Joining forces in 2013, Apolline and Gauthier initially worked on several art direction projects in Paris before moving to China for a two-year sojourn in Shanghai to design a limited-edition series for the luxury fashion brand Shang-Xia founded in 2010 as a joint collaboration between Hermès and Chinese designer Jiang Qiong-er. -In 2018, they settled in Brussels in Zaventem Ateliers, a creative hub for emerging and established designers, artists and scenographers located in a former industrial facility. The duo has since been working in the “no man’s land” between art and design, creating sculptural objects for private residences and commercial venues, as well as collaborating with brands, artists and institutions on exhibitions and special projects.

Particularly fascinated by urban culture, Studio Élémentaires’ latest collection draws inspiration from the kitschy, frenetic universe of the fairground, “stripping away excess and artifice to reveal the intrinsic elegance that lies beneath”. From carousels and Ferris wheels, to halls of mirrors, bumper cars, shooting galleries and cotton candy stalls, the duo filter the exuberant maximalism of such clanky contraptions through their minimalist aesthetic, translating their all-sensory overload into mesmeric objects of “ultra-contemporary radicality”. Combining mechanical parts like gears, pulleys and belt paths with LEDs and electronics, the fusion of analogue and high-tech components lends their kinetic sculptures a fascinating visual complexity that further enhances the narrative experience that they convey.

Evoking the hypnotic rotations of carousels and wheels of fortune, Vertigo features a rotating aluminium disc embellished with a double spiral pattern which alternates between a high-shine finish and matte sandblasted texture. Crowned by a sandblasted glass sphere emitting blue light, we found ourselves entranced by its gradually spinning spiral motifs.

Just as entrancing, Tea Party is a minimalist reinterpretation of the spinning teacups ride, a historic attraction inspired by Lewis Carroll's infamous Alice in Wonderland. Suspended from the ceiling, a large circular platform features seven rotating disc-shaped trays, each one bearing an off-centre sandblasted glass light sphere. The trays spin leisurely in graceful rounds, meeting and drifting apart in an indolent and constantly evolving waltz. Made of high shine aluminium, the platform reflects the rotating points of light which serve to amplify its hypnotic power.

Inspired by the design of thrill rides, Overheated directly references pendulum rides, evident through its two superimposed arms, each equipped with a light grid and a row of fans that propels them to rotate around a central axis. Punctuated by vibrations of light, the piece’s mechanical choreography, a perfectly synchronised dialogue of lights and motion, offers viewers a quasi-hypnotic spectacle that communicates an alternative vision of vertigo.

Combining the worlds of the fairgrounds and nightclubs, Flasher takes its cues from the design of stage spotlights as much from contemporary digital control panels. The suspended object features 25 perforated discs in front of a 5-by-5 light grid which rotate in a random sequence producing an idiosyncratic twinkling effect. Composed of a succession of four high-shine aluminium plates, the object’s elementary form belies complex backstage mechanics that become visible when the object is viewed side-on.

One of the few pieces that doesn’t incorporate motion, Golden Nuggets still manages to mesmerise its audience thanks to its intricate, three-dimensional pattern of light points. Inspired by the light ornaments that adorn the ceilings, pediments, and other parts of the fairground’s architecture, the object’s boxy volume is entirely covered by a grid of “nugget” light clusters comprising 136 pinpoint LEDs, its mirrored coating further enhancing its magical sensibility through trompe l'œil reflections

Inspired by cotton candy, one of the core rituals of a fairground visit, Candy Crush takes the form of a tubular light pendant. At its core lies a pink-hued optical filter enveloping an LED strip-light. As the filter rotates it creates an optical ripple effect thanks to the moiré and iridescent reflections that evoke the operator’s gesture of twirling a stick inside a spinning cotton candy machine.

Every aspect of Candy Crush, like every piece in the collection, has been meticulously designed and expertly crafted. This attention to detail extends from the concealed rotating mechanism to the two aluminium suspension hooks, reminiscent of the piston system supporting the awnings of fair stalls. Ultimately, this fusion of conceptual sophistication and impeccable craftsmanship is what makes Studio Élémentaires' work so overwhelmingly intriguing. It therefore goes without saying that we can’t wait to see what this imaginative duo will conjure up in their future collections.