Designing Alpine

The wintertime chalet evokes a subtle, glamorously cozy presence. In the cultural imagination, its warm interiors have graced the backdrop of downtime for the jet-set as they indulge in mountaintop recreations classically set amid the posh milieus of the Swiss Alps. But these sloped-roofed, traditionally wooden structures had humble beginnings as cold-weather homes for herders of dairy cattle in medieval Switzerland, doubling as storage for their product over the warmer months.

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This week in Paris, Carpenters Workshop Gallery debuts a group show that brings together more than 50 works from 25 artists that call to mind the image of a chic ski chalet, whether literally or abstractly. The result, “Carpenters Chalet,” combines the upscale craft of the luxe, contemporary chalet with its scrappier, artisanal origins.

There’s Spain-born, Netherlands-based Nacho Carbonell’s Earth Clod Side Chair, 2022, which takes the form of an armchair, seemingly caked in grey, cracked earth. Or São Paulo-based studio Campana’s Autumn Sofa. Spanning just over 10 feet long it’s crafted out of aluminum and fabric but designed to evoke a fallen, decaying log, the profane obstacle in an otherwise unblemished snow-scape. Other objects take a darker turn: see Paris-based Thibault Hazelzet’s frank “Memento Mori” sculptures, a trio of which are featured in the show. Each displays at least one dead, dried, stemmed plant. The series’ name, of course, harkens back to the earliest days of Judeo-Christian art, as visual harbingers of death in art. Such an idea is an odd one to ponder in this expensive context, given how few can aspire to the echelons of winter chalets these days, but the spectacle is heartening to take in, to dream about.

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“Carpenters Chalet” is on view through April, 7, 2024, at Carpenters Workshop in Paris at 54 Rue De La Verrerie 75004.

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