As a Trends & Prospective partner of MAISON&OBJET, Peclers Paris has identified and conceptualized the theme for the new edition of the show (September 5-9, 2024): TERRA COSMOS. Or how the conquest of space, a concrete subject of scientific research and innovation but also the subject of an almost magical reverie, opens the way to the deployment of solutions as sustainable as they are forward-looking, to the benefit of the Earth.

When technology and magic go hand in hand

Awakening the senses, enabling us to escape from routine[1] , inviting us to imagine new possibilities based on shared narratives, magic has an extraordinary power to enchant. All the immensity and scientific research stimulated by the conquest of space serves as both a pillar of imagination and a breeding ground for innovation. If the cosmos have inspired science fiction since its inception, it’s because of mankind’s transcendental fascination with its mysteries.

As science fiction invades the silver (and smaller) screens, the magical and the scientific enter a dialogue to expand the field of the possible, all attempts at sustainable fiction. A certain kind of fantasy, at the crossroads of the wonderful and the fantastic, with its roots in collective memory, serves as an active tool in creating new desirable futures. Space takes on a spiritual dimension, inviting to a poetic contemplation of major issues.

[1] For 76% of respondents to The age of re-enchantment study (VML, 2023).

As the conquest of space becomes more accessible, and yesterday’s dreams come closer to becoming reality (see Axiom, which opens up the conquest of space to tourism, with Philippe Starck as designer; or Zephalto’s stratospheric balloons), these innovations also enable the deployment of incredibly ingenious new sustainable solutions for the Earth. Finally, imagining the future of the Earth by projecting life into space opens up the field of imagination to inspire concrete solutions (as illustrated by the “designing for the Earth by living in space” program at the School of Disruption).

We must be careful, however, not to succumb to an “sky is the limit” vision, i.e. to turn technology into an ideology and believe that it will solve all our problems, particularly those related to ecology. It’s a dangerous illusion to believe that, through the conquest of space, mankind can continue to live using ever more resources, even beyond those available on earth.

Consumption territory

The cosmos, land of science and esoterica, inspires the creation of new immersive universes and ultra-resilient sustainable innovations. The advances made possible by the conquest of space thus enter everyday life, while a futuristic aesthetic paves the way for new experiential consumption. Here are a few interesting initiatives:

Bringing the Cosmos to life

Designed by the architectural duo Mur.Mur to take visitors on a gustatory odyssey, Unplug is a bar conceived as a space capsule: its portholes reveal cosmic landscapes against a backdrop of immersive sound design, the better to dramatize food and cocktails.

Eating the cosmos

Alternatives to intensively farmed food are emerging. The Finnish company Solar Food recently tested a protein powder made from micro-organisms, water and carbon dioxide, exposed to the sun. A sustainable protein, literally born of the four elements.

Living tomorrow

By putting technological innovation at the service of sustainability, it becomes possible to propose totally virtuous projects. For example, the El Cosmico hotel due to open in Texas is made up of 3D-printed pods, enabling the use of recycled resources and avoiding material surpluses.

Cosmic design

Highly referenced, Space design also questions issues of sustainability while associating them with a scientific and creative universe. For example, artist Olafur Eliasson’s design studio has created retro-futuristic solar-powered lamps for Ikea. A practical but also educational object, designed to raise awareness of climate issues.

Cosmic material

Beyond inspiring aesthetics, space research leads to fascinating material innovations. The Bandit9 brand has created Eve Odyssey, a motorcycle made from the same aluminum that NASA uses for its rockets, offering both power and lightness.

Habitat, retail, hospitality: future expressions

THE FUTURE OF HOUSING

In the quest for well-being, the interior is becoming an increasingly private and autonomous space, and the home is evolving into a closed space fully integrated into its landscape. Interiors are becoming purer, encouraging users to engage in sensitive introspection, while technical innovations are fueling changes in usage. Between the real and the virtual, futuristic, even survivalist aesthetics gain in sensoriality thanks to a primary inspiration from the natural world.

THE FUTURE OF RETAIL

To seduce consumers and keep them coming back for more, ever more creative universes are renewing the shopping experience through a constant reinterpretation of brand codes. Technology is used to create a retail experience that is as immersive as it is progressive, while optimizing the shopping experience. Futuristic universes plunge into imaginary, ultra-referential parallel worlds.

THE FUTURE OF HOSPITALITY

Through experience and novelty, the hospitality sector must continue to surprise and reinvent the idea of escape. Extreme travel is democratizing, and opening up experiences beyond the Earth’s confines to the general public is the ultimate luxury. Technical advances and technologies are used to create real, ultra-innovative and immersive places, enabling the constant evolution of experiences. The referenced universe of the cosmos serves as a creative breeding ground, opening the notion of destination to both the real and the imaginary.

Come and meet the Peclers Paris team on Thursday, September 5 at 11 am for the OPENING CONFERENCE, a plunge into Terra Cosmos and the new aesthetic solutions and territories emerging from this fascination with the immensity of space.

And meet us at Maison&Objet from September 5th to 9th, at our booth B105 – Hall 7A.