, the
shapes and the functions are born out of an independent and genius-like
impulse. Through their poetic, new functional and seductive qualities, Raphael’s
creations raise questions, challenge, affect and involve the observer and/or
the user. Rather than static objects, they are more like experiences
that involve all the senses.
Whether they are ambiguous creations, trompe-l’œil or perceptive
games, the material and the function are being reinvented in the
framework of a philosophy which goes beyond the mere consumer goods.
Design here is a transformation and conversion of its original use. A coal
rug or a melting ring… Raphaël’s objects transcends the
parameters of reality. He could be using an inadequate material in
relation to normal use (the coal for a rug), or a technical process
(the coal made in foam) or a shape (a ring that drips after the fusion with
the resin, looking like an “unfinished” product, stopped, frozen
in the moment of its creation). The objects then become sensory provocations,
contradictory suggestions and ”surreal” compositions, in the
sense that they leave open the option between the use or contemplation.
Raphaël creates sculptures that can be used but at the same time make
you question the concept of usefulness. What is a useful object?
His creations are impossible to classify because they appeal to everyone
and on all levels: artistic design or functional art? Or more simply
a desire to create objects which are born out of observation and that can
be observed. The usefulness becomes an option. The
wish is to seduce.
Giovanna Massoni
Journaliste, curatrice et historienne de l'art