æquō, India’s first collectible design gallery founded by Tarini Jindal Handa in 2022, will exhibit at PAD London for the first time in October and launch Esmal, curated by its creative director, Florence Louisy.
Founded in 2007 by fourth-generation Parisian antique dealer Patrick Perrin, PAD London is the only fair in the UK exclusively dedicated to 20th-century and contemporary Design. The week-long event takes place every October on Berkeley Square, in the heart of London’s affluent Mayfair district. PAD London is the sister fair to PAD Paris which was launched in 1998 and takes place every April in the Jardin des Tuileries.
Under Louisy’s creative vision, the experimental gallery situated in Mumbai introduces the world’s finest designers to India’s fine craftsmanship, elevating the global significance of the country’s artisanal heritage. The gallery will display a meticulously curated selection of pieces at PAD London, the outcome of new explorations with artisans and designers.
Esmal by Florence Louisy
æquō will showcase Esmal, designed by Florence Louisy, a fusion of glass and copper, born from the embers of a wood fire. The collection includes lighting fixtures and a console table.
Enamelling, an ancient art form with its origins traced back to the illustrious Mughal era in India, takes center stage in the Esmal collection. Passed down through generations, skilled artisans handcraft each object using age-old techniques, ensuring that their beauty and quality remain unmatched.
Historically reserved for smaller objects, Esmal extends the art of enamelling to larger scale pieces for the first time, a testament to the collaboration between æquō and the artisans to push the boundaries of these unique traditional techniques.
The marvel of this particular process unfolds when the carefully crafted pieces are placed within a grand, crackling wood fire. The intense heat causes the powdered glass to melt wildly and meld harmoniously with the copper. As the flames dance around, the copper acts as a canvas, and the glass fuses with the metal, creating a mesmerizing texture. Every step in the enamelling process requires precision and expertise. The artisans deftly control the firing process, adjusting the temperature and duration to achieve the desired effect. This fusion of glass and copper is a wonder of India’s rich cultural heritage, turning raw materials into timeless pieces of art, preserving its artistic legacy for generations to come.
Enamelling is a universal technique; however, as is often the case, the most traditional methods yield the most beautiful results. We have been working with these artisans for many months, learning about their processes and how we could respectfully push them to create pieces that are unlike anything else in the world. My starting point for the designs was the enamelling process itself; only by understanding it is it possible to push it in new directions. Plain copper sheets have been transformed into works of art thanks to this mesmerizing process, and we hope the designs will help preserve these remarkable skills.
Florence Louisy
æquō will also present a selection of other pieces, including the new Office Cabinet and Office Armchair by Florence Louisy, as well as her Camur Table, Dyad Brass Gueridon, and Dyad Silver Table, alongside works by French interior designer Valeriane Lazard and multidisciplinary artist and designer Boris Brucher.