Mythocultural objects: Designs exemplifying tales of mythology, heritage and culture

Witnessing and listening to mythic tales, familial traditions and folklore solidifies one’s rootedness to their heritage while also emblazoning one’s imagination with fantastical thought and inspiration. Hence, as is the case with any kind of inspiration, these stories too manifest themselves in reinterpreted tales, artworks, architectural projects and design objects. This year, we traced various such narratives that culminated in product design that is evocative of the essence and inspiration drawn from mythological lores and mythic characters, cultural and regional heritage, erstwhile artistic styles and movements, bygone architectural elements, inspirational locales and certain localised motifs.

STIR draws out the Best of 2024 from this list of objects that muse on mythology, culture, heritage and traditional lores and crafts.

1. Hecate by Studio Aristotelis Barakos and Aumorfia

Conceived by Greece-based Studio Aristotelis Barakos and leather goods brand Aumorfia, the lighting design collection Hecate is emblematic of the Greek goddesses’ role as a guardian and guide. Hecate comprises a table lamp, floor lamp and a pendant lamp. The collection, named after Hecate, the revered ancient Greek goddess for magic, witchcraft, necromancy and sorcery, pays homage to her multifaceted nature. Worshipped as the protector of homes and crossroads, she is also a goddess of the moon and the underworld. She is often depicted as three maidens facing different directions, a symbolism that is artfully integrated into the product designs. The top view of the pieces reveals a composition of three arcs, forming parts of three identical circles that are tangent to each other. By connecting the centres of these circles, an equilateral triangle is created, alluding to the three-faced depiction of the Triple Goddess.

2. Néophore by Döppel Studio

The Néophore collection, developed by Paris-based Döppel Studio in collaboration with Aliénor Martineau from Alma Mater, is currently on view at ToolsGalerie. This collection of vessels that double as lighting pieces is inspired by the shapes of ancient Greek jars and amphorae. Each object in the collection highlights not only the usage and measurement systems of early civilisations but also the reverence for Prometheus, a prominent figure in Greek mythology, who is said to have stolen fire from the gods and gifted it to humanity, symbolising knowledge, progress and creative empowerment. Similarly, Ariadne's thread—a glowing tool in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur—guided Theseus out of the labyrinth, becoming a metaphor for clarity, guidance and problem-solving. These ancient motifs resonate in the pieces where light is a tangible material weaving ancient symbolism into pieces of contemporary design.

3. Juxtaposed: A Portal to African Design by Jomo Tariku

Juxtaposed: A Portal to African Design, Kenya-born furniture designer Jomo Tariku's solo exhibition at Wexler Gallery, exemplifies the Ethiopian-American creative’s body of work, honed for the past three decades. Inspired by African heritage, the gallery showcases modern objects developed by the designer, alongside historical artefacts from Africa, portraying the archaic motifs and elements that have seeped into Tariku’s work. Some African references that are reinterpreted by Tariku in his furniture and object design, include traditional birthing chairs, the Maasai shield, Ethiopian drums, African marketplaces and different geometric patterns paramount across the continent, amongst other motifs.

4. Carved Renaissance by Leah Jensen

London-based artist Leah Jensen’s carved vessels are a reinterpretation of Renaissance paintings on ceramic. The pragmatic calculations that hid behind the artistic masterpieces of the Renaissance period became the subject of Jensen's fascination and subsequently, the concept for her Carved Renaissance vessels. Taking constructional cues from the preliminary drawings and hidden geometry of Renaissance art, Jensen presents a body of work that traces back thousands of years and yet, is fairly contemporary in form. These handmade objects of ceramic art, each a fruit of over 100 hours of labour, represent a bold choice of embracing the 'slow' in this fast-paced age of production and consumption.

5. Sidi Bou chair and Almadies console by Mehdi Dakhli

Showcased at the debut edition of COLLECTIBLE NY, Mehdi Dakhli’s Sidi Bou chair and Almadies console are two furniture pieces that draw references from a 20th-century artwork and a Senegalese neighbourhood respectively. The Sidi Bou chair draws inspiration from Wassily Kandinsky's artwork, Loses Im Rot (1925). The chair design also alludes to Tunisian heritage; Tunisia also being a place that deeply influenced Kandinsky's journey into abstraction as well as Dakhli’s body of work. Sleek and durable, the aluminium backrest emulates the spinal form depicted in the painting. The Almadies console, on the other hand, is a bronze and marble piece that channels the vibrant Almadies area in Dakar, Senegal—another place of great significance for the furniture designer. Hence, Dakhli, through his furniture designs, pays homage to the places that have shaped his life and oeuvre.

6. Colonna by Moss & Lam

Toronto-based studio Moss & Lam’s cohesive collection of tables, Colonna, comprises four side tables and end tables inspired by the classical Greek colonnades. The terracotta tables, conceived as carved layers stacked upon each other, were conceived in collaboration with artisans from Tuscany. The product designer states the influences behind Colonna, “Drawing inspiration from Italian craftsmanship and the historical significance of columns, I sought to innovate by deconstructing and reinventing the traditional fluted column concept, thereby elevating the perception of terracotta to [an] innovative level.”

7. Buttoned Up by Kiki Goti

The Buttoned Up collection, comprising aluminium mirror and lighting fixtures, by Brooklyn-based Greek architect and designer Kiki Goti, emulates the Victorian-era androgynous style—feminist accessories and masculine garments worn together to delineate a new genre of self-expression. To conceive the pieces, Goti draws inspiration from the likes of George Sand, Oscar Wilde and Amelia Jenks Bloomer; the collection sheds light on and epitomises the subtlety of the androgyne. Some pieces from the collection include the Belted wall light, the Buttoned Up wall light and the Buttoned Up mirror.

8. Bulbosaurs by Henry Kim

The Bulbosaurs lighting collection by Henry Kim is conceived using a customised style of Korean pottery by the US-based Korean designer. The convoluted coil and throw technique Onggi is a traditional Korean pottery art form. The Onggi vessels are meticulously created employing a special technique that entails coiling long, thin clay ropes and then shaping them on a spinning wheel. Inspired by the Onggi technique, Kim created his signature style, 'Mongi’. The designer’s custom style is derived from a combination of marble along with the Onggi technique. Using this technique Kim crafted various lamps for his collection Bulbosaurs.

STIRred 2024 wraps up the year with curated compilations of our expansive art, architecture and design coverage at STIR this year. Did your favourites make the list? Tell us in the comments!