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What if objects forgotten for centuries could find a new purpose in our everyday lives?
For the Flora challenge, I chose objects from The Met with unknown or uncertain functions and imagined how they could live again in a contemporary apartment.
A fragment becomes a wall tile.
An ancient textile becomes upholstery.
A mysterious object becomes part of a door, a wall, or a piece of furniture.
A wooden board becomes a coffee table.
A magnificent disk becomes a clock.
A vessel becomes a place for essentials.
What inspired me most was the objects themselves. They don’t have to remain forgotten on museum shelves just because we no longer know what they were made for.
Everything can be anything. And that, to me, is the beauty of art.
The fragment becoming a wall tile is my favorite of the six, it feels the least literal jump. If you had to cut one of these reimaginings for time, which would go first?
Thanks so much, Diego! I like the tile the most too 😊
I think I’d cut the vessel first if I had to. The concept feels a bit more interchangeable since another object could serve the same purpose.
But honestly, I couldn’t really omit it because I love the design of the...
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L’Empreinte — “The Imprint”
I wanted to explore the relationship we build with the objects around us — the marks they leave on us, and the marks we leave on them.
I started with François-Thomas Germain’s Coffeepot, made in Paris in 1757. What interested me was not only its form, but the world it represented: a time when rituals such as drinking coffee, serving and displaying silverware were surrounded by extraordinary care, craftsmanship and ceremony.
That made me think about our rituals today.
We listen through headphones. We gather around speakers. We work through laptops. We communicate through phones.
The objects have changed, but we still build habits, memories and relationships around them.
What if that same care, refinement and presence were applied to the products surrounding our lives today?
Rather than reproducing the coffeepot, I wanted its design language to leave an empreinte on a new generation of objects. Its flowing ornament, polished silver, sculptural curves and sense of preciousness became the basis for a collection of headphones, speakers, phones and laptops.
The aim was to imagine another evolution of modern design — one where ornament had never completely disappeared, and where technology could still feel crafted, emotional and precious.
Explore the full FLORA project here:
https://app.flora.ai/view/js7b1ngr9rm9d9v0cv3vzc6tkx8dvnrf
I’ve also included a process video showing how the idea developed from the original reference into the final collection and world.
Instead of placing the objects inside a cold technological setting, I built an environment around stone, natural textures, open space, light and the sky. The tree-like elements and blue-and-white opening above connect the space back to nature, contrasting with the polished technology and making the environment feel more grounded and alive.
The people complete that world. They are different, but their gestures overlap: listening, working, communicating and sharing sound. Their presence shows how these objects become part of the body, the room and the rituals that connect us.
That is ultimately what L’Empreinte represents:
the trace history leaves on design,
the trace objects leave on us,
and the trace we leave on them in return.
A collection imagining what might happen if the refinement of the past became part of the design language we still spoke today.
Created with @FLORA for the FLORA Museum Challenge.
Original work:
François-Thomas Germain, Coffeepot, Paris, 1757
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Amazing approach and design work!
Our entry for the @FLORA Museum Challenge!
We picked Eirene, the personification of Peace, from The Met.
The idea was simple: when we look at a piece of art, we all imagine something different.
So we played with that. Different people looking at the same sculpture, each one creating their own version of it in their head!
This is great!! Don't forget to include your Met reference link too!
Inspired by: Grere'o (Shield), Solomon Islands, early-to-mid 19th century, from The Met's open archive.
Link to Original Art : https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310073
I liked this shield because of its beautiful pattern and shine. It has a detailed design with a human figure in the middle, made from woven cane and shiny shell pieces. It looked like something made to be seen, not just used.
What I made: I turned the shield into a surfboard, but kept its design exactly the same, same pattern, same shine, same figure. I only changed its shape into a board. I picked a surfboard because its long shape already matches the shield's shape, so it felt like a natural change.
How I made it: I downloaded the Sheild image from Met's open archive, then imported the sheild picture in flora , connected picture with text prompt node, then I connected both picture and text prompt node to the video node and I selected the seedance 2.5 model with 30sec clip, I kept the work flow simple because I am new to flora and I was afraid maybe I may use all the credits before even creating good video, add this in how I made it
Why I made this: I wanted to take this design out of the museum and give it a new life in something people can use and see in motion. I think the shield's pattern is still beautiful enough to belong in The Met today, just now on a different object.
Instagram post link: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc3Nn8IAT2O/
Twitter(X) post link: https://x.com/AhmadSauleh/status/2095827847915163648?s=20
Such a clean fusion of culture and modern sport! Did you encounter any issues getting FLORA to keep the intricate shell pattern consistent across different camera angles