In this most meta of meta experiences during Miami Design Week 2017, Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen welcome guests into their living room with A Wild Thing, at Design Miami/ 2017. Commissioned by Airbnb, the installation by muller van severen is an intimate exploration of the shared home.
The space at Design Miami/ is a precise replica of the designers’ living room in Ghent. Their furniture, artworks, books and other objects will be on location in their ‘home away from home’, a special opportunity for visitors to experience how they live. Interactive lightboxes with recorded scenes from their living room windows will transport visitors to their home in Belgium, immersing visitors in their local surroundings as well as their home. Simultaneously, the design duo has shared their home in Ghent on Airbnb.
Known for their creation of beautiful pieces of furniture and art, with this collaboration muller van severen intends to share the deeper meanings that exist for treasured objects at home – which they label Wild Things. Using directional sound, narratives from their lives have been paired with selected items within the living room, creating a highly immersive installation and illustrating the invisible connection between hosts and guests- a truly Airbnb experience.
Each narrative is a personal anecdote from Fien and Hannes, reflecting the meaningful connections they each have with the objects on display. A painting by Hannes’ grandfather, noted artist Dan Van Severen, is juxtaposed with a chair made by the couple’s young daughter. Ambient sounds of the fireplace and the family dinner table are interspersed with sculpture, important books and other artworks – playing on the contrast between high design and the sentimental keepsakes that make up their home.
The installation aims to conjure an understanding of muller van severen’s family stories, daily routines, personal style, and network of friends, creating the essence of home and homecoming in a public space.
“Airbnb is committed to giving voice to a new generation of designers. With this installation we also give voice to objects of beauty and design. The design, arrangement and mood of our homes, as well as the connections and experiences that occur within them, can represent our values and ourselves. As a platform, Airbnb empowers interactions between people who might never otherwise connect, cultivating an appreciation of place, resources, and rituals. When staying in an Airbnb home, one experiences life as it is, not as it is pretended.” says Andrew Speyer, Airbnb Regional Brand Marketing Director for the Americas.
A Wild Thing continues Airbnb’s mission of curating creative talent from around the world. Following Passeggiata (Milan, April 2017), Sobremesa (Miami, December 2016), Makers and Bakers (Milan, April 2016), Housewarming (Milan, April 2015), and A Place Called Home (London, September 2014), A Wild Thing is the brand’s latest project inviting some of the world’s most innovative and exciting designers to explore the shared home.
Open to Public – December 6 – 10, 2017
Meridian Avenue & 19th Street
Adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center
Miami Beach, FL
