Hugo Drubay
Interior designer, storyteller, graphic and product designer, Hugo Drubay is a whirlwind of ideas, aspirations and poetry. Winner of the Prix du Mobilier National at the Design Parade 2019, he embodies a new vision of the Renaissance man. In his work, the eager artist’s creativity is intensely linked to nature’s perpetual expansion, a powerful energy also perfectly captured in L’Eau d’Issey pour Homme.
Being the link between art and nature
I’ve always had a passion for antiques, furniture, art and everything related to nature. I went to L’Ecole Bleue, an interior design school but I also painted, sculpted and studied art history. All of this has helped me create fictions in which I try to see reality differently through objects and scenography. I see myself as an hermit who wishes to atone for history and I want to be interested in everything. I need to flutter everywhere and generate ideas. For me, creation is a way of connecting with the foundation of the universe and its endless renewal.
Exploring the natural effervescence
With my first exhibition, “L’Exode au Clair de Terre”, I wished to awake man towards a more natural evolution. Located at the centre of the forest, the installation was spread around an old hunting lodge and opened to various interpretations. I wanted to understand the genesis of the universe and the energy of the forest. For example, L’arbre déployé explored the inside of the matter and the effervescence coming from the birth of forms. The tortoise shell covered in gold leaves evoked a desire to reconnect with flows we don’t understand. I also wanted to approach spirituality through the intangible and create a synergy between the living and pure art.
Life is a constant flow
For me, an artist must imitate nature and improve his technic to connect with it. The earth is made of strata and everything is movement: every species, every shape evolves in synergy to better interact with its environment. Thus, all matters have the power to inspire me, even a cloud. I see this flow in flowers, leafs, trees, all those sinuous shapes and effervescent colours. My formal researches have also led me towards sacred geometry, a geometry that structures shapes in nature: hexagonal grids, spirals, symmetry, and ramifications…
In the swirl of creation
When I’m in the process of creating, I go though a phase of decanting. First, I collect everything: energy, people, shapes, plants and I dream. Then, I have a very methodical way of creating; every action has to be well thought to be in Nature’s image. I particularly like working with layers, its brings me back to the flux and the idea of erosion. And when I’m done, I feel at peace.
A timeless chapel to achieve contemplation
For the Design Parade 2019, we had to create a room for a villa by the sea. I wanted a domesticated and sophisticated nature that allowed a place to the living inside our everyday life. It speaks of a need to cohabit with our natural environment such as the forest or the ocean. I had the ambition to combine technology and craftsmanship, to create objects that welcome nature and encourage imagination. I was inspired by the sinuous aspects of layers that you can find in the growing of trees or the water moving. This room is a flow, it clashes and creates a territory that is both alive and fixed.
Credits photos:
Hugo Drubay: Header, image 1 (right)
Hugo Drubay – by Adrien Thibault: Image 1 (left)
Hugo Drubay – by Luc Bertrand: Image 2 (left), Image 2 (right)