Rive Roshan’s mesmerising artefacts inspire hope in ‘The Space in Between’

Soft, pulsating colour and light and fluid, undulating vase designs characterise Rive Roshan’s showcase with the Rademakers Gallery at Design Miami 2023. The Amsterdam-based artistic duo, Ruben de la Rive Box and Golnar Roshan believe in the power of design to inspire people by offering new narratives to ‘build a progressive future’. To this end, through an interplay of light, colour, space and material, Rive Roshan aims to arouse curiosity and a sense of wonder towards the magic that surrounds our everyday lives. The pastel-toned, gleaming pieces in their solo presentation at the design event, on view until December 10th 2023 highlight this idea.

Titled, ‘The Space in Between’, the duo use their designs as a tool to explore ideas of hope, connection, and nurturing reflection among visitors. The muted colour palette, bringing to mind soft sunrises over the Miami coastline, and the undulating form of the vessels which recall the beaches of Miami are all meant to invoke the idea of a poetic sanctuary, offering visitors a sense of pause. For the two designers, the in-between space, between the conscious and unconscious, material and immaterial is not empty; and their work is meant to shape how people feel in that space, hopefully eliciting positive emotions. “When we evoke positive or conscious emotions in people, they open their minds and look at their environment more thoughtfully and with more empathy and make better and more progressive choices,” the designs explain the intent behind their work.

For the yearly design festival in Miami, a range of Polarity Panels, side table designs, wall lights, a range of their Colour Shift Rounds, and a selection of their Voices Vessels, a new collection of tesselating vases. The shifting lines of the wall panels, coupled with the soft colours are meant to lull people into a sense of calm. The duo have been known to create transformative objects, playing with material, colour, reflection, and perception. The entire display space seems to vibrate with a positive aura from their treatment of it.

“If we teach our minds to shift perspectives through curiosity and reflection, we learn to open our minds, bridge divides, and make more progressive choices,” they explain. The inspiration for the current showcase came about from this idea, to bridge divides and offer hope. Their work has delved into similar ideas in previous exhibitions, evoking emotion in people through certain materials, techniques, and processes. Their goal is to have an impact on how people experience spaces, something that their current showcase is proof of.