pli office explores the power of chaos at la gaîté lyrique for paris design week 2026

SHIFTING DESIGN FROM A SOLVER TO A PROVOKER AT PARIS DESIGN WEEK

Presented by Pli office for Paris Design Week 2026, ‘TOUT EST CHAOS’ takes over two floors of La Gaîté Lyrique to question the role of objects in an over-produced world. Historically, modernism defined design by its utility, aiming to solve daily problems and streamline life through mass manufacturing. Yet this relentless drive toward optimization has created a new paradox: in a world already saturated with material goods, the core question is no longer what design can solve, but what it can provoke. Curated by Christopher Dessus, from Paf atelier, the exhibition embraces chaos as a fertile, unstable ground to spark new forms, unexpected uses, and fresh ways of thinking.

‘TOUT EST CHAOS’ by Pli Office at Paris Design Week | all images by Florent Michel, unless stated otherwise

PLI OFFICE SHAPES A SPACE FOR DOUBT BEYOND PROFITABILITY

Beyond initiating the project, Pli office translates its research-led practice into the physical architecture of ‘TOUT EST CHAOS’. Acting as both spatial designers and creative directors, the studio uses scenography as a direct tool for critique, operating on the belief that a designer’s true role is to build connections between objects, narratives, disciplines, and generations.

‘TOUT EST CHAOS was born from a simple yet very contemporary observation: in a world saturated with objects, where what is meant to set us free ends up cluttering our lives, and where excess becomes paralysing, how do designers manage to create?’ Pli office reflects. ‘ TOUT EST CHAOS was conceived as a response to the turmoil of the world. It offers a moment of slowing down and a space for doubt — a space where objects can exist without having to justify their profitability.’

the question is no longer what design can solve, but what it can provoke: desire, emotion, curiosity, and the unexpected

DYNAMIC DESIGN LANDSCAPE FROM OBJECTS TO 360° FILM

To bring this curatorial vision to life, Paf Atelier designed a spatial layout defined by exposed structural elements, raw industrial materials, and modular assembly. Unfolding across both levels of La Gaîté Lyrique, two 30-meter-long metal spines organize the exhibition space while serving as direct supports for the displayed works. Built around simple, reusable production principles, the scenography functions as architecture, display infrastructure, and a design object in its own right. Its raw steel framework leaves the mechanical assembly entirely visible. To soften this rigid industrial structure, bright, heart-shaped forms are placed throughout the venue, guiding visitors along their path while creating inviting display moments.

the raw steel scenography functions as architecture, display infrastructure, and a design object

Surrounding these metallic frameworks, ‘TOUT EST CHAOS’ unfolds as a dynamic landscape. The exhibition brings together 11 invited studios, including matali crasset, Samy Rio, Odd Matter, Baptiste Meyniel, Camille Viallet & Théo Leclercq, Cluzel / Pluchon, Grégory Lacoua, Lucas Lorigeon / Benoît Hody, Maria Jeglinska-Adamczewska, Patrick de Glo de Besses, and Atelier Fomenta. They are joined by 64 designers selected through an international open call. Replacing a rigid path with an open layout, the exhibition allows prototypes, material experiments, and installations to freely interact.

a fertile ground for new forms, unexpected uses, and fresh design perspectives

To anchor the showcase, Pli office debuts its first film, ‘TOUT EST CHAOS’, directed by Jason Borruso inside the venue’s immersive 360 Room. The video installation provides a quiet break from the surrounding physical objects, shifting the experience from material collection to cinematic reflection. This digital interlude invites visitors to pause and step back from the physical accumulation of forms.

Pli office’s film work shifts the exhibition path from material collection to cinematic reflection

heart-shaped forms punctuate the space like visual markers, softening the industrial framework

functioning as display platforms, these elements create intimate moments of emotion throughout the space

Pli office creates structural lines of tension that organize the space and connect the displayed works

objects, installations, and material experiments freely interact, creating continuous dialogue across the space

project info:

name: TOUT EST CHAOS

organizer: Pli Office | @pli_office

curator: Christopher Dessus | @paf_atelier 

designer: Matali Crasset  | @matalicrasset 

exhibitors: Samy Rio, Odd Matter, Baptiste Meyniel, Camille Viallet & Théo Leclercq, Cluzel / Pluchon, Grégory Lacoua, Lucas Lorigeon / Benoît Hody, Maria Jeglinska-Adamczewska, Patrick de Glo de Besses, and Atelier Fomenta

photos: Florent Michel | @11_h_45