Pli Office redefines design's purpose through chaos at Paris Design Week 2026
Exhibition challenges design's utility-driven legacy by embracing chaos as creative catalyst
1Challenging design's modernist legacy
The 'TOUT EST CHAOS' exhibition directly confronts modernism's utility-focused design paradigm, arguing that in an over-produced world, design's value lies in provocation rather than problem-solving. Curator Christopher Dessus from Paf atelier positions the show as a response to material saturation, where objects meant to liberate instead clutter lives. Pli Office's research suggests contemporary design must shift from creating solutions to sparking desire, emotion, and unexpected connections, marking a fundamental philosophical pivot in the field.
2Scenography as critical architecture
Pli Office transforms La Gaîté Lyrique's two floors with 30-meter steel spines that serve simultaneously as structural supports, display infrastructure, and design objects. The raw industrial framework deliberately exposes its mechanical assembly, creating visible tension between order and chaos. Heart-shaped forms soften the rigid structure while functioning as display platforms, embodying the exhibition's core tension between industrial precision and organic emotion. This spatial design physically manifests the studio's belief in design as connector between objects, narratives, and generations.
3International design dialogue
The exhibition features 11 established studios including matali crasset and Samy Rio alongside 64 emerging designers selected through an open call. This deliberate mix creates dynamic interactions between prototypes, material experiments, and installations across the open layout. Unlike traditional shows with rigid paths, 'TOUT EST CHAOS' encourages spontaneous dialogues between works from diverse practitioners, from Baptiste Meyniel's experiments to Atelier Fomenta's conceptual pieces. The spatial arrangement turns the venue into a living laboratory of design thinking.
4Material research meets cinematic reflection
Pli Office complements physical exhibits with its debut 360° film directed by Jason Borruso, shown in the venue's immersive room. This digital interlude provides visitors respite from material accumulation while expanding the exhibition's conceptual scope. The film shifts the experience from tactile engagement to cinematic contemplation, offering a meditative counterpoint to the physical chaos. This multimedia approach reflects the studio's holistic view of design as spanning both physical objects and temporal experiences.
5Design beyond profitability
Pli Office explicitly positions the exhibition as a space where objects exist without commercial justification, challenging industry norms. The studio argues contemporary design's paralysis stems from market-driven overproduction, proposing instead a practice rooted in curiosity and doubt. By removing profitability constraints, the show enables radical material experiments from participants like Odd Matter and Grégory Lacoua. This approach redefines success in design terms of emotional resonance rather than market viability.
6Chaos as creative methodology
The exhibition operationalizes chaos through its modular steel framework that organizes while appearing unstable. Bright heart-shaped markers create rhythm within the industrial structure, embodying the productive tension between control and spontaneity. Pli Office demonstrates how calculated disorder can generate new forms, as seen in Lucas Lorigeon/Benoît Hody's interactive pieces. This methodology proves particularly effective for cross-disciplinary collaborations, with Maria Jeglinska-Adamczewska's works bridging product and spatial design.
7Temporal dimensions of design
The exhibition extends design's traditional spatial focus into temporal experimentation through evolving installations and the 360° film. Camille Viallet Théo Leclercq's works change throughout the show's run, while Cluzel/Pluchon's pieces invite visitor interaction that alters their form. This temporal layer transforms the exhibition from static display to living ecosystem, where objects and viewers co-create the experience. Pli Office frames this as essential to contemporary practice in an era of digital-physical hybridity.
8New metrics for design value
By rejecting utility and profitability as primary measures, 'TOUT EST CHAOS' establishes alternative criteria for design success. The exhibition evaluates works by their capacity to provoke thought, spark emotion, and challenge assumptions rather than solve problems. Patrick de Glo de Besses' conceptual pieces exemplify this shift, prioritizing intellectual engagement over functionality. Pli Office's framework suggests the industry must develop new vocabularies to assess design's cultural versus commercial impact.